134 FISHING TACKLE 



back cast, shoot for a scoring cast. Do not 

 hurry, take plenty of time, but do not waste 

 any of it trying to lift too much line. It is bet- 

 ter policy to try to make one scoring cast per 

 minute. The fault most common to casters is 

 too great haste. While the switch cast helps 

 materially in " getting under" a long line, it 

 should be practiced often, for it tires the wrist 

 very much more than does the overhead cast. 



In tournament casting it is necessary to de- 

 part from your fishing style and put the entire 

 arm into service. In the forward cast you bend 

 forward slightly and carry the right arm as far 

 out as possible. Then in retrieving straighten 

 up, pull in all the line you can manage with the 

 left hand, and carry the right hand high above 

 you, but not far enough to let the rod go back 

 more than five degrees beyond the vertical. It 

 will of course spring back with the line, but ask 

 a friend to coach you, to assist you in learning 

 the difficult feat of stopping the rod as it must 

 be stopped if you are to become a distance 

 caster. It is very difficult to do this, for it puts 

 severe strain on the thumb and wrist, but you 

 will see the advantage if you will watch a caster 

 who frequently strikes the tip of his rod on the 

 platform behind him, as some do at first. 



It is considered very bad form to touch the 



