100 SCIENCE OF FISHING. 



spooled with the thumb, or thumb and finger of the left 

 hand, so that it lays evenly on the spool of the reel. If it 

 winds more one place than another you cannot cast well as 

 the thumbing of the reel will be more difficult. The com- 

 mon practice is to rest the butt of the rod against the body, 

 holding the weight of the rod, and spooling the line with 

 the left hand. There are rubber butt caps made to fit on 

 the butt of the rod to keep it from slipping. Another way 

 of spooling the line is by holding the rod in such a way 

 that the left end of the reel rests in the palm of the left 

 hand and the line is guided back and forth with the thumb. 

 The even spooling devices are a great help here. 



Spooling the Line. 



Of course an angler who can cast only to the left is 

 greatly handicapped, but it is just as easy to cast to the 

 right. For this, the right forearm is swung across before 

 the body until the hand is even with the left hip and the 

 rod pointing downward to the left and the angle about 

 thirty degrees from the shoulder line. Then the hand and 

 rod is swept across to the right, and upward until the arm 

 is fully extended and the angle of the rod is thirty degrees 

 from the shoulder line, as before. 



The other method of casting a bait is more modern 

 and now a very popular style of fishing. It is known as 

 the overhead cast, although the same outfit can be used for 



