THE TARPON 97 



The third manufacturer made no suggestion worth quoting, 

 except to urge the use of a swivel so as to preserve the normal 

 twist in the line. 



Mr. F. Gray Griswold, of New York City, is an angler of 

 great experience and ripe judgment. He writes me that a line 

 should never be dried in sun or wind for this induces rot. He 

 never dries his salt water lines during a trip, but simply runs 

 them off the reel after the day's fishing and reels them back 

 again. He waits till he has finished fishing before rinsing and 

 drying his lines, and he says they never break. At the Tuna 

 Club the wet line is reeled off upon a wooden spool after the 

 day's fishing and rereeled the next day. 



The line must be kept away from all rusted metal. It is the 

 habit of some anglers to secure the hook to the reel in such a 

 way that the hook or the rusty leader may come in contact 

 with the line when the rod is laid aside. This should never be 

 done, for if the rusty hook or leader is allowed to touch the 

 line the rust will corrode and destroy it. Many good lines un- 

 expectedly fail for this reason. Hulit in his readable "Salt 

 Water Angler" says that the fibre of the line is improved and 

 protected by running the portion constantly in the water 

 through a piece of beeswax before fishing. 



Knots — Any knot, no matter how expertly tied, will weaken 

 a line. So beware of knots ! If you are using an eighteen- 

 thread line fastened to the swivel on the leader by a poorly 

 tied knot, it may have only the strength of a twelve-thread line 

 properly secured. Few anglers appreciate this fact. 



The guides use different kinds of knots to secure the line 

 to the swivel or to close the loop in the double line and each 

 will affirm that his methods are the only proper ones to em- 

 ploy. 



A wet line is from 10 to 15 per cent stronger than when dry 

 and it works better on the reel. Therefore, as suggested else- 

 where, it is good practice to wet the line by paying it out for 

 about a hundred and fifty feet behind the moving boat on your 

 way to the fishing grounds and then staggering it on the reel 



