278 



Rod and Tackle. 



CHAP. xx. 



Swivels. Why on earth swivels, which are meant to be 

 amphibious, should ever be made of a material that will not stand 

 the water without rusting, is a thing I never could make out. The 

 only excuse for it is that they can be made finer of such a hard 

 material as steel, than of anything else. This is all very well, 

 but it is an advantage which is more than counter-balanced in India, 

 and the sea, by their rapidly rusting. With brass, German silver, 

 aluminium and aloids to choose from, there is no excuse for' having a 

 swivel made of material that rusts and consequently loses its strength, 

 as well as sticks fast, declining to revolve. Silver-plated steel swivels 

 are unsatisfactory, as the plating is thin and soon disappears. There- 

 fore never have a steel swivel in any form. 



Swivels : their Size. It is a common thing to mount vary- 

 ing sizes of spoons with proportionate sizes of swivels, as if you 

 could be so sure that a big Mahseer would not take a small spoon. 

 Many anglers, as we have seen above, prefer always to use a small 

 spoon for Mahseer, and one of 40 Ibs. has been taken on a spoon 



9 10 ii 12 



of if inches. In Mahseer fishing the swivel should uniformly be of a 

 size ready for all comers. All spoons for India, from i| to 3 inches, 

 should be mounted on the same sized swivels, and the size I prefer is 

 No. 5, and the swivel on a spoon should be a double swivel. I have 

 lost a grand fish by the small swivel on a small spoon failing me, and 

 I have met a sorrowing angler who said he had lost more fish by swivels 

 breaking than in any other way. There is reason in proportioning the 

 size of the hook to the spoon, because the spoon has to drive the hook 

 when revolving ; but there is none that I can detect in lessening the 

 size and strength of the swivel that is offered to a Mahseer. 



