Jim Kline, of Boston, Massachusetts, has a casting question:
Q. I read a column that said when you shoot line you should release it and not feed it through the hand. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this?
Lefty: There are no disadvantages to shooting line through the hand on the forward cast. There are three distinct advantages. If you use spinning or plug tackle, you cast at a slightly elevated angle to intentionally deliver the lure beyond the target. When the lure is over the target, the finger or thumb stops the lure’s flight — giving you an accurate cast. The same thing is true when fly-casting if you control the line.
Another reason is that many fish are difficult to see (bonefish, permit, etc.), and the cast is made only after the angler spots the fish. If the line is released, the angler must look down to recover it for the retrieve. Quite often, when he looks back up, he can’t find the fish.
The third reason is that once the line is dropped, you lose control of the cast until the line is recovered.
