FLY-CASTING AND FLY-FISHING 59 



Another very important point is not to carry the rod 

 tiDo far back on the back cast. This fault simply means 



that too long a time will elapse between 

 The Back the f orwar( j an( j b ac k casts an( j t ^ t t ^ e 



Ca.St 



line will become dead in the rear of the 

 caster. On the back cast the rod should go but slightly 

 beyond the perpendicular; this will keep the line high 

 in the air the object to be attained where it will 

 respond at once to a correctly timed forward cast. The 

 line must be kept alive throughout the period covered 

 by the forward and back casts, and nothing is more apt 

 to kill a cast than letting the rod go too far back. You 

 will occasionally see fly-casters carry the rod so far to 

 the rear that the line actually falls on the water behind 

 them. 



Try to get a high back cast. When the tip of the 

 rod, in the arc described by the rod in the back cast, 

 reaches a point just over your head, stop the rod; the 

 momentum and bend of the rod will then carry it to 

 just about the right position for starting the forward 

 cast. 



And now about starting the forward and back casts: 

 the chief mistake made by beginners in starting the 



back cast is in starting it too easily. 



with a strong, snappy, backward wrist 

 motion, so that it will have sufficient speed to straighten 

 out behind you before beginning to fall toward the 

 water. This, too, will help in attaining the high back 

 cast mentioned above. Do not delay starting the back 



