-M 



3s H+ 



ON LINES 



The line required for trolling with the rod, for the gnat game 

 fishes of tlie tropical seas, must be a marvel of strength, lightness and 

 endurance. The strain of taking a tuna or tarpon of a hundred and 

 fifty pounds, even from a small and handv power boat, which can 

 follow the fish and ease the tackle with the engine, is enormous. That 

 put upon the line in taking a fifty-pound kingfish or amber jack, from a 

 large sail boat, which cannot follow the fish and requires the whole 

 work to be done with rod and reel, is probably equally great. In either 

 case two or three hundred yards must be wound on a reel of reason- 

 able size, and salt water soon attacks the fibre and causes it to rot, 

 so that its life cannot be very long. A high class linen line should 

 have a breaking stress of at least two pounds per thread, and maintain 

 this strength for some weeks. 



The spin of the bait in trolling has a tendencv to untwist all cable 

 laid lines and cause them to kink. One so untwisted and kinked 

 must have weak spots, and be liable to break at much less than the 

 strain that one, properlv twisted and unkinked, will easily endure. 

 l-'or such fishing a line must have the minimum tendencv to unravel 

 and kink to do good service: it should also be dark in color, as a 

 light colored line, in the wonderfully clear waters of the tropics, is 

 too noticeable, and will according to my experience obtain much 

 fewer strike's than one that is green or brown. I am satisfied also 

 that the coloring matter lessens the tendency to untwist and kink and. 

 to a considerable degree, protects from the rotting e fleet of salt water 

 and so prolongs the life of the line. 



The catalogues recommend that one should "set" his lines before 

 use. This process consists in taking one off the spool, winding it 

 on a stick in kite string fashion, so that it can be readily soaked. 

 thoroughly soaking it. stretching it on a frame, permitting it to dry 

 thoroughly, and then winding it upon the reel. Xow the time an 1 

 trouble required to so prepare two hundred vanN of line i< very 

 great, i have found that to "set" three Mich lines required a ni^'ht'- 

 soaking, followed by at least a whole morning's troublesome and 

 annoying labor, as the stretching, drying, and reeling up can only 

 be done bv dav and in direct sunlight. A slight -diower. or the dam]) 



S65010 



