THE LINE. 75 



CHAPTER. Y. 



" Bring the rod, the line, the reel ! 

 Bring, oh bring, the osier creel ! " 



STODDART. 



WE shall in this chapter complete our description 

 of the fly-fisher's tackle his line, reel, hooks, 

 and so forth, in the selection of which the same 

 care and attention should be paid as we have 

 shown to be so essential in the case of the rod ; 

 and for the same reason namely, that future 

 success very materially depends upon the good 

 quality and adaptation to each other of these 

 different articles. The materials for fly-making, 

 and all that relates to the manufacture of flies, 

 will follow in a separate chapter. 



With the Line the same adaptation to the rod 

 must be observed as we have seen to be so essen- 

 tial in that of the rod to its wielder. It may be 

 taken as a general rule that the stiffer the rod, 

 the heavier and stouter should be the line, and 

 vice versa. Like the rod, too, the line should 

 taper with almost mathematical precision not 



