i 4 o PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 



over the left shoulder in the back cast and over the 

 right in the forward cast. This is a very pretty and 

 very smooth cast much used by fly fishermen of the old 

 school. Tournament casters use the straight back- 

 ward and forward cast. 



The back cast ends when the rod reaches the per- 

 pendicular or when the thumb lying along the rod is 

 pointing straight up. This brings the active rod tip 

 slightly behind the perpendicular, which is correct. 



THE PAUSE 



The mistake most often made by the novice is to 

 assume that the forward cast immediately follows the 

 back cast. He forgets the pause and thereby " bung- 

 gles " his cast. The pause is a very important stage 

 in the process of casting a fly. Its object is not en- 

 tirely to permit the line to straighten out behind, and 

 thus avoid snapping off the flies, as most writers claim, 

 but to permit the back-traveling line to exert its weight 

 and force and put spring in the rod tip for the for- 

 ward cast. 



Some writers on fly casting tell us to start the for- 

 ward cast when we " feel the line pull from behind " 

 but in casting a short line, as the novice should, he is 

 not likely to feel any " pull " so should not wait for it. 



The relation of the pause to the back and forward 

 casts can be kept in mind by counting " one " at the 

 beginning of the back cast, " two " at its finish, 

 " three " for the pause and " four " for the forward 

 cast, slowing the count as each subsequent cast is ex- 



