138 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 



ing backward and forward through the air. Reduced 

 to mechanical terms the rod is the lever, the fulcrum 

 being the hand and the counterweight the reel and reel 

 seat. 



GRASPING THE ROD 



The way one grasps his rod has more to do with 

 good casting than the beginner would believe. The 

 natural way would be to wrap the ringers around the 

 handle with the thumb over the ringers; the correct 

 way is to have the thumb pointing along the rod. This 

 is more important than it seems because it gives the 

 muscles of the wrist free play and the thumb serves 

 to give both force and direction to the cast. The first 

 or index finger is sometimes used the same way to give 

 the thumb relief after much casting. 



THE OVERHEAD CAST 



The overhead or over-the-shoulder is the cast most 

 often used, the others being modifications of it im- 

 provised to meet extraordinary conditions. It is the 

 cast for everyday fishing and for accuracy. In learn- 

 ing this cast the novice should anchor a barrel hoop 

 or other target in the water, or if he is learning on 

 the lawn, spread out a newspaper, about twenty feet 

 away. The target should be kept at this distance until 

 he can hit it regularly. Then it may be moved for- 

 ward five feet at a time. Distance in casting comes 

 naturally; accuracy can be learned only by practice. 



The overhead cast consists of three distinct parts: 



