FISHING TACKLE AND COMMENTS 



on the line with gloved hand by either one of two methods- 

 holding the line against the grip or else pulling it out between 

 the reel and the first guide directly away from the rod. By 

 using either of these methods the angler can react more 

 quickly to the heavy surge or rush of the fish by letting go of 

 the line rather than by manipulating the pilot wheel or star. 

 I still rely heavily on the pilot wheel as I get a great deal of 

 pleasure out of working it. I also believe that the Vom Hofe 

 reels have the best and smoothest drag, not to mention the 

 many variations of tension you can put on them. Of course, 

 the throw-off feature of the Vom Hofe and Penn is indis- 

 pensable to me in slacking back to big fish and is also in an 

 excellent position for convenience and safety. I believe it is 

 much better to have a throw-off so you can leave your strik- 

 ing drag set where it was originally instead of having to 

 screw up the star before you can strike the fish and then not 

 know how much tension is on it because, of course, it cannot 

 be tested beforehand. The guides love the Fin-Nors because 

 they can see the spindle and know a novice's drag. 



If you are worried about the backlashes or the reel running 

 over when dropping back, simply put the click on until you 

 have struck the fish. This will give it just a small amount of 

 tension and may ease your mind. I can honestly say that I 

 have never had a major backlash with a Vom Hofe reel that 

 I was not immediately able to clear myself, and I have never 

 lost a fish through a backlash. Maybe I have been lucky, but 

 I am giving the credit to the reel— and I can say the same for 

 Mrs. Farrington's experience. We have never had a single 

 Vom Hofe reel go wrong on us in all our fishing, with but 

 two exceptions, both of which were no fault of the reel. 



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