REELS. 15 



material, viz. twisted hair and silk, but necessa- 

 rily much thinner, and from thirty to fifty yards 

 in length ; or even longer for lake-fishing, where 

 heavy trout are expected. However, thirty 

 yards is quite enough for a light trout rod. They 

 must taper gradually for the last eight or ten 

 yards to the end, where, in substance, they should 

 not exceed the first " D" on the aforesaid harp 

 guage, or very thick netting silk, while the 

 stouter end should be about equal to the second 

 "D." 



REELS. Be particular in the choice of winches 

 or reels ; they should be proportionate to the size 

 of your rod and line, and should carry the latter 

 easily, without being guided on in winding up ; 

 else there is fear of entanglement. Reels require 

 very good and delicate workmanship, great 

 strength, and little weight of metal ; all the parts 

 should be closely fitted to each other, and, in 

 particular, the inner revolving plate should be 

 well applied upon the exterior fixed one. They 

 should run freely, otherwise you cannot wind up 

 steadily ; and the larger the diameter of the 

 circular plates, and the narrower in proportion 

 the pillars or bars between them, the greater will 

 be the length of line taken up at each turn of the 

 handle. Your trout reel should be a multiplier; 

 but as the increase of the speed by means of the 

 cog-wheels diminishes the power, so for large fish, 



