CHAPTER XI 



FLY-CASTING CONTESTS 



THERE is an old saying among the ang- 

 lers that it is easier to tell another per- 

 son how to cast properly than to do the 

 thing yourself. This, then, is my excuse for at- 

 tempting to write of tournament casting; for I 

 have practiced this amusement for less than fif- 

 teen years, and am just beginning to learn. But 

 so many persons have asked me to tell them 

 how I manage to cast 100 feet and more with 

 a five-ounce rod that it is possible some notes 

 on this subject may interest other anglers, too. 

 One of these inquirers told me just what 

 many old anglers have admitted that he has 

 fished for years, yet cannot cast more than sixty 

 feet. Generally anglers think their rods and 

 lines are not of the right sort, but it is human 

 nature to overlook the real reason for lack of 

 success in accomplishing the thing desired. 



Practice casting with the fly-rod or tourna- 

 ment casting, as it is generally called, to dis- 

 tinguish it from fishing is good fun in season 



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