2. Bait-Casting Techniques

Bait casting is the most widely recognized method of taking game fish on artificial lures in the United States, al­though the spinning-gear user (including the push-button fisherman) is closing in on the plugger's—as bait-casters are called—long-time lead. All but a few die-hard spin-fishermen, however, would argue that husky muskies, big bass, and giant northern pike are best fished for with bait-casting tackle.

The basic functions of bait-casting tackle, as with any fishing gear, are to put a big meal before a big fish, to hook him solidly when he strikes, and then to control his frantic struggle to escape. The meal used in bait casting can be an artificial lure, or such natural bait as a minnow, a worm, or a grasshopper weighted, if necessary, to carry it prop­erly to the fish.

The aim in bait casting is to drop the bait exactly on target without undercasting, a miscalculation which will cause the line to continue rotating off the reel after the bait has dropped. This is the bugaboo of all casters; it in­evitably means that the line will snarl on the reel or "back­lash." At one time, the ability to drop the bait at just the right place took months to master. But with the tackle available today, it's possible for a beginner to master the fundamentals of bait casting in a few minutes. However, just as the proper tools are necessary in order to turn out good work in any skilled trade or profession, the proper casting outfit is necessary if you want to learn to cast well, and if you want to get the utmost enjoyment from the sport of fishing.

One of the major difficulties beginners have starts be­fore they wet their lines. That is, all too often a novice goes into a tackle store and pays the least he possibly can for his equipment. He feels that it would be foolish to spend a great deal of money on tackle since it's possible that he may not enjoy fishing. He is making a drastic mis­take because cheap tackle will prevent him from finding the full enjoyment of the sport. It will never cast properly and the odds are that it will break if he hooks a big one. On the other hand, it would be almost as foolish for the beginner to purchase the most expensive equipment in the store. He will not be able to use it to full advantage until he has become adept.

For this reason, I always recommend that the beginner purchase a moderately priced outfit. The difference be­tween inexpensive tackle and medium-priced outfits is only a few dollars, but the difference in enjoyment and in ease of learning is great.

When you have learned to fish and feel that you are ready to move up into the expert class, you can purchase expensive gear. For the average fisherman, however, a moderately priced outfit will give many years of service and pleasure.

When purchasing fishing equipment, be sure that you buy the products of a nationally known manufacturer. Your local tackle dealer carries them and will be glad to show them to you. This advice holds true for all fishing equip­ment.

Let us take a look now at the gear that should be used in bait casting.

BATT-CASTING TACKLE

The success you have bait casting—and I mean the fish you catch—depends to a great extent on balanced tackle. (The term balance, when applied to fishing tackle, means that the rod, reel, line, and lure are matched to each other for the best possible performance as a fishing unit.) The chart on page 27 illustrates the various balanced bait-cast­ing outfits.

rods The old-time plugging tackle was heavy and unresponsive. The rods were rigid and clublike, most of them only 4 to 5 feet long, with some as short as 3½ feet. The lures obtainable ran from % of an ounce on up. These heavy lures could be cast fairly well with the short, stiff rods and the heavy lines, but it took considerable skill to handle the outfit. Many sportsmen never quite mastered this old-fashioned tackle.

Today the average rods made for bait casting have a pleasant degree of lightness and flexibility. The vast ma­jority are tubular glass fiber. The weight of the lure is one of the most important factors in choosing a bait-casting rod. In catalogues rods are generally classified extra-light (XL), light (L), medium (M), or heavy (H) action. (Action means the spring of the rod, the whip that shoots the bait out over the water during the cast.) Unfortunately, this terminology may prove confusing to the beginner. These four terms refer not to the type of action, but to the average weight of the lure that the rod will handle effi­ciently. For this reason, the prospective purchaser of a rod is often faced with a dilemma when he attempts to choose the one action best suited to the type of lure he wishes to use. As a general rule, an extra-light rod is adapted to lures of ½ ounce in weight or below; a light action rod handles 3/8- to ½-ounce lures; a medium is best for s-ounce lures; and a heavy, those above w ounce.

The weight of the standard lures for various kinds of fish will be plainly marked on the lure itself or on the box that holds it. The beginner who doesn't know in advance what the routine lures weigh should browse through the ones displayed by his tackle dealer to decide what weights he'll use most. Most rod manufacturers today have adopted the use of the XL, L, M, and H marking I mentioned earlier.

Remember that the biggest fresh-water game fish that ever swam probably could be landed on an extra-light rod, but if you intend to cast ¾-ounce lures, you need a fairly stiff and powerful rod. On the other hand, it would be dif­ficult to cast ¾-ounce lures successfully with such a rod; they call for one that is lighter and more flexible.

The lengths of modern glass fiber bait-casting rods usually range from about 5 feet, 2 inches to 6 feet. Again, the kind of fishing and the weight of the lure will determine the length best suited to you. For casting lures weighing less than ½ ounce, an adequate rod should have light action, should measure approximately 5 feet, 8 inches to 6 feet long. For lures in the ½- to ¾-ounce class, a 5-foot, 8-inch rod with medium action should be about right. For lures ranging from ¾ ounce and up, a good bet is a heavy action rod about 5 feet, 2 inches long. While some bait-casting rods are two-piece, the majority are one-piece with a de­tachable handle.

While the choice between the offset- and straight-handle is entirely up to the angler, I suggest the offset style for all beginners. In the opinion of the majority of bait-casters, the offset-reel seat which places the reel several inches above the line of the rod is best. When it is necessary to thumb the spool, the offset-reel seat permits your thumb to work naturally and without strain while the straight-handle model forces your thumb into a high, cramped position. In my opinion, the improved double-offset handle is even bet­ter than the single type, because it makes accurate casts almost as simple as pointing your finger.

The suggestions I've made on the selection of a rod are necessarily general ones. If you're fortunate enough to have a store that has facilities for test casting, by all means use them. If you have a friend who's an experienced bait-caster, ask him to help you with your tackle shopping.

Bait-Casting Techniques 15

Once you've selected several promising rods, check them for the following items:

1. Make sure that the rod handle fits your hand comfortably and that the grip is made of a good grade of cork.
2. Check to be certain that the rod has a double-offset-reel seat. Also make sure that your reel fits firmly into place, and that it can be tightly locked in place. If it doesn't, you'll be forever fishing the reel out of the water or up from the bottom of the boat. The adjusting collet
   foregrip should hold the rod section securely.
3. Look to see if the windings are neat, even, and sealed from moisture.
4. If the rod has mating ferrules, see that the joints are strong and precisely fitted.
5. Check to be sure that the guides are smooth and are made of a rust-proof material. The tip of the rod should be strong, made of stainless steel or Carboloy.
6. Make sure that the rod has enough backbone to enable you to cast the lures you wish. The most service­ able have limber tips tapering to heavier butts. Such rods have the power to make long casts with heavy lures, yet can cast fairly light lures as well. The sensitive tip ab­sorbs the shock of casting, setting the hook, and playing a fish on a light line. Yet the butt portion has enough backbone to tire and handle a fish efficiently. Test the rod by switching it from side to side. Make sure the action stops before it reaches the handle section. (It is usually checked by the swelling of the butt portion.) When you
   stop the switching, the tip of a good rod comes quickly to rest; it doesn't keep vibrating.

reels Today's bait-casting reel is truly an American product. American ingenuity created it, and American production has made it available at popular prices.

The first reels similar to modern bait-casting devices were made shortly after 1800 by watchmakers in Kentucky's Bluegrass Region, even then a famous bass-fishing area. George Snyder, a watchmaker and silversmith who lived in Paris, Kentucky, probably constructed the first multi­plying reel. The early bait-casting reels, designed to handle such baits as frogs and crayfish, had jeweled bearings of hard, brittle sapphire; hand-tooled spiral gears with a 4:1 ratio close to that of today's models; and metal spools. But they had no level-wind mechanism, no anti-backlash fea­tures, no free-running spools.

BAIT-CASTING REEL

PILLAR

LEVEL-WIND MECHANISM

CRANK NUT

DRAG ADJUSTMENT NUT

CRANK

TAIL PLATE

CROSS PLATE (FOOT)

Modern bait-casting reels leave little to be desired. But improvements came slowly and one of the big problems that plagued early-time bait-casters was that of reeling the line in evenly across the spool. In those days, you used your fingers to keep the line level on the spool. If you didn't do a good job, the line would build up unevenly on one side, making for poor casts and many backlashes. The difficulty was not in keeping the line even when retrieving the lure; the trouble came when you hooked a fish, espe­cially on a long cast. It was almost impossible to fight a fish without getting ridges of line on the spool.

Then one night over 60 years ago while he was lying in bed, my father, William Shakespeare, Jr., came up with an idea to overcome this difficulty. Fearing that he might forget his design before morning, he made a sketch of the first level-winder on the wallpaper next to his bed. While his wife may not have appreciated his drawing, mil­lions of fishermen certainly have, because with my father's invention one of the big headaches of bait casting was re­moved. Nearly all modern bait-casting reels have level-wind devices.

Another great improvement in the modern reel is the free-spool, a mechanism that permits the spool to revolve and the level-winder to operate without the reel handle, or any of the related gears, moving. This device saves the caster's knuckles when a big fish pulls out the line on one of those dramatic dashes for freedom. If the reel was not equipped with free-spooling, the reel handle would whirl around as the line was being pulled out. Free-spooling will also allow you to make smoother and longer casts because the crank handle won't be turning, creating a "flywheel" motion. It will give you a wide range of lures to use, will cast heavy ones smoothly, and light ones easily.

Still another great improvement in bait-casting reels was the advent of the anti-backlash control. This device, which functions as a light brake or drag mechanism, controls the speed of the spool during a cast. The spool has a natural tendency to revolve faster than the lure can pull the line out through the rod's guides. This results, of course, in a bird's nest of tangled line, known to fishermen as backlash. While most experienced anglers, after years of practice, can control the speed of the spool by applying thumb pressure on the line, the modern anti-backlash control per­mits adjustment of the tension on the reel so that the spool can be made to revolve at a speed co-ordinated with the speed of the running line leaving it.

The basic materials in the better quality reels are alloys of aluminum, chromed-brass, bronze, or stainless steel. Bearings and bushings are usually of rustless alloy such as stainless steel, brass, bronze, or Carboloy. Gears should be of brass or nylon.

Many reels have cork or plastic arbors which can be placed over the spool. They permit you to fill the spool without using excessive amounts of line. Without an arbor, for example, a reel may require 100 yards of line; with an arbor you may need only 50 yards to fill the spool to ca­pacity. Since 50 yards of line will be sufficient in many types of fishing, an arbor saves you from spooling the extra line. Your reel should always be filled to capacity, with or without the help of an arbor, because the line starts away from the reel more quickly and makes fewer revolutions when filled. Casting is therefore easier on both the reel and the angler.

The weight of the lures you plan to cast is the deter­mining factor in the type of reel you select, just as it is with the rod. If you plan to fish with lures weighing from ½ to ¾ ounce, ask your tackle dealer for a bait-casting reel equipped with level-wind, anti-backlash control, all-purpose free-spooling, with a spool that starts moderately easily. If you plan to cast a lure from ¼ to ½ ounce in weight, ask for the above reel in the light or sporty type with an easy-starting spool. For lures of the ½-ounce class, the ultra-light reel with a fast-starting spool is necessary. (Such a reel is not recommended for beginners.) For lures heavier than ¾ ounce a heavy-duty reel is best. When you have narrowed down your selection to half a dozen reels suitable to the lures you'll be casting, look for the follow­ing features:

1. Check for sturdy construction and a corrosion-proof finish.
2. Make sure that the reel spool has a minimum amount of clearance between the end plates and the spool. This is especially important if you plan to use monofilament lines. (These lines have such fine diameters that they work be­ hind the spool and into the gears or shaft if fine tolerances are not maintained.) Some manufacturers make special reels for this type of line.
3. Look for a reel that has a lightweight spool, prefer­ ably of aluminum. Such a spool will keep its momentum down, is easy to brake, and is less likely to overrun during a cast. A heavy spool starts slowly, and once in motion is slow to stop running, increasing the chance of backlash.
4. Determine how the reel starts and how silently it operates. Spin the handle of the reel to start the spool revolving and note the amount of effort it takes. Also check to see how long it continues revolving. Select the one that is noiseless and seems to start at the slightest touch, but stops quickly when a light brake is applied. All too often a novice selects the reel whose spool revolves the longest and fastest, thinking that it will cast the best. Ac­tually, such a reel gains too much momentum and strips the line off the reel faster than even a heavy lure can pull it through the rod's guides. This, of course, causes back­lashes.
5. Check the operation of the anti-backlash mechanism. On better reels, the anti-backlash control can usually be adjusted by a convenient arrangement placed on the out­ side of the reel.
6. Make certain that the level-winding device is sturdy and operates easily and smoothly. The level-winder most commonly employed is a sort of looped finger through which the line runs. This guiding finger travels back and forth on a spiraled track as the spool revolves, laying the line evenly across the spool.
7. Check the gears and bearings to be sure that they are of good craftsmanship, that they are made of a long-wearing metal or nylon. (The latter material is very light and tough, and operates quietly.) In recent years a direct-drive system has made possible a more powerful, smoother-running reel that is both sturdier and more rigid. Two
   gears instead of the usual three or four mean fewer moving
   parts, less wear and tear.
8. See if the reel can be conveniently oiled from the outside and if it can be taken apart without difficulty. Also examine the end bearing or spool cap to see if it can be adjusted. The spool should ride in the middle of the frame; it can be centered by adjusting the caps on the spool it­ self, but not so tightly that it binds.
9. Select a reel made by a reliable concern and make certain that spare parts and factory servicing are readily available for the reel. This is a good rule to follow in pur­chasing any fishing tackle.

lines Lines for bait casting may be either braided nylon or monofilament, but the latter should be used only on reels (called mono-reels) designed especially for its use. The braided line consists of fine synthetic threads that are braided into a line. The monofilament is a single strand of synthetic material. In recent years the soft monofilament line has become popular for use on mono-reels in 12-pound test or less, while the nylon-braided line is more popular for over 15-pound test. (Pound test is a term indicating the dead weight that a line or leader will support. This is a standard way of classifying fishing lines.) In the near future, the development of newer soft monofilament may make heavy lines easier to cast.

Most bait-casters use a pound test line that is heavier than necessary for their fishing. This cuts down on their sport and makes casting more difficult. The chart on page 27 indicates the weight of line you should use to match your rod and lure.

Black long reigned supreme as the preferred color for fishing lines, but today other colors are becoming popular —green, charcoal, tan, various shades of gray, and even blended colors. Although black looks invisible from above, it may not be so from the fish's point of view. I don't think it makes a great deal of difference which you choose.

Splicing monofilament lines is a simple operation. Do it with a barrel knot (see page 21). This knot is approxi­mately as strong as the line itself, and should cause no trouble. Sometimes, however, a knot does not clinch prop­erly. For this reason, it is advisable to test all knots before they are used. If the line is braided, the same knot can be used to add a leader. Stronger end sections of monofilament are often used with all types of lines for fishing in salt water or weed-snagged waters, because the stronger end absorbs the shock of handling extra lures or big fish.

To prolong the life of either nylon or monofilament lines, the following precautions should be followed:

1. Periodically inspect your rod guides and the tip of your rod for wear-out or rough spots; these can quickly ruin your line. The line will show its first sign of wear at the tip or at the lure tie-on point. It's a good idea to cut off a foot or so of line when it shows wear at this point.

1. When reeling in line, keep it away from the edge of the boat and from passing over obstructions.
2. When casting spinners or revolving plugs, use a swivel to prevent kinking and twisting of your line.

CLIP ENDS
4. When using a nylon line in salt water, it's a good idea to wash it out in fresh water.

leaders Leaders may serve either of two important func­tions. Some are relatively invisible and deceive the fish by making the lure or bait appear to be unattached to a line.

Others constitute a cut-proof and chafe-proof link be­tween the lure and the easily severed line. The two func­tions are quite different, and a leader which performs one of them usually will not perform the other.

When you are fishing with monofilament line, a separate leader between line and lure is usually unnecessary, be­cause the entire line acts as a leader. The line may be tied directly to the lure. (A snap connector attached to the end of the line will come in handy for changing lures.) When using spinners or other lures that spin when being retrieved, a snap swivel—or a snap and a couple of swivels—may be necessary. Without swivels tied ahead of them, such lures will twist your line. This can cause considerable annoyance, besides rendering the spinner nearly useless as a fish attractor. Use the smallest snaps and swivels you can obtain for the size of the lure. The balance on some modern lures is so precise that using a heavy swivel and snap may ruin its action. When you are not using a monofilament line, a level nylon leader should generally be used. Full details on these leaders can be found on page 76.

When you are out for sharp-tooth fish, or are fishing in areas dotted with rocks or sharp coral, a wire leader or trace is advisable, regardless of the type of line you are using. You may catch dozens of these fish without using a wire leader or trace, but sooner or later you're going to lose a good one. I've lost several northern pike, tarpon, and snook by failing to use a short wire trace. As a matter of fact, I've seen several big fellows that cut off a 6-inch trace by taking the lure very deep, or by making a sudden turn and cutting off the line with their gill covers just above the trace. As a rule, however, a 4- to 6-inch leader with a snap and swivel will put an end to such calamities and will also prevent line twisting. You can now buy wire traces which are almost as invisible as monofilament. They are a stainless steel wire covered with nylon. For most fresh-water fishing, I find the 15-pound test wire-and-nylon about right. I use either 4- or 6-inch lengths depending on the fish I'm angling for.

lures Although there are literally thousands of different artificial lures in use, all of them may be listed in a rela­tively few categories. In the following discussion the basic types are described. There are hundreds of lures, however, that are a combination of two or more of these.

First in popularity among bait-casters is the plug. Origi­nally the term plug, it might be added, accurately described these lures, but today many very un-pluglike shapes fall into this category. While there are still many wooden models on the market, plastic plugs are replacing them in popularity. They are more durable and have permanent colors. They vary in size from about 2 to 8 inches in length and from ¼ to 2 ounces in weight.

Every bait-caster should carry an assortment of three basic plug models: surface, subsurface, and underwater or —as they are sometimes called—deep-runners. Some sur­face types are poppers, swimmers, and torpedoes; many of them are equipped with revolving tails or propellers. Most plugs of this type are built to create a splash, a spray, or a ripple on top of the water to attract such fish as bass, pickerel, pike, muskies, and innumerable salt-water species including snook, tarpon, striped bass, and weakfish. They are most effective at night, or at the season when the fish are feeding close to the surface of the water.

The trick in using surface lures is to make them act like crippled or sluggish fish—or like a terrified minnow trying to escape the jaws of a pursuer. For example, poppers throw a big spray of water when they are jerked. Game fish in the vicinity are attracted by the splash, and feeling that they must catch the bait before its pursuer, strike at the plug. For best results with a popper, use the "jerk-turn" technique; that is, jerk, stop, then skip the plug. Retrieve at a fairly rapid rate.

As a rule top-water lures should be given an action to match their design. For instance, lures resembling frogs work best when moved with froglike jerks. A minnowlike plug, on the other hand, is most deadly when given an up-and-down motion to simulate crippled action. It should be reeled in slowly, or at a moderate speed, so that it creates a wake behind it. The torpedo-shaped plug, a very deadly lure in southern waters, is worked fast with long jerks or sweeps of the rod tip to make it skip along the surface. When you are after bass, it is sometimes best to let the plug remain perfectly still after the cast, then twitch it a few feet, keeping your line taut. This permits you to sink the hook instantly when it is struck, and reduces the number of fish lost. Keeping the rod tip low will also help you to hook your strikes.

The subsurface plugs usually wobble and slash or dive when in motion, float when not retrieved. Generally they have a cut-away front of about 45 degrees which causes them to dive when reeled in. These plugs appeal to prac­tically all game fish, depending on the water temperature and their feeding zone at the time the lure is presented. The depth the plug travels under the water depends on the rate of retrieve; the faster the retrieve the deeper the lure will travel. To make the plug more effective still, move the rod tip to give the lure a darting motion.

The underwater plugs may or may not float when at rest. Some float and dive to varying depths on the retrieve. (The depth at which these plugs travel can be varied by bending the metal lip down to cause it to ride nearer the surface; up, to make it dive.) Others sink, then dive deeper, or travel on the same level when reeled in or trolled. They usually have metal lips or heads cut at an angle which causes them to dive and gives them action, usually a dart or a side-to-side wiggle. Some underwater plugs have pointed heads, others blunt ones; both varieties have little built-in action. These must be worked with the rod tip to make them lifelike.

When using underwater plugs be certain that there is a feeling of motion traveling up the line; this will indicate that the plug is working properly. Vary the speed of the retrieve to maintain this live action. Although most un­derwater plugs have a built-in wriggle, it is advisable to jerk them at intervals, to stop or slow down, then speed up to create an erratic action. Remember that it's not un­common for a fish to trail a moving plug and strike when it stops. As a general rule calm, clear water calls for some­what faster reeling than rough or dirty water, if you want strikes. Daytime fishing generally calls for a faster retrieve than nighttime fishing. Deep-running plugs are par­ticularly effective in warm weather when fish move toward the bottom of the water.

While not a plug, the jig—for years used exclusively in salt water—has now successful invaded fresh-water fishing. Originally it consisted of a head with a trailing tuft of feathers. Today, hair and crimped nylon are popular for use as skirts. Since jigs have little or no action of their own, they depend completely upon a "zigging" action of the rod tip.

Spinners and spoons are two of the best artificial lures ever conceived. All game fish, as well as many which are not considered game, strike them readily. If you can't find natural bait, a spinner or a spoon of the right size and shape will often serve as a good substitute. In fact, they will often do a better job of catching fish than natural bait. Besides being good fish-takers in their own right, spinners and spoons sometimes make natural bait more at­tractive. A spinner in front of a minnow or a worm will occasionally incite a fish to strike when natural bait alone will not.

Spinners come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and colors, but basically they are metal blades that whirl in the water. Spinners are often combined with other lures. One which has been developed recently is made to be used with a jig when casting or trolling. This spinner is equipped with an added attractor, such as plastic hair or feathers.

The spoon is a metal blade. It comes in a variety of shapes and sizes that wriggle through the water. They may be decorated with a variety of attractors—streamers, buck-tails, or strips of shredded plastic—and are often painted in a variety of colors. To make a spoon really deadly, add a piece of pork rind (available at your tackle shop), insert a hook in the rind, and connect it to the spoon with a length of monofilament line. The rate of retrieve varies the action of the spoon. In general, a slow retrieve is better than a fast one, and it is a good idea to let the spoon flut­ter back to the bottom occasionally.

While most spinners require a swivel, and often a keel or rudder to keep the leader from twisting, spoons that are designed properly do not need such devices. You may use them directly on your line or leader without any twist.

BAIT-CASTING TACKLE ASSEMBLY GUIDE

TYPE OF

FISHING         REEL   ROD    LINES LURES

                                    (Lb. Test)         (Ounces)

Small bass,       Ultra-light         Extra-light         6 to 10 1/4-best
panfish                    6', 6'6"             1/4 & 3/8-
                                                Good

Bass, pickerel,  Sporty  Light     l0 to l2½           3/8best
walleye, small               5'8", 6'             1/4 & 1/2-
northern pike                                        good
Big bass, wall-  Regular Light     15        1/2-best
eye, northern                5'2". 5'8"                      3/8 & 5/8·
pike; fresh-                                           good
water trolling
Walleye, north-All-purpose       Medium            15 to 20           5/6-best
ern pike,                       5'2", 5'8"                      3/8, 1/2,
muskie, tarpon;                                     3/4-good
fresh-water trolling, salt­water casting
Lake trout,       Heavy duty       Heavy  18 to 30           3/4 and
tarpon, salmon,             4'6",5'2"                       up
striped bass; heavy-duty fresh-water trolling, salt­water casting

It is frequently said that the lighter the weight of tackle you use, the more pleasure you'll receive from catching a fish. This is true to some degree. But I believe you get the best results when you have tackle that reasonably matches the average size of the fish. With small fish, ultra-light tackle will probably give you the most sport. If the fish run medium to large, then standard-weight tackle is generally the most satisfactory. If the fish are extra-large, you need tackle sturdy enough to feel that you are playing the fish, rather than letting him play you. I don't call it sportsman­ship, but just plain foolishness, when a fish gets away be­cause a beginner's tackle is undersized.

BAIT-CASTING TECHNIQUES

It's easy to learn to cast. The important requirements are (1) the proper equipment and (2) a reasonable amount of practice. Since we have just discussed the tackle you need, let's look at bait-casting techniques. As was stated in Chapter 1, you can practice almost anywhere. For these training sessions, tournament plugs weighing from a to s ounce should be employed. These plugs are made for practice casting and have no hooks. Remember that in bait casting, as in any other casting method, distance is less important than accuracy. Therefore, you should select targets to help you develop your aim. When you are on the water you'll want to make every cast count, to drop your lure into the exact spots where fish are most likely to be lurking.

assembling your tackle With your selection of tackle completed, the first step is to assemble the outfit. When putting a one-piece rod together, the guides should line up with the reel seat so that the line will run straight through them. After the chuck ferrule is placed in the handle col­let, the locking foregrip should be tightened. With a two-piece rod, in addition to the above, the guides of the tip section must be lined up with those of the butt section, and the ferrules pushed together without twisting. After the rod is assembled, place the reel in its seat and tighten it se­curely in place. The line can be passed through the guides and tied to the lure with a clinch knot. To make this knot, pass the line through the eye of the lure, give the lure four or five turns, and push the end of the line between the eye and coil. Pull up tight. The end loop is used on the end of the line to attach the leader. (See page 21 for com­plete information on how to tie the various knots required in fishing.)

INSTALLATION OF A PLASTIC ARBOR

For best casting performance, fill the spool of your bait-casting reel to capacity with line, or with a backing arbor and line. As I have said, by doing this you'll be able to cast farther, to reduce wear and tear on your reel. Most reel manufacturers recommend the amount of line of the various pound tests that their reels will hold with an arbor and without one. Remember that an arbor is not practical as a rule when more than 50 yards of line are required. To install a typical plastic arbor:

1. Pry the four slots apart gently with a knife (A and B shown) before pulling the arbor halves apart.
2. Insert pin (C) through hole (D) in reel spool shaft. Note how pin (C) fits into groove (E) of arbor. Push arbor halves together. Don't force or bend.
3. Thread the line through hole (F) in the arbor. Tie a slip knot and wind on the line.
4. In removing the arbor, pry the four slots gently apart (G and H), then pull the arbor halves apart.

Putting two to six connected spools of line on your reel is almost as easy as putting on a single spool, if you follow these simple directions. First, string all the spools (in the order in which they were spooled) on a pencil, a heavy wire, or anything that is long enough to hold all the spools and permit them to revolve freely together. Next, loosen the line on the end spool, either right or left, by using your fingernail, the small reel wrench that comes with your reel, or something else that does not have a sharp point or cutting edge. Now loosen the end of the line (usually it is tucked under itself about three times in tying-off at the factory) and tie it to the spool shaft of your reel or around the arbor. Start winding it on. All the spools will revolve. Then, as one spool is emptied, remove it, repeat the operation described above with the next spool, and so on until your reel is filled. As you loosen the line tie-off of the second and each succeeding spool, it will be neces­sary to slip the entire reel through the tie-off loops. If you wish, you can use cellophane tape to hold all the spools firmly together, but this is not absolutely necessary.

SPOOLING MORE THAN ONE LINE

The following instructions on the operation of the reel during a cast are rather general. Be sure to read the in­struction booklet that comes with your reel for specific instructions. Some reels have features that require special casting techniques. It makes good sense, of course, to read the instruction booklet carefully before using any reel.

overhead cast The overhead cast is the one to master. You'll use it for 90 per cent of your fishing; it's safer, easier, and more accurate. (On page 97, my good friend and fishing companion, Ben Hardesty, noted world champion caster and eight times U. S. Professional All 'Round Casting title holder, shows you how to make the overhead cast.)

Following is a step-by-step discussion of the actions the overhead involves. You will find that I have used through­out my casting instructions references to the "one o'clock position," the "three o'clock position," etc. This is a stand­ard approach to beginning casting; it refers to an imagi­nary clock face under whose numeral twelve the caster is standing. The illustration on page 32 will make the ref­erences clear to you.

First, grasp the rod in a natural manner, with palm down, the thumb on the line, and reel handles up. (One of the most common beginning errors is to cast with the reel handles on the side.) Now, work your wrist up and down a couple of times to make certain that you are not gripping the rod too tightly to allow free wrist movement. Bear in mind that a good cast is first, the function of your wrist action; second, of your forearm action; and third, of the rod itself. The upper arm is not used at all.

The anti-backlash tension device, if your reel has one, should be adjusted so that, when the rod is held in a posi­tion approximating 1 or 2 o'clock, the line will drop of its own weight at a rate of 2 or 3 feet a second. Also see that the click of the reel is off. (The click on a reel is not an anti-backlash device, as many beginners believe, so don't leave it on when you cast. It causes excessive wear of the reel parts. Use it only to keep the line from loosen­ing on the spool when carrying the rod, when trolling, or still fishing.)

If your reel has a free-spooling arrangement, it should be placed in a casting position so that it will disengage the drive gears from the crank assembly. After the cast is made, the gears can usually be re-engaged automatically by turning the crank forward to retrieve the line.

When you are ready to make your first cast, turn the reel handle until the lure is dangling about 6 inches below the rod tip. Face directly toward the target you intend to reach with the lure. Begin the cast with the rod pointing above the target (sight your target through the first guide), at about a 2 o'clock position, with your forearm parallel to the water or the ground surface. All your movements from this point forward should be made with the point of your elbow serving as the fulcrum. The elbow should re­main in the same spot throughout the cast, with the wrist and forearm performing all of the action.

Now, with an upward flick of the wrist and a slight up­ward motion of the forearm, raise the rod tip in a smooth, continuous arc until the rod tip approaches a perpendicular —12 o'clock—position. There, smartly and quickly, begin to check the backward travel of the rod so that its mo­mentum and the weight and momentum of the plug will bow the rod to the rear. Your lift must be sharp enough to put a bend in the rod over much of its length and to get the bait behind you quickly. The force of the cast will cause the rod handle to move forward in your hand, to exert outward pressure on the second, third, and fourth fingers. The fingers will tighten their grip on the rod handle automatically, with enough muscle tension to snap the rod forward. This forward impetus should be followed through with a steady, smooth, forward-and-downward push with the wrist and hand to complete the cast. In other words, you start the forward push without a pause, in one single, blended motion. This takes full advantage of the power you have transmitted to the rod during the back cast. It is now a fully flexed spring, ready to throw the lure out and ahead of you with great speed.

As the rod tip approaches the 1 o'clock position, release the thumb tension on the spool to start the lure on its way. Do not lift your thumb completely clear of the spool; instead, keep a very light, constant thumb pressure on the line as it is running out. Rock it over the back pillar to maintain better control. When you release the line, the lure will travel out at about a 30-degree angle to the water— if your release has been correctly timed—and the spool will spin rapidly as the line peels off. By this time the lure is well on its way, and your forearm and wrist will have dropped down almost to the 3 o'clock point. Keep your eye on the plug as it begins to drop; then increase the thumb pressure on the spool to take slack out of the line and to drop the lure gently. When the plug reaches the target, or when it hits the water, apply enough thumb pres­sure to stop the spool completely. With some of the new anti-backlash devices, you can let the spool ride free with­out thumbing during the forward flight of the plug. Just as the lure lands, raise the rod tip and switch the rod from the right to the left hand to begin the retrieve.

In making the retrieve, hold the rod with the fingers of your left hand just below and ahead of the reel seat so that the side plate touches your palm and the heel of your left thumb. This will give you the necessary leverage to set the hook should a fish strike, and to stabilize the position of the reel when you are playing a hooked fish. Keep the rod tip lifted fairly high on the retrieve to keep as much of the line out of the water as possible.

side cast In effect, the side cast is simply the overhead or perpendicular cast with the rod traveling in a horizontal plane. The value of this cast lies in the fact that by its use you can cast to targets which lie under overhanging trees and foliage along the shore. Such growth often comes close to the water and may extend fifteen feet or more out from shore. An overhead cast will wrap your line around the branches. It takes plenty of practice to master the side cast since you can't "aim" the lure as you can in the overhead cast. The movement of the rod throughout is in a horizontal plane, not up or down. The handle of the reel should be down, with the spool perpendicular to the water. The rod should travel backward as far as it did in the overhead, but the release of the line should not be made until the rod is almost straight out before you. Leaning the body to the right and bringing the head down in line with the horizon­tal position of the rod aids some fishermen to make ac­curate casts by this method.

backhand cast In the side cast, the movement is usually made from right to left. In the backhand cast, however, the cast is made from the left side toward the right. The position of your reel here is with the handle pointing straight up, and the line spool facing toward you. The rod pauses at a position behind your left shoulder and about 30 degrees below horizontal, and then travels to a position almost straight in front of you. As with the side cast, the backhand method is used chiefly when you are casting a lure under overhanging branches. It is also useful when you are casting from the stern of a boat, since with it you don't have to cast over your companions' heads.

flip cast This cast is good when you must get your lure through brush. To accomplish it, just poke the rod straight forward through an opening in the lakeshore foliage. With the rod tip pointing down, the rod butt straight up, the reel spool facing toward you, and your thumb lightly pressing on the spool, allow the lure to hang 6 to 8 inches below the rod tip. Now, with elbow action only, flip the lure first upward, then downward; with the momentum obtained by the flips, shoot the lure outward and straight ahead. At the moment the reel spool is released, the rod should be aimed at the target. Practice casts should be no more than fifteen to thirty feet. When you have thoroughly mastered flip procedure, you can strive for greater distances. For longer casts, the rod should be carried up to an angle of almost 30 degrees in front of you; as the lure drops to the water press the thumb on the line spool; then turn the reel up to pull in the lure in the usual manner.

Although I have given you specific points for terminating the back and forward casts, I hasten to mention that these will vary—even considerably—with the outfit you use and with the weight of your practice-casting weight or lure. Generally, a short, stiff-action rod will have to be brought somewhat farther back beyond the perpendicular than de­scribed here in order to obtain the desired casting distance. A long, loose rod will have to be checked on the back cast even before the perpendicular position is reached. For these reasons, you must get the feel of your particular out­fit and determine in practice the limits to which your rod should travel during the cast. The rod length and action, and the weight of the casting lure, will also help to de­termine how far below the rod tip the lure should be sus­pended at the beginning of the cast, and at what point in the forward cast the lure should be allowed to start its travel toward the target.

THE AMERICAN CASTING ASSOCIATION

The A.C.A. is an association of some 175 individual clubs devoting at least part of their attention to casting, many organized for that purpose alone. In addition to the A.C.A. there are thirteen state and district associations open to fishing enthusiasts. The A.C.A. was formerly called the National Association of Angling and Casting Clubs.

The Association was formed in 1906, but the sport of fishless casting dates back to just after the Civil War. There are casting records that go as far back as 1887. The A.C.A.'s prime objective is to promote the sport of tourna­ment fly and bait casting, as well as such allied activities as conservation and sportsmanship. Tournament casting offers the practical fisherman the opportunity to gain pro­ficiency with his tackle at times when he is unable to be on the water. The parks of large cities generally have some type of casting facilities. In certain cities, the sport is municipally sponsored, and casting pools and platforms are provided; some of these are quite elaborate. No special pool or platform is required, however; casting tourna­ments adapt themselves readily to almost any type of ter­rain or reservoir.

The sport of casting on a tournament basis is arranged in a series of advancing tiers of competition. There are programs at the local level, registered tournaments (a type of tournament sponsored by the A.C.A. wherein appropri­ate medal and chevron awards are provided), state or dis­trict group meets, and the National Tournament, which is held late in the summer each year. Record scores cast at National Tournaments are kept as World Records.

In order to assure fair and even competition in all com­petitions, the A.C.A. has adopted rules and regulations pertaining to the method of casting and scoring as well as to standards for tackle and equipment. The A.C.A. has an official plug and line. Tackle specifications are quite liberal, however, especially in the accuracy games, and standard rods and reels are acceptable in most of the events.

For additional information, write to: American Casting Association, P. O. Box 51, Nashville 2, Tennessee.

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