BAIT-CASTER AND BASSES 83 



use one of the floating baits; when he gets into trouble 

 with the reel, as he most assuredly will, the bait will not 

 go to the bottom with the probability of getting fast 

 when the angler is picking out the tangle. The float- 

 ing baits induce a great many strikes. Personally I use 

 a small bucktail spoon a great deal, and the small spin- 

 ners fitted with single-hook bass flies are very satisfac- 

 tory; with these last a quarter-ounce dipsey sinker 

 should be used. Pork-rind baits are usually very suc- 

 cessful and these the angler may cut himself or they 

 may be had in preserved form from the tackle dealers. 

 The pork-rind bait is best used on a small white enam- 

 eled spoon. The various artificial minnows are much 

 used and very successful lures for bait-casting. 



Casting from the Reel 



There are two methods of casting from the reel, the 

 side cast and the overhead cast. The side cast is the 

 easier one to negotiate and the beginner will do well 

 at first to confine his attention to this. First, the bait, 

 spoon or artificial minnow, is reeled up to within about 

 six inches of the tip guide. The rod, then, pointing 

 appreciably downward below the waistline, is swung 

 at arm's length to the rear of the caster and then 

 brought forward with a steady sweeping motion. Up 

 to the point when the line is to be released and allowed 

 to run out through the guides as a result of the momen- 

 tum of the swinging rod, the thumb of the rod hand is 

 kept firmly clamped on the line wound on the reel- 

 spool. When the swing of the rod has reached a point 

 where the line when released will shoot out in the 



