LITTLE POINTS THAT COUNT 151 



gives you a taut line, and many bass hit the lure with 

 enough force to hook themselves if the line is taut. 

 It also makes your strike more effective. You have 

 a better chance to set the hook firmly with a taut line 

 than to try it with slack. Developing the strike at 

 the right moment is important and skill in starting 

 the reel quickly can be acquired by keeping the eyes 

 on the lure and not on the reel. 



LINE WEAKENS AT END 



Give the line a thought now and then, Old Man. 

 The wear on the first few feet of a line in a day's 

 casting is considerable and it is a mighty good plan 

 to test it out before starting on the morning's exer- 

 cise. The heavy artificials give the line a sharp pull 

 at the start, and the friction on the guides and tip 

 soon wear it to a weak spot. Especially for the tail- 

 end fall fishing it is well to be sure of the line. At 

 this time, particularly, the bass seem to be endowed 

 with a line of " pep " and fighting spirit that makes 

 a rotten line easy picking for his lordship. Then 

 again, a worn line is an expensive end of the outfit, 

 as many lures are lost through the line snapping 

 while they are en route to the waiting fish. Test 

 your line before fishing by pulling it between the 

 hands and break off the weak end. As a fish saver 

 this is sure some real dope. 



For general all round casting the overhead cast 

 is the best, and it is far more accurate than the side 



