FOULING THE ROD. 9 



the first position, as shown in Plate I., you have, by a 

 steady but increasing force, to switch this piece of clay 

 backward over your shoulder in a horizontal direction. 



Diagram i shows the angles made by the rod in the 

 back cast. Diagram 2 shows the increase of force and the 

 direction taken by the line, etc., which will be in the same 

 plane as that described by the rod. 



The force employed in the back stroke should be 

 sufficient to extend the line behind after the rod has 

 come to rest, and, having thus extended itself, it will 

 fall to the ground in a more or less straight line behind 

 you. Later on, when fishing, you may find your line 

 during a long back cast coming into collision with your rod, 

 and you will learn to make a slight curve with the rod 

 at the end of this stroke, to one side or the other, thus keeping 

 the rod clear of the line in its backward course. This 

 collision is due either to a faulty back stroke or using 

 a long line. If a correct upward motion of the first half 

 of the back cast, is made when using a medium length of 

 line, it is sufficient to lift the line above the level of the top of 

 the rod as the line travels backward. The longer the line 

 used, however, the less is the influence of this upward motion 

 of the rod to lift it above the level of the top of the rod, 

 and the greater tendency, therefore, to collision as it travels 

 backward. 



Now repeat the whole performance until you are 

 satisfied that your line travels well back clear of the rod, 



