AND HOW I HAVE CAUGHT MY FISH 209 



On the rod, between the finger and thumb, 

 is a small ivory reel which revolves on a pin. I 

 draw my line over this, and at the end of each 

 draw I drop the forefinger of my right hand on 

 the line to hold it until my left hand comes again 

 for another draw. This has proved a most success- 

 ful way of preventing the sore fingers which always 

 result from a long day's drawing of the line through 

 them, especially in frosty weather. 



The outfit being now complete, it only needs 

 a pleasant fancy to carry you to the river bank, 

 where you must not forget to ask your gillie to 

 dip the bottom of your flask in the water, and 

 put its contents into your casting tin. Find the 

 cleanest spot you can to pull out fifteen to twenty 

 yards of line, which draw through the forefinger 

 and thumb of right hand and drop into coils in 

 the tin at your side, and you are then ready to 

 cast. When drawing in the line let the first draw 

 drop outside the tin that there may be no tight 

 connection between the coil and your rod. Com- 

 mence always with short casts, as the line after a 

 few casts becomes supple, and then little likely to 

 give trouble. Increase your cast progressively by 

 pulling off from the winch a few yards between 

 the casts, or even when the cast is made, provided 

 that you are sure of the depth. 



After the first day's practice you will discover 

 that a considerable length of line can be got out 

 by the aid of the whalebone top and a kick of the 



p 



