398 Book of the Black Bass. 



behind the angler. Particular care must be taken to give 

 the bait an upward impulse as it leaves the rod. 



The first cast that the beginner makes will be likely to 

 throw the bait behind him, for reasons just given. He 

 should, by all means, begin by making short casts, and 

 lengthen them as he perfects himself b\' experience in '■ 

 managing the reel and controlling the cast. ^Tiile but a 

 few yards of line can be east directly in front of the be- 

 ginner, he should practice casting at various angles with 

 the line X Z, to the left and right. He shoidd avoid over- 

 head easting, for that is the pot-fisher's method of throwing 

 a bait, and is not only an awkn'ard, but a very inefficient 

 style of casting the minnow, and should not be practiced 

 except where the reel is dispensed with, as in one mode of 

 still-fishing. 



At the beginning of the cast the thumb presses firmly 

 upon the spool of the reel, until just before the tip of the 

 rod gains its greatest extent or elevation, when the pressure 

 is to be slightly relieved,- so as to permit the release of the 

 line, and allow the minnow to be projected in the direction 

 of the cast. The exact time to lessen the pressure of the 

 thumb and start the minnow on its flight, is almost a 

 matter of intuition which can hardly be explained; how- 

 ever, the proper time is soon learned by practice, in which 

 event, the " wrinkle " comes to be performed by the angler 

 automatically, or, as it were, unconsciously. 



The entire cast must be made so steadily and so regu- 

 larly, and the rod held so firmly at the end of the cast, as 

 to prevent entirely any undue swaying or bending of the 

 rod, in order that the line may follow the direction of the 

 minnow in its flight, smoothly and evenly, and untram- 

 meled and unretarded by any vibratory motions of the 

 rod. I trust I make myself understood here, for this is 



