106 FISHING TACKLE 



Now, with the rod in the right and the line 

 in the left hand, extend the line thirty feet; then 

 draw it toward you gently until it straightens, 

 and lift it quickly and cleanly, employing the 

 wrist only, the arm resting against your side. 

 The lift, retrieve, or recovery then steadies until 

 the rod reaches the vertical position. Stop it 

 there, for its work in retrieving ends at that 

 point, and every degree it extends behind will 

 detract materially from clean casting. Wait 

 much longer than you ever did before on the 

 back cast, then bring the rod forward with an 

 even swing, and stop it dead just before it 

 reaches the horizontal, at the same time letting 

 a couple of yards of line run through the 

 guides. 



Try again, timing the cast and retrieve I, 2; 

 and the back cast 3, 4, 5, 6. Let a little more 

 line out, and make a third essay, then strip in 

 and rest. In stripping, or pulling, the line 

 through the guides, always hold the tip of the 

 rod down. Stripping with the rod held well up 

 will soon ruin any line, as the latter is bent 

 too much in passing through the top ring. This 

 causes excessive wear and is unnecessary. 



As you let more line out, you will notice that 

 the rod works better not stiffly, but like a 

 flexible steel spring, the line seeming to be a 



