CHAPTER VI. 



REELS AND WINCHES. 



HEELS or winches are usually made of either of two materials, metal or 

 wood. Sometimes, howerer, ebonite or vulcanite is used, and I have 

 seen some very pretty productions from the latter material. Wood, how- 

 ever, either box, teak, mahogany, holly, or yew, is usually utilised for 

 Nottingham reels, and brass or gnnmetal does duty for the winches. 



I will first consider the latter. Winches are, according to their 

 mechanism, either plain, multiplying, or check, alias click or cleek. 

 Of course, the former simply is a reel on which the line is wound, 

 and, bar the fault that it is apt to overrun, it is not easily got out 

 of order, and if made with a large hollow axle is useful enough for 

 ordinary purposes. 



The multiplier, which is now passing deservedly into oblivion, depends, as 

 its name implies, upon the action of cogs, by which each turn of the 

 handle sends the axle, on which the line is wound, round from twice to 

 six times, according to the mechanism. It has many faults. True, 

 when in good order, it will wind in very quickly ; but what is gained in 

 speed is lost in power, and I have never been able, in a satisfactory way, 

 to wind in a big fish with it. Besides this, it is incorrigibly precarious 

 more often out of order than all right. The cogs, if of brass, wear out, 

 causing the dead points of the handle to be frequent and exasperating, 

 and if they be of steel they rust and will not go on at all. Taken 

 altogether, of the metal winches the plain * ' check ' ' is the best. 



The mechanism of this simply consists of a steel tooth, which acts on 

 a cog connected with the axle of the winch so as to regulate its speed. 

 If, therefore, a fish insists on taking out your line with a rush, he has no 

 chance of doing so and overrunning the reel, as in the case of the " plain " 

 winch. The tooth prevents this, and gives no entanglements. You may 

 make your mind easy that the provoking result of an overrun line will 



