THE ART OF CASTING 



or more from the reel and lay it neatly coiled in 

 the bottom of the boat, so the line will not foul 

 during the cast. Carry the rod to the right and 

 a little backward if preparing to cast from 

 right to left pointing it slightly in the direc- 

 tion of the water, and then give it a smart 

 swing forward, across the body, and a little 

 upward. Just immediately before the rod points 

 in the direction it is desired to cast, release the 

 hold of the left hand on the line sufficiently to 

 allow it to run out between the fingers, but 

 retain enough control of the line so that it will 

 not feed to the first line-guide faster than it 

 will run through, else a tangle will result. The 

 line is retrieved by stripping it through the 

 guides at moderate speed with the left hand, in 

 a series of short, sharp jerks. During this 

 process always hold the rod-point well down in 

 order to minimize the angular bend of the line, 

 and consequently its friction, at the tip-guide. 

 The Greenwood-Lake style of casting with the 

 long bait rod is one modification of the fore- 

 going. The bait is cast forward as above, some 

 more line stripped from the reel, and part of 

 this additional slack is taken up in the subsequent 

 back-cast, wherein the bait is allowed to rest 

 upon the water behind the caster for an instant; 

 then it is brought forward for the final or fish- 

 ing cast, with the line pulling taut in the left 

 hand which grasps it; and as the bait thus 

 61 



