THE PIKE, AND PIKE FISHING 

 of the difficulties of tlie beginner in casting from the reel, and if the angler 

 can remember them always he will very soon learn to avoid them by the 

 pressure of the fingers. 



Another cause of '* overrun " is that the line has not been wound on 

 the reel evenly, neither too tightly nor too loosely. American anglers rarely, 

 in bait -casting, use any but the cast from the reel; their multipliers are 

 small in diameter of barrel, but wide from side to side, a great contrast 

 to the big diameter of our Nottingham reel, which is narrow from side 

 to side. In winding in the American angler moves the line rapidly across 

 the barrel backwards and forwards. 



The method of holding the rod with the right hand above the reel, in 

 the double-hand side-swing cast, and the other hand under and round the 

 reel, is the one I prefer, but many good anglers prefer to hold the rod 

 in the left hand, above the reel, with the right hand grasping the butt 

 just below it, so as to be able to touch the run of the reel with the fore- 

 finger to control it and stop it. One advantage claimed for it is that at 

 the end of your cast you do not have to change hands in order to wind in, 

 as you must do if the handles of the reel are towards your right hand. 

 But in actual fishing I prefer to use my right arm to cast with, and the 

 change is a rest; a long turn at spinning is fairly tiring for arms, hands 

 and back. 



ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF THE SIDE- SWING CAST 



The advantages of the side -swing cast are that you can use it with 

 almost any reel, whether of large or small diameter, and you can drop 

 the bait more lightly into the water than with the straight overhead cast. 

 The disadvantages are that you must have a clear space behind and around 

 you for the swing, and the aim is not nearly so accurate as with either 

 the overhead or underhand cast. In actual fishing on a lake or open river, 

 it is not often of vital importance to drop your bait within a yard or two 

 of any place. I always cast from the reel when I fished in the same punt 

 with Jardine, and there was not a great difference in the weight of 

 our respective bags, though he often dropped his bait into places which 

 I dare not try to reach for fear of landing in the weeds on each side. On 

 the other hand, I could cover more water than he did, and he lost time 

 through his fine line, bunched up in his hand, occasionally " balling '* 

 as it went through the rings, necessitating an unravel before he could 



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