CHAPTER XIV 



TOURNAMENT FLY-CASTING 



NOW we are ready to commence casting. 

 String up the five-ounce rod, but place 

 the reel behind you on the platform at 

 your left, and after unreeling all the line, coil 

 it back, so that it will render freely through 

 your left hand and the guides. Stand with your 

 right foot forward, and make it a habit to move 

 your feet only when necessary, and then with 

 due care for the line on the platform. It is an 

 old joke with casters that a line will not shoot 

 well when you are standing on it! 



Make a couple of casts, working the line out 

 thirty or forty feet. In the next cast lift the 

 line smartly the instant that it touches the water, 

 giving it no time to " drown." The left hand 

 assists at the same time by straightening the 

 line on the water, so that it is moving toward 

 you as you begin to retrieve. These are very 

 important first steps, and should be practiced 

 diligently. Keep in mind the fact that by pull- 



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