THE PRELIMINARY CAST 17 



lines, flies and other tools and tackle; and matters of 

 like nature. All of which things, it is respectfully sub- 

 mitted, are, in a way, of some small value to a fisher- 

 man. 



Necessarily, in view of the subject-matter, there will 

 be much " shop talk," and to some it may seem that 

 there is considerable hair-splitting regarding what is 

 likely to prove satisfactory and what is not. In an- 

 swer to such an objection, one might say that, as a 

 matter of fact, the whole subject of tackle is of strictly 

 secondary importance absolutely subservient to the 

 real purpose of the sport, the hardy outdoor life of the 

 woods and streams. But, nevertheless, the man who 

 relies upon angling as the medium of his communica- 

 tion with the open cannot place too much importance 

 on the quality and suitability of the fishing kit. It is 

 a time-worn and very true sporting axiom that a poor 

 gun makes a poor shot; and shoddy, ill-chosen tackle 

 makes a careless, and consequently a disappointed an- 

 gler. The sportsman to fully enjoy his trip, to want 

 to go again, must meet with at least moderate success 

 whether his purpose be the taking of game or game 

 fish; and good guns and fine, well-selected tackle go a 

 very long way toward insuring this success. 



