The evening times., 1895-08-19
Fin6 P0ints Of
Scientific Fishing.

OGl6llElflG FISHING.
Fly casting is an art. 30 any angler IA.
miliar with its beauties and pleasures will
admit. or all fishermen fn Chicago, prob
ably not one is a more enthusiastic angler,
expert fly caster and undieputed authority
than j. NJ. Clark, according to the Chicago
Inter-Ocean.
When questioned as to the most enjoyable
part of scientific angling, he promptly re-
Piled;
ITO my mind, fly casting constitutes the
greatest of the many joys of angling from
scientific point of view, and there
claim that 1t is important one should under
stand the elementary principles OF fly cast
ing and the proper use OF an outfit, If the
efforts in this direction are TO be crowned
with success.
1T does not necessarily follow that ore
should have access TO water to acquire
the first principles. Any 100-foot clear
air space will answer, although think that
If possible water ia preferable, as 1t sur
rounds the practice more with the reality
OF the sport and enable one to use the regu-
lar cast OF flies and leader much sooner.
wnii" the leader and flies should not he
used in the first attempts, their applica-
tion snouiu coon follow us the line does not
handle the same when they are not attached.
1t may BE- argued that the novice will snap
off the flies II used too soon. While tins
may he true, still two or three misbaps OF
this character VIII most certainly tend 20
make the beginner more careful, whereas,
vii "a to
moro and more careless, as then q false
cast merely results in a snap like that Of
whip and results in no real danger.
"The reel in fly casting should be used
on the butt OF the rod. In starting the cast
you will have to rely somewhat upon the
imagination i'll this dc. cription; and suppose
the angler, with rod already equipped, with
about twenty feet of line In the W ater, and
with the rod held at an angle of about forty
five degrees. The line must be worked To,
say in this instance, about thirty feet. To
accomplish this the angler must draw the
line with the left haLd from off the click
reel, then by tie wiliowy and springy
action Of the rod which action AT the same
time draws the slack line from the reel
through the rod guides. The line is lifted
upward and overhead 10 the rear: and here
We strike very important featur,. OF fly
casting-the back cast.
''In order to produce the upward, over
head and backward motion of the line by
the spring of the rod it requires but the mo-
ton Of the wrist and forearm, and the rod
should be stopped at an angle of ten degrees
in the rear. As the line reaches a point in
the rear, at about rigat angles TO the ex-
treme tip Of the rod, the angler should
again, by a mere action of the forearm and
wrist, throw the rod forward 10 the front
at an angle of forty-five degrees. which
produces the angling cast In preparing for
the next cast. the line must again be
drawn from the click reel as before, and
the cast made exactly as before described,
and so Oh until the desired distance is
reached. 4.-
The beginner in this art often attempts to
recover the back east too soon, before the
line has had time 10 straighteD out In the
rear, and In such an event one often meets
with a mishap, as the forward motion OF the
rod will throw the leader around with a
quick Jerk and snap off the fly. Conse-
quently great care should be used IN making
a proper back cast 10 recover at exactly the
right moment. The great difficulty in soiv-
Ing the prot,letn Of the back cast IL mainly
owing to its having to be performed TO q
great extent by guess, and II a friend could
stand by and give the word when the right
position has been attained by the line In the
rear the trouble would be more easily over
come. By using a little care and time, and
carefully noting the time 1t takes the line to
sfr roS Sxlt f,srt I'm. this fQQ n IN n
be made easy.
II would like to say Q little about the mo-
ton made by the forearm and wrist in max
ing the cast, as without its proper execu-
ton the skill Of the rod-maker goes for
naught
1T is q weak and relaxed action, hut q
very rigid action, of the wrist nd forearm
which produces the desired Results in ny
The proper execution of this
stroke is the very founta ton of :he art of |
ny casting.
"Bere lies the motion which brings out |
the action OF the rod, aud even the forearm |
motion is auxiliary to that of the wrist. |
The wrist motion throws the line upward |
aud straight to the rear. thereby producing |
a fine cast BY all mea rs. the pump-handlc |
motion of the whole arm hould be avoided. |
quite natural to the beginner, |
rs satisfactory results will never be obtained |
II this procedure is persisted iu.
"The principle of fly-casting, as have |
tried to lucidly explain them, may be Of use
10 beginners. These principles apply TO /
actual angling, delicate fly-casting and |
making a cast of sixty to sixty-five feet.
which ia about the extreme distance at /
which the average fly rod will hook q
'ish"