Evening star., 1932-02-22
ROD AND STREAM
by PERRY MILLER

The line then travels from the reel
directly through the line guides on the
rod. An 18-pound test bait casting silk
line Is generally sufficient for ordinary
fishing First take a cheap or old line
and wind 20 or 80 yards on the reel
This serves as filler and the advantage
Of using it IS that 1t Is then not neces-
sary to use more than one 50-yard spool
Of first-quslity line The filler line sell
dom leaves the reel when casting and
therefore need not be an expensive one.
IN placing your line on the reel use
i the same method as described last
week by Rod and Stream. or, if you
failed to read 1t, just push pencil
through the center of the spool and then
place the ends of it between the knees
or have some one hold 1t for you. Put
the loose end of the line through the
top guide Of the rod and then follow
down the rod through the other guides
to the reel Tie the line to the filler
and wind the line on the reel. It is
advisable to use a wire leader on the
end Of the line. These leaders serve two
purposes. First, it prevents the fish
from cutting the line. and, second, it is
much more convenient to change lures,
as a snap is attached to the leader.
When the lure is attached to the
leader you are all ready for casting.
Let the lure hang about inches from
the end OF the rod. Use your wrist, and
not your entire arm, if you desire to cast
with the least effort and the greatest
efficiency. There are three distinct
movements to each cast. After you
grasp the rod in the right hand. not too
tightly around the grip. turn the wrist
until the reel is in vertical position.
handle on the upper side. Then place
the thumb on the spool of the reel.
point the tip of the rod at the target
at which you wish to cast. allowing
the lure to hang about 4 inches from
the rod. In an easy manner bring the
rod back over your right shoulder to
an angle Of about As degrees. Then
bring the rod forward with a steady
sweeping motion. with the tip of the
rod following the path Of the lure in
its forward flight toward the spot you
wish the lure to be cast. Release the
thumb at the beginning Of the down.
ward movement the instant the lure
starts travelling forward. which will
allow the lure to be shot into the air
and out over the water.
WHILE the lure is still in the air the
w rod should be ch.nged from the
it in readiness for retrieving. There
are several methods for retrieving. One
Is to reel in with a uniform speed and
the other to reel in a few feet, then
stop. and then reel in a few more feet.
This latter method, in the opinion Of
I many anglers. is more productive Of
results than when q steady speed IS
used in reeling. The level winding de-
vice winds the line evenly on the reel,
50 that no attention whatsoever need
be given the spooling of the line. This
Is retrieved and allows the caster to
strike and realize the joys and thrills
Of watching the fish make its leaps and
dashes.
The cast described above Is the over
head one and the one in general use
today Another Is called the side cast,
commonly known as the sideswipe. This
Is necessary when trying to place the
lure under overhanging foliage. but it
Is not well to use when more than one
person fishes from the same boat. Try
to master the overhead cast at the
start. because many accidents are
caused by the sideswipe This method
| of sideswiping Is especially dangerous
when a heavy sinker is used weighing
|
The more you cast the better you
will like 1t and the more accurate you
will become. Always remember to take
q few minutes to adjust your reel cor
rectly and follow directions included
with each reel. Your backlashes will
be nil and you will enjoy bait casting
twice as much. When the angler be-
comes more or less proficient in bait
casting, it enables him to place his
live bait where he wants it. providing
the bass and other hsh are not taking
the artificial lures. The above facts
are not printed to try to lure the anglers
away from the old method of fishing
with minnows, because, personally, the
writer knows Of nothing more thrilling
than to watch bass grab a live min
now and run with it, turn and swallow
it, and then the subsequent strike on
the part of the angler Then it's a
$3.50 proposition whether you lose the
fish or not.