NECESSITY FOR DRYING LINES 69 



and require to be well soaked every time before 

 they are used ; they have absolutely nothing to 

 recommend them, not even economy, and are of 

 all lines perhaps the very worst. A ball of com- 

 mon string would be preferable. 



It is absolutely essential for the preservation of 

 all fishing-lines that the part which has been used 

 should never be allowed to remain on the reel wet. 

 Nothing tends to rot them more quickly. It is 

 but little trouble to run a wet line backwards and 

 forwards for a few yards of its length between a 

 couple of nails driven into the wall. A small 

 wooden bracket, on which to rest the reel while 

 the line is drying, is very useful. 



Messrs. Farlow sell a capital little arrange- 

 ment for drying lines. It is very portable, and 

 consists of a strong wire reel with a handle and a 

 clamp to secure it to the edge of a table, etc. It 

 is also very useful for changing lines from one reel 

 to another, preventing their getting into a tangle, 

 and the operation is very speedily performed. It 

 is also made so as to fold up and pack away into 

 a small compass. 



Lines are usually sold in round coils, and a new 

 line is often troublesome to unwind and gets hope- 

 lessly tangled before it can be put on the reel. 

 The following very simple plan will obviate this 

 annoyance : A roll of music or stout paper should 

 be passed through the coil before the ty ing-strings 



