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AN ANGLER’S FOURTH DIMENSION 
NEW AND UNDESCRIBED MOVEMENT 
OF THE ROD IN FLY CASTING 
By Warren Coleman. 
F LY-CASTING is such an ancient art 
and has been described so often that, 
at first sight, it would seem as if the 
last word upon the subject had been said. 
Yet it was only a few years ago that Mr. 
Halford upset, with the aid of the camera, 
the cherished belief of fishermen that the 
line always straightens out on the back cast 
before the forward cast is begun. They 
had believed that the line must straighten 
or the forward cast could not properly be 
made, whereas in actual fishing they had 
begun the forward cast when the “pull” 
of the line in its backward swing became 
“right,” not realizing that the line might 
not be straight. Some fishermen are still 
unconvinced that Mr. Halford’s picture 
disproves their theory and it probably is 
true with short casts that the line does 
completely extend itself. 
It was while teaching a novice to cast 
that I discovered a movement of the rod 
of which until then I was unaware. Un¬ 
like Mr. Halford’s loop it would take a 
“movie” camera to prove it. The discov¬ 
ery was made some eight years ago and 
each season since then has been the object 
of the most careful observation. The re¬ 
sult has always been the same, namely, to 
strengthen the conviction that one phase 
in the act of casting has never been de¬ 
scribed—at least not in any book or maga¬ 
zine to which I have had access. 
The description of the movement will be 
simpler if first I quote from the writings 
of well known fishermen. After describing 
the back cast Dr. Breck says, “Now just at 
the nick of time (no sooner, no later) the 
rod is swept down again by a quick, almost 
jerky, movement of the wrist, which is 
suddenly arrested so that the rod shall not 
form a smaller angle with the water than 
15 degrees.” 
From the above it will appear that the 
cast consists of three periods, the back 
cast, the pause while the line straightens 
out behind, and the forward cast. Mr. 
Halford sums up his description thus: 
“Slowly and deliberately back, a slight 
pause, a slight (very slight) acceleration of 
pace when coming forward, no great force 
at any part of the cast, and carrying the 
forward motion slowly right through to the 
finish on the surface of the stream.” 
exact-instant at which the forward cast 
should be made, and to correct the faulty 
position in which the rod is usually left on 
completion of the back cast. 
VERY one knows that to make ai clean 
back cast the rod must be neither 
too high nor too low. The correct 
position is always sought before the back 
cast is attempted. In like manner, there 
is an optimum position of the rod for 
making the forward cast. This position is 
found by advancing the rod slowly; it is 
the third phase of the act of casting. In 
this movement lies the secret of “making 
the rod do its work.” It is the execution 
of this movement which distinguishes the 
finished caster from the amateur. 
In all of the descriptions of the art of 
casting the advancement of the rod is over¬ 
looked entirely or is included in the pause 
or in the forward cast. Several authors, 
among them Mr. Halford, do speak of ac¬ 
celerating the forward cast. But in my 
opinion the moment of acceleration is the 
moment when the forward cast is begun, 
not ended. The advance of the rod is pre¬ 
paratory to the forward cast and consti¬ 
tutes a separate and distinct phase in the 
act of casting. 
I have put my theory to the test in vari¬ 
ous ways. I have discussed it with “old 
hands” and without exception they have 
agreed that the movement is made. I have 
analyzed my own casts and those of others 
on the stream. The advance of the rod 
can be observed if one “fakes” a cast while 
sitting at his desk. The movement comes 
plainly into view in a horizontal cast made 
at a right angle to the direction in which 
one is facing. 
In conclusion, let me admit I am aware 
that individual casts vary under actual fish¬ 
ing conditions according to wind, length 
of line, and obstructions. With very short 
casts both the pause and the advance of 
the rod may disappear. The description I 
have given applies to ordinary fishing casts 
of, say, twenty feet and over, and to the 
methods of casting employed by the fisher¬ 
men I have known. Theoretically, it would 
not apply to Mr. Shaw’s “rigid wrist” 
method because in my opinion the for¬ 
ward cast is essentially a wrist movement. 
T HESE descriptions are typical of them 
all. Though differing in minor details, 
they divide the act of casting the fly 
into three phases, the back cast, the pause, 
and the forward cast. In my analysis of 
the act the completed cast consists, not of 
three, hut of four phases: 1. The hack cast. 
2. The pause. 3. An advancement of the 
whole rod , and then, 4. The forward cast. 
The third phase, namely, the advancement 
of the rod, is as fundamental and as nec¬ 
essary to the successful execution of the 
cast as is the pause. The movement con¬ 
sists in advancing the whole rod, including 
the butt. The purpose of the movement is 
two-fold, to “feel out” the tension of the 
line as it swings back, in order to find the 
Sportsmen in several sections of Michi¬ 
gan are agitating a movement in favor of 
a closed season for two or three years on 
ruffed grouse, which are said to be be¬ 
coming scarce in that state. The matter 
may come before the Legislature in the 
form of a bill. 
You are reading “Forest and Stream” 
and enjoying it. Why not furnish some of 
your friends who may not be acquainted 
with the good things in this issue, an hour 
or two of similar enjoyment? If you will 
take the trouble to send us the names of 
any of your circle of acquaintances, we will 
see that they are supplied with a sample 
copy with your compliments. 
