FLY-CASTING PRACTICE 109 



around difficult places, and when that hand tires 

 it is a comfort to shift the work to the left 

 hand. But the overhead cast is the proper 

 one to master first, then the others will be 

 learned quickly. 



In making a fishing cast hold the left hand 

 rigid; or, as some do, hook the second finger 

 of the right hand over the line, so that it may 

 be kept taut and under perfect control, else the 

 fly will be snapped back or the line will lay 

 out slack with a splash. The same thing may 

 occur in a shoot if too much line is let out, 

 or if it is checked abruptly. 



It is difficult to learn to shoot the line until 

 you have succeded in casting forty or fifty feet. 

 The reason for this is that you do not get out 

 enough of the belly of the line to act as a 

 weight, which, on being projected by the spring 

 of the rod, shoots forward in a rolling loop, 

 as shown in Fig. 24, pulling several feet of 



Fig. 24. Rolling Loop of L,ine at End of Forward Cast 

 line with it. In order to fix in your mind just 

 how this is done, ask a companion to take hold 



