420 
FOREST AND STREAM 
[March 16, 1907. 
~ 
Tournament Casting.—IV. 
Bait-Casting with the Slack Line. 
This is the famous English Nottingham cast, 
and while we employ a different method, the 
result is the same. While it is much used on 
the “other side,” it is seldom seen in this coun¬ 
try outside of eastern Waters and is probably 
best known to us as the Greenwood Lake cast. 
The English generally employ long, heavy rods 
—similar to light salmon or grilse rods—and 
make the cast using both hands. The rod is 
held across the body, tip to the left, with the 
elbow of the left arm held against the side of 
the body. The body is then swung sharply half¬ 
way around, holding the rod stiff at first, finish¬ 
ing the cast by swinging the rod over with 
the arms. 
The Greenwood Lake cast is quite different 
and is made with a heavy fly-rod, swung over 
the shoulder, and is really a combination of the 
movements for fly-casting and bait-casting. The 
rods generally used are from io 1 /^ to n>2 feet 
long and very powerful. The line, which is 
the most important part of this equipment, 
should be a soft-enamel English line of small 
size and about 150 feet long. The line should 
be worked and polished many times until it is 
as soft and flexible as possible, for everything 
depends upon it running out without kinking 
and snarling. The weight used is the regula¬ 
tion half-ounce casting plug, which is attached 
directly to the line, no leader being used. The 
idea of this cast is one which is applicable for 
bait-casting with a fly-rod and using no reel, 
the line being stripped in with the hand. The 
plug should have a lead of ten to twelve feet of 
free line beyond the end of the rod and must be 
swung behind you until it strikes the water and 
be lifted therefrom at every forward cast. It 
is an extremely graceful and interesting cast, 
much used in fishing, and great distance and 
accuracy may be attained. 
First arrange your line upon the platform.as 
for fly-casting and throw the coils as round 
anl evenly as you can. Under the rules you will 
not be allowed to actually coil the line on the 
platform, but if you are careful you can throw 
it in loose coils which will be nearly as good 
and work practically as well, barring kinks. 
After rigging your rod and having your plug 
attached, twitch the plug out a few feet in 
front, hold the slack line in the left hand, swing 
the plug easily behind you and cast it about 
thirty feet away in front, letting the slack line 
run through your fingers but not releasing it 
from your hand. The best length of lead to 
use will be about equal to the length of your 
rod. It is a good plan and a big help to mark 
some spot in the water or side of the tank to 
gauge the proper place and time for lifting the 
plug from the water on the back cast. So, if 
you are using a ten-foot rod, mark a spot about 
twenty feet away, which will represent the com¬ 
bined length of rod and lead. 
Stand in the same position as for fly-casting, 
holding the slack line in the left hand. Incline 
the body a little forward and extend the rod as 
far as you can reach easily. Hold the rod 
steadilv and begin pulling in the slack line 
with- the leff hand. As the plug reaches the 
mark you have set, or at a distance which you 
consider right, lift it from the water and swing 
it easily backward, letting the arm and shoulder 
go as far back as you can without stretching 
(inclining the body backward at the same 
time) until the plug strikes the water behind 
you. Generally you will hear it splash, but if 
not, you can readily tell by the sudden stop of 
the pull on the rod. The left hand, still hold¬ 
ing the line, should be raised as the rod goes 
back, and held across the body. At the very 
instant the plug strikes the water behind you, 
begin the forward cast. Start with a forward 
motion of the shoulder and. as soon as the 
dead weight is started (practically at once), 
swing the rod forward—straight over the 
shoulder—with all the force you can. As the 
rod reaches a vertical position, or as it passes 
oyer the shoulder, with the forearm and wrist 
give the sharpest and snappiest forward drive 
you possibly can, carrying the motion forward 
to the full reach of the arm. Just as you finish 
the wrist-snap, let go of the slack line, hold 
the rod steady at an angle of about 25 degrees 
above the level and, if your line does not kink, 
it should run out straight and true in a long, 
swift cast. 
As you throw the plug behind you prepara¬ 
tory to the forward cast, be careful to swing 
it back smoothly and easily so it will not jerk, 
the idea being to have the line extended as 
straight as possible behind, so that, as you be¬ 
gin the forward cast, there will be no slack be¬ 
hind and the plug will be started instantly. To 
get it down fine, you should really make the 
back cast and the forward cast all in one ex¬ 
tended movement with no noticeable pause be¬ 
tween. Remember that the plug must strike the 
water behind on the back cast and be raised 
therefrom at every forward cast, or it is a foul 
cast and does not score. When pulling in a 
line after a cast has been made, which should 
be done as fast as possible, remember to throw 
the line in as much of a coil as possible and 
don’t have it lying about all over the platform. 
Don’t forget that practically everything depends 
upon the smooth and even out-running of the 
line and keep it as flexible and free from kinks 
as possible. The line should be dressed and 
cared for the same as the lines for fly-casting, 
but extra pains should be taken to guard against 
kinks in this line. 
Switch or Roll Casting. 
This is, to my mind, the most interesting and 
fascinating of all tournament work, both to the 
caster and the spectator, and it is a pity that 
more casters do not take it up. Most every 
brook fisherman knows and uses it in one form 
or another and often employs it to advantage at 
times and places when no other cast would be 
possible. 
Briefly, the idea of the switch cast is to make 
a forward cast with the fly without removing 
the line entirely from the water. It is done by 
drawing the rod slowly backward, leaving the 
line in the water, and continuing the backward 
motion until a loop of line is carried back a few 
feet behind you. In tournament events an 
obstacle, high enough to prevent a straight cast 
being made, is erected behind you—fifteen feet 
under eastern rules, twenty feet in the West. 
After the loop passes behind you the rod is 
whipped sharply forward, the fly is drawn in to¬ 
ward you, turns behind and follows the line 
forward again in a rapidly rolling loop upon 
the water. The great fascination of this cast 
is in watching the loop unroll upon itself in 
the water until, at the finish, the fly leaps lightly 
forward to the limit of the cast. The rods for 
this cast should be a little lighter than those used 
in the “unlimited” fly-casting events and a trifle 
more pliable—say about 7 to ounces. The 
line, too, should be lighter and have a very 
long taper at both ends. An ordinary length 
of leader, about nine feet, will generally work 
best, as too long a leader will not switch for¬ 
ward well at the end of the roll. Arrange your 
line and stand as for fly-casting; but nearer the 
left side of the platform in order to give the 
flying loop plenty of room to pass you on the 
right side. 
In these events it is customary to allow some 
one to draw out or extend your line for you 
up to sixty feet. If this is not permitted, draw 
out about forty feet of line beyond the tip 
of the rod and start the casting easily, using 
the left hand if possible, as this style of cast¬ 
ing is particularly severe upon the caster as 
well as the rod. Hold the slack line in the left 
hand but do not pull it in as in fly-casting. 
Extend the rod as far as you can reach and 
draw it back slowly, holding the rod, as it 
passes your shoulder, so that it will be inclined 
slightly to the right. (To give the loop room 
to pass beside you.) Continue the backward 
motion of the rod until the arm and shoulder 
are carried well back, accelerating the motion 
toward the end, and allow the rod to go a 
little further back than in fly-casting. This will 
carry back quite a bit of line in the form of 
a loop extending down from the tip of the rod, 
forward across the platform and out into the 
water. 
Start the forward movement of the rod rather 
slowly, quickly accelerating the motion as the 
rod nears the vertical, and finish the movement 
the same as for fly-casting. At each forward 
movement of the rod the loop will be driven 
a little further out until the whole line is in 
motion in the water and the fly will be drawn 
in, turn behind and be carried forward with the 
rolling line. Now begin to extend the line by 
releasing a little of the slack held in the left 
hand at each forward cast but not until the 
loop has started forward. At each succes¬ 
sive cast you will carry a little more line behind 
you in the loop until your line nearly strikes 
the barrier behind you and your forward loop 
will strike a little further out each time in the 
water. Increase the power and snap of the rod 
motion with every cast until you have the line 
worked out nearly as far as you feel it will 
go. Then reach out with the rod a little further, 
draw the line back a trifle quicker and, just 
as the loop has passed well behind you, bring 
the rod forward with all the power you can put 
into it. Continue the forward motion to your 
full reach, let go the slack with the left hand 
and allow the line to shoot. As you swing the 
rod past you in the forward movement, keep 
the tip inclined a trifle to the right so as to al¬ 
low the loop plenty of room to pass. If you 
forget to do this you are very likely to get 
a stinging crack from the line that will make 
you remember it the next time. 
If you get your forward cast bungled up and 
the rolling movement of the line is stopped, 
don’t try to thrash it out but pull in a little 
slack and start it over. When you have the 
rolling loop started in the water keep it moving 
as rapidly'as possible and don’t let it sink any 
deeper than you can avoid—if you allow it to 
sink much you will find it very difficult to drive 
forward. Watch the loop as it passes you on 
the backward movement and start the forward 
cast as soon as the loop has fairly passed behind. 
Don’t worry about the barrier behind you—it 
will not affect the action of your loop to any 
extent even if it does strike against it—the bar¬ 
rier is only to stop a straight overhead cast. 
Fly-Casting for Accuracy. 
Up to and including the present time the con¬ 
ditions governing the events for this style of 
casting have been different at most all tourna¬ 
ments. Generally, the casting is at floating tar¬ 
gets of different sizes at different tournaments 
and the distance of the targets also varies, the 
nearest target being 40 to 50 feet from the plat¬ 
form. The casting is usually at three targets, 
placed 5 to 10 feet apart, and the fly must strike 
the target to be considered perfect. The West¬ 
erners generally use a target 30 inches in diame¬ 
ter and a cast which strikes the target, or the 
rim, is considered perfect! This hardly speaks 
well for the accuracy of their fly-casters for, 
barring wind, such a target would be considered 
a veritable “cinch” by Eastern casters. At the 
big Madison Square Garden tournaments the 
targets heretofore used have been but 9 inches 
in diameter and yet scores of over 99 per cent, 
perfect have been made! 
If the event be a combination for delicacy and 
accuracy one would proceed in much the same 
manner and with the same tackle as for fish¬ 
ing, so I will pass that and deal with the ac¬ 
curacy cast alone. Use a rod 9 to 10 feet in 
length and fairly pliable, as most of the work 
is done by the wrist. Use as heavy a line as the 
rod will handle easily and with little or no 
taper. The leader should be very heavy and 
not over three feet long—shorter if you are 
allowed to use it—and put on a good big fly. 
(About No. 4.) Stretch your leader well and 
see that it is absolutely straight and your line 
should also be straight and free from kinks. 
In some tournaments you are allowed to make 
a few preparatory casts in the water to measure 
the distance to the targets, but in others the 
casts must be made in the air, dry-fly fashion, 
and the fly not allowed to strike the water. 
Whichever it is, do your best to gauge the dis¬ 
tance exactly and catch the slack line in the left 
hand and hold it to mark the proper length of 
line. Now by far the most accurate way is not 
to cast the fly out above the target and let 
