CHAPTER II 



LEARNING TO CAST 



BAIT casting as practiced by an expert is an art 

 combining remarkable accuracy, delicacy of 

 thumbing, and at times great distances. To 

 attain anything like perfection in bait casting requires 

 years of experience and constant practice. Of course, 

 the ability to drop one's lure within a few inches of a 

 lily pad or rock is an advantage not to be underesti- 

 mated ; other things being equal, the most fish usually 

 are on the string of the best caster. 



Happily, however, it is not necessary to be a tourna- 

 ment caster for practical fish catching purposes. Good 

 enough casting to catch fish under average condi- 

 tions can be learned in a very short time, although it 

 is hard to convince those who have tried it only once 

 or twice that this is so. True, surprising things happen 

 the first time one attempts to cast, but not more so 

 than what happens to the beginner in skating or bicycle 

 riding. 



A few years ago, a friend was to accompany us on 

 our vacation, and as he was not a caster we impressed 

 upon him the advisability of learning the art. He was 



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