METHOD OF CASTING. 149 



side of a river, and that above him, to his right, are cliffs 

 or trees, how can he bring back to that side over his right 

 shoulder, rod and line, without causing them to come into 

 collision with the impediments behind him on his right 1 

 He can do so in two ways, the first in greater part 

 wrong, the other perfectly right. The first and imperfect 

 way I call the back-handed cast. It is performed thus : 

 The point of the rod held nearly perpendicularly up before 

 you ; the forward and upward slanting direction being very 

 slight indeed ; the point of the rod is swept to the left, and 

 with it the line to its entire development; then the hands, no, 

 not both, but the right one, wrist and fore-arm are turned 

 over, backwards, to the right, and the rod brought round 

 in the same direction ; the line is turned over circularly, 

 and propelled down or obliquely across the current. I fre- 

 quently throw in this way, for the purpose merely of easing 

 the arms, fatigued from the monotonous action of throwing 

 overhand from the right or left shoulder. It will be seen 

 that the effect of this throw will be to carry the line clear 

 from the bank over the current's course, and cause it to 

 alight down stream to the right. Notwithstanding, the 

 action of the arms must be cramped, for it is reversed in 

 the overhanded throw, and the cast must be very limited 

 in extent. Besides, when fishing from the right bank of a 

 river, the fly can never be so neatly worked against the 

 water with the right hand holding the rod above the winch, 

 as when the left hand holds it there." 



The second method of casting from the right bank, and 

 which is the proper one, I will now explain : 



"You hold your rod, the left hand being above the 

 winch, and the right one beneath it; left leg foremost, 

 and left side towards the river, 



