THE ART OF CASTING 



lifted from the water preliminary to making the 

 switch cast; they are drawn slowly toward the 

 caster on the surface of the water. After being 

 so moved a short distance, with the rod carried 

 a little to the right and back coincidently until 

 it is nearly vertical, and after a pause that allows 

 the flies to stop moving, the rod is then brought 

 straight forward and down, which rolls a loop 

 of line out over the water; as the cast is ex- 

 tended the loop enlarges. (Switching the line 

 in this way is sometimes employed to lift the 

 flies off the water preliminary to the regular 

 overhead cast. It obviates the noisier "rip" of 

 the fly and leader through the water, incident 

 to the customary back-cast, when there is a 

 long line out.) Observe that, contrary to the 

 technic of the ordinary cast, the line in the 

 switch cast is retrieved slowly and thrown for- 

 ward quickly. In this cast as sometimes made 

 both hands are brought into use on the rod, the 

 left hand steadying the butt as a fulcrum. 



The ensuing description of the cast named 

 from the Scotch river Spey, is Louis Rhead's. 

 I have read at the very least a half-dozen differ- 

 ent and altogether diverse ones. "It is necessary 

 to fish downstream. We are looking down the 

 river with a rocky cliff behind us; our rod-point 

 is rather low, pointing toward the fly, and our 

 line is extended downstream.. Suppose our rod- 

 point is at A; we raise and withdraw it smartly, 

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