70 SALMON AND TROUT. 



hemp, and forty yards of medium-sized dressed silk double 

 taper, as thick as is suitable for casting with any rod up to 

 fifteen or sixteen feet. The hemp backing is about as fine as 

 a fine trout reel-line, and I found one yard of it drew out the 

 steelyard to twenty-three pounds before it broke. This hemp 

 line will also last right well. The ' back line ' and the tapered, 

 or casting, part of the line should be very carefully and neatly 

 lapped together with fine waxed silk at the place of junction, so 

 as to obviate any danger of the line getting stuck in the rings 

 at that point when running out with a fish. If small stiff steel 

 rings (see illustrations further on) such as I use myself and 

 advocate for every description of rod? are adopted, the chance 

 of a 'hitch' at the critical moment will be reduced to a 

 minimum. 



In the foregoing observations on reels generally I have 

 assumed that all practical fishermen will use a reel which is 

 either normally a ' check,' or that can be made into a check at 

 pleasure. The old-fashioned * plain reel,' as it is called, pos- 

 sessed certainly the merit of being plain very plain, indeed, 

 we should think nowadays ! and simple, in the sense of not 

 being likely to get out of order. But there its merits end. 

 When there is no ' check ' to interfere with the rapid rotatory 

 motion of the wheel set going by a heavy fish, there is nothing 

 in the mechanism to prevent the line ' over-running,' the result 

 of which is usually a complete stoppage at the critical moment. 



Multiplying reels are at least equally objectionable upon 

 another ground, namely, that, when 'winding in' a fish, the 

 old mechanical axiom of * what is gained in speed is lost in 

 power ' is apt to come into operation with disastrous results. 

 No one can fairly wind-in a heavy fish with a multiplying reel 

 of the old type, and now that reels with deep narrow barrels, 

 giving increased speed and power, are almost universally 

 manufactured instead of the antiquated shallow, broad-grooved 

 pattern, there is no practical advantage gained by further 

 rapidity of action. 



1 I cordially agree in the advantage of standing rings. BEAUFORT. 



