SHORE CASTING 195 



mood, mood of fish or angler. In this chapter I am 

 to converse upon shore-casting. 



Shore-casting is pre-eminently a river sport. 

 Seldom can it be indulged in upon a lake. In order 

 to cast successfully from the shore the rodster must 

 have deep water within reach and an appreciable 

 amount of room for the back-cast. However, it is 

 surprising how the experienced caster will manage to 

 get a lure out where Nature provides but little back 

 room. Casts will be extemporized on the spur of the 

 moment, to the astonishment of the angler himself, 

 but more of that matter further along. The great 

 attractivity of shore-casting is its many difficulties, 

 problems and fish yes, fish. The man who under- 

 stands the habits of bass and knows how to use his 

 tackle need never fear a fishless creel. Even the 

 "fished-out" stream will yield a bass or two. 



Some seasons ago I was spending my vacation in 

 a Middle West town, a little village built upon the 

 banks of a small stream with ichthyic memories. 

 The fishing, like the business of the town, was almost 

 wholly reminiscent. The patriarchs would button-hole 

 me at every opportunity and begin: "Why, boy, 

 twenty-seven years ago come next August, I ." I 

 soon learned to fear those old men as the wedding 

 guest feared the ancient mariner. While the sleepy 

 village had attractions for jaded nerves, the patri- 

 arch's interminable stories drove me to solitary ang- 

 ling in self defense. At first I fished perfunctorily, 



