56 DAYS AMONG THE PIKE AND PERCH 



what they were pleased to call the Nottingham style ; they 

 swung the rod over their heads behind them, the bait swing- 

 ing behind their backs ; the rod was grasped in both hands, 

 and brought forward high in the air, and such was the force 

 of this terrific cast that the bait travelled upwards in the 

 air to a great height before falling to the ground. I should 

 like to see that sort of casting applied to actual fishing ; 

 the bait would not stand the first throw, unless it happened 

 to be a Clipper artificial ; a sprat or a bleak would have been 

 thrown to atoms in less than a minute. The gentle side- 

 swing is quite good enough for me, and when my record 

 with a two- ounce artificial has reached a distance of fifty- 

 three yards, I am not likely to change my plan. 



Sometimes in casting you may stand in a very awkward 

 place, among trees and bushes, and must of necessity swing 

 the bait, either to the right or to the left, or it may be so 

 that you cannot even swing it upwards, let alone to either 

 hand, there being only a very small space immediately in 

 front. 



Under these conditions a very creditable cast can be 

 made by drawing down a length of line from between 

 the rings of the rod as high up as you can reach, and letting 

 the bait swing backwards and forwards as far as the cir- 

 cumstances of the place will allow. When the bait has 

 acquired sufficient momentum and swings sharply forward, 

 release the loop of line you have in the left hand, and at the 

 same time ease the pressure of the finger on the edge of the 

 reel, and away goes the bait, the weight of which will cause 

 the reel to revolve sufficiently to get out twenty yards at 

 the very least. In this cast the rod must be held with the 

 right hand above the reel, with the edge or side of the 

 little finger resting lightly on the top edge of the revolving 

 barrel. 



When this cast is made and the bait hits the water, 

 change the rod from the right hand to the left as quickly as 

 possible, and wind home again, repeating the process as 

 often as required. 



