CASTING IN THE NOTTINGHAM STYLE 53 



formed in a couple of seconds with the ease and regularity 

 of clockwork ; that is, stopping the reel by a pressure of 

 the finger as soon as the bait drops into the water, pressing 

 the butt end into the hollow of the thigh, and letting go 

 with the right hand in order to wind in the bait. This may 

 be called the right-handed cast. In this casting the most 

 natural direction for the bait to travel is wide to the left 

 hand, in a slanting direction across the river. It requires 

 some practice before a given point in any direction can be 

 successfully struck. Some spinners, as I have said, always 

 throw in what I call a left-handed cast ; they grasp the rod 

 with the left hand above the reel, and the right hand below 

 it, checking the speed of the reel with the end of a finger at 

 the bottom edge. I consider this to be an awkward throw, 

 because ere you can wind up your line to spin the bait home 

 both hands have to be shifted, the left lower down and the 

 right to wind in, and in a shallow, weedy place this little 

 extra time might result in the bait sinking among the weeds. 



It does not matter in which direction I want to cast my 

 bait left or right, or straight forward it is always done 

 by the right-handed swinging cast. I know one or two 

 good Trent spinners who manipulate their rod and reel in 

 a manner that nobody could imitate in a week. James 

 Chatter ton, a rare good man, always used to put the reel 

 on his rod with the handles pointing to the left, and wind 

 the line in inwards towards him with his left hand ; and he 

 could throw out a bait with the best of them. In giving 

 lessons on this style, I found by far the greater number 

 of my pupils could manage the right-handed cast much 

 quicker and easier than any other. I once taught a 

 gentleman how to cast a bait in one hour's lesson ; and, as 

 he remarked afterwards, if he had known it was so easy, 

 he would have learned long before. 



The whole thing can be summed up in a few lines, and 

 the important points to remember are as follows. Grip 

 the rod firmly with the right hand above the reel, and with 

 the fingers of the left regulate the speed of the revolving 



