LINES AND REELS. 37 



necessary to wind up a fish, the check reel is in every 

 way as direct and powerful a lever as the plain old- 

 fashioned wheel. The point to guard against is having 

 the check too strong. 



I defy any man to fairly wind in a heavy fish with a 

 multiplying reel. It is the old mechanical principle 

 again of losing in power what is gained in speed ; and a 

 reel that gives four turns of the axle to one of the 

 handle, loses exactly one-fourth of its strength for each 

 turn — that is, has one-fourth only of the direct power of 

 a check winch. 



Beautiful reels for all kinds of fishing are now made 

 on the check system ; some of plain brass, some of brass 

 stained black, some — for the sake of lightness — of wood 

 and metal combined, and some which are lighter than 

 either, of aluminium. The saving in weight thus secured 

 by the two last-named materials is very considerable, 

 and they therefore present advantages to men who are 

 not strong, and who may find the weight of a Salmon 

 or trolling rod and reel tell upon their muscles, but 

 for ordinary work and taking the chances of wear and 

 tear and knocking about, I should give the preference 

 to simple stained brass. Moreover, a heavy reel ba- 

 lances a long rod better than a light reel. 



Within the last few years a considerable improvement 

 has been introduced into the form of reels generally, by 

 the substitution of narrow grooves and deep side-plates 

 for the old-fashioned shallow-plated, broad-grooved 



