SPINNING 99 



which do not often obtain at the riverside. This 

 method cannot well be used while wading, although 

 we have seen an Irish dodge of carrying a tray 

 strapped to the waist for the purpose of coiling 

 the line on, to keep it clear of the water or 

 ground. Both methods, however, are apt to cause 

 entanglement in casting, while if a fish be hooked, 

 great trouble is often experienced before it can be 

 brought into touch with the reel. Both methods 

 are bad, and must be dismissed in favour of 

 casting direct from the reel, and recovering the 

 line by winding. The reel originally employed, 

 and which is still in use by many, is the " Notting- 

 ham." As, however, the drum requires to be 

 controlled by the fingers, it is very difficult to mani- 

 pulate, and requires constant practice to prevent 

 over running. A later form known as the " Silex," 

 is constructed on the " centre-pin " principle, 

 arranged so that casting is very easy to learn, 

 and over-running, the bete noir of the spinner, 

 entirely avoided if the reel is properly used. 



The line should be of plaited silk, on the 

 vacuum oil-dressed principle, and it should be 

 thin. Too thick a line is quite unsuited for 

 spinning, one as thick as a trout fly line in the 

 centre being sufficient. It is of the utmost im- 

 portance that it should be soft, pliant, and quite 

 Jree Jrom stickiness. A good test of this, is to 

 hold the reel in the left hand and unwind with 



