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MADE IN AMERICA 
By W. J. SCHALDACH 
B 
AIT casting, commonly 
spoken of as “plug cast¬ 
ing” or “plugging,” is that 
The Modern Sport of Bait-Casting 
is Purely arz American Development 
form of angling in which the 
short rod and free running quadruple 
reel are employed. It is distinctly an 
American sport, and its development 
has centered around the Mid-West, al¬ 
though it is now practised extensively 
throughout most parts of the United 
States and Canada, or, in short, where- 
ever black bass, pickerel and pike are 
to be found.' The only other kind of 
angling that is at all similar to 
bait casting is the English method 
of “spinning” with Devon minnows 
and the (to us) peculiar form of 
reels of the Illingworth and Malloch 
patterns. 
Many anglers assert that the art of 
bait casting owes its existence to the 
theory that game fish strike a moving 
object such as a plug, in sport, or be¬ 
cause of a pugnacious disposition 
rather than because they are hungry, 
and mistake the lure for food. Cer¬ 
tainly any angler who has seen a plug 
knocked three feet into the air by the 
rush of a black bass, as often happens, 
will be inclined to give credence to this 
theory. At any rate, the great ma¬ 
jority of plugs and artificial baits 
found on the market to-day, and gen¬ 
erally the most successful ones, bear 
resemblance to no living thing that 
ever inhabited the waters of a bass 
lake or stream. 
In the early days of bait casting, 
when the famous “Expert” minnow 
and “Decker Top-water” bait were 
popular, a long rod was used for cast¬ 
ing. Anglers soon found, however, that 
the use of a rod seven and a half or 
eight feet in length involved them in 
complications, such as difficulty in 
thumbing the reel, and numerous back 
lashes. Gradually the rod was cut 
down in length, until the other extreme 
was reached—that of shortness. Rods 
were continually made shorter and 
stubbier until four and four and a half 
feet came to be the accepted lengths. 
Such rods (a few of them are still be¬ 
ing made) are unsatisfactory proposi¬ 
tions to fish with on account of their 
club-like proportions and absence of 
action. They become merely “plug 
slingers,” are tiresome to fish with, 
and take away much from the joy of 
playing a hooked fish, because of their 
lack of life and springiness. 
The modern bait-casting rod, used 
strictly for plug-fishing, is a happy 
combination of medium length and 
lively snappy action. It is a comfort 
to cast a plug with and as satisfac¬ 
tory as a short rod can be for 
playing a fish, on account of the 
increased action and reduced 
weight. 
Probably the most satisfactory rod 
that can be obtained for casting the 
heavier wooden plugs and wobblers is 
one five and a half or six feet in length 
weighing’ from five to six ounces. It 
should be strong and powerful and yet 
possess a quick, snappy action; in other 
words, it should be “full of life.” A 
stiff bait-casting rod is an abomination, 
and it is easily possible for an angler 
to avoid such a rod nowadays by mak¬ 
ing a careful selection in almost any 
modern tackle shop. The spring of the 
rod should do the casting, rather than 
an almost wrist-dislocating effort on 
the part of the angler, such as is made 
necessary by the use of rod lacking 
life and a reasonable amount of whip. 
As is true with any other kind of 
rod, the best bait-casting rod is one 
made of split bamboo. This material 
is light and strong and has a fine even 
action not found in solid wood or steel. 
Greenhart and bethabara rods average 
about an ounce more than split bamboo 
rods, and good ones are exceedingly 
rare, and becoming more so every day. 
The most satisfactory rod for the 
man who does not care to invest in a 
first-class split bamboo, is undoubtedly 
the steel rod. While they are heavier 
Pusp 368 
