TOURNAMENT FLY-CASTING 135 



water on the back cast with line or leader. In 

 addition to this, to touch or strike on the back 

 cast ruins the forward cast, and what is worse, 

 it is possible to smash the tip or middle joint of 

 the rod by lifting the line when it drops on the 

 water behind you. 



It will assist you in learning to stop if you will 

 practice with a rod having a long grasp. Push 

 the butt inside your sleeve and cast with rigid 

 arm. Stop arm at the right place and note the 

 difference ; the rod will not go back, it being held 

 by your sleeve. This is not permitted in contests, 

 and it is well to use the rod just as it comes 

 from the maker, but trying this method will do 

 no harm in practice. 



At first you will find the line and leader 

 troublesome. You will tie both in innumerable 

 knots and end perhaps, in a hopeless tangle. 

 As the loop of the line and the leader pass each 

 other frequently in a series of casts, it is not re- 

 markable that one should foul the other. The 

 remedy is consistent practice, carrying the rod 

 forward and back straight over the right 

 shoulder. Attempting to lift too much line may 

 snarl it, for sooner or later you will lose control 

 of it, and in the threshing that generally fol- 

 lows, a bad tangle will end the matter. 



Veterans frequently mention the time when, as 



