ROD & CREEL 33 



Reels. Compared to the rod and line, reels are of minor 

 importance, nevertheless, carefiil choice of a reel will assist you 

 to do better work and frequently enable you to land a fish you 

 would otherwise have lost. Above all things avoid these wonder- 

 ful patent contrivances with numerous complications which are 

 flooding the market. Sooner or later, generally sooner, they get 

 out of order, most probably just as you hook your best fish of 

 the season. Choose a narrow reel that will hold your line easily 

 and not get overcrowded if you have to wind up fast without 

 looking to see the line goes on evenly. It should have a large 

 drum so that you can wind up quickly in case a fish makes a long 

 run and then comes towards you. The mechanism should be per- 

 fectly simple except for a ''check" regulator. The latter is very 

 useful as it enables you to regulate the check so that you can 

 strike a fish from the reel without danger of a break. 



Casts. For dry fly fishing tapered casts are a necessity, the 

 thickest end should match in size the end of the line. For ordi- 

 nary wet fly work the plain cast will do. 



Beginners should never use a cast more than six feet in 

 length with one fly which is the "point fly." Later on a second 

 fly (the first dropper) can be used and even a third (the second 

 dropper). Some men even use a fourth fly (the bob fly) but it 

 requires a twelve foot cast and except for very wide streams is 

 seldom advisable. 



The finer your cast is the better your chances of success and 

 it is astonishing how big a fish can be landed on a fine cast if 

 only you are careful to see that it is well soaked before using, 

 and above all things test each knot carefully. It is in the knots 

 the danger lies and every one that is the least bit doubtful 

 should be cut off and retied. 



Never wear your casts round your hat or put flies tied on gut 

 on your hat on sunny days as hot sun is most injurious to gut. 



Hooks. For any but your smallest flies use the Limerick 

 pattern. For the very small ones the Snell pattern is advisable 

 as they seldom fail to take hold but they are more apt to break 

 if they strike a bone. 



Always test your hooks by striking one or two into a board 

 and giving it a strong pull. I once lost four good fish out of six 

 hooked through failing to do this; they were all too soft and 

 straightened out. As a general thing it is the other way, they 

 are too brittle and snap just above the barb. 



Always buy your flies on eyed hooks. There are several 

 advantages that eyed hooks have. First of all the gut on which 

 the fly is tied may not be suitable in size; secondly the weak 

 point of a fly tied on gut is the part of the gut just above the 

 shank of the hook. A few good fish will weaken it and so will 

 a few bad backward casts, or putting on a new fly and not giving 



