LINES AND REELS. 37 
necessary to wind up a fish, the check reel is in every 
way as direct and powerful a lever as the plain old- 
fashioned wheel. The point to guard against is having 
the check too strong. 
I defy any man to fairly wind in a heavy fish with a 
multiplying reel. It is the old mechanical principle 
again of losing in power what is gained in speed ; and a 
reel that gives four turns of the axle to one of the 
handle, loses exactly one-fourth of its strength for each 
turn—that is, has one-fourth only of the direct power of 
a check winch. 
Beautiful reels for all kinds of fishing are now made 
on the check system ; some of plain brass, some of brass 
stained black, some—for the sake of lightness—of wood 
and metal combined, and some which are lighter than 
either, of aluminium. The saving in weight thus secured 
by the two last-named materials is very considerable, 
and they therefore present advantages to men who are 
not strong, and who may find the weight of a Salmon 
or trolling rod and reel tell upon their muscles, but 
for ordinary work and taking the chances of wear and 
tear and knocking about, I should give the preference 
to simple stained brass. Moreover, a heavy reel ba- 
lances a long rod better than a light reel. 
Within the last few years a considerable improvement 
has been introduced into the form of reels generally, by 
the substitution of narrow grooves and deep side-plates 
for the old-fashioned shallow-plated, broad-grooved 
