42 CASTING TACKLE AND METHODS 



Anent this question of price, what was said regard- 

 ing rod mountings in the former chapter should be 

 repeated here. It is not the part of wisdom to add 

 ornamentation to ornamentation just for the sake 

 of producing an expensive reel. Utility and dura- 

 bility should always take first place. When one 

 takes into consideration the amount of work per- 

 formed by a reel in a single morning's casting he 

 will understand why the very best of material must 

 enter into its construction. It is not necessary that a 

 reel should whirl forever and a day when the handle 

 is started, indeed that very characteristic may be 

 productive of back-lashes, and a source of untold 

 anguish to the beginner. All that is required of a 

 reel is that it should be well made, constructed of 

 durable material, German silver and the best of finely 

 tempered steel, with sufficient room between the 

 plates for thumbing; to that end it is a good idea to 

 select a reel with a somewhat large spool, winding 

 the casting line upon a core of cheaper "filler," thus 

 will the angler build up a broader resting place for 

 his thumb, saving wear and tear upon that valuable 

 member. I know of good reels that can be secured 

 for three dollars and have some in my collection 

 that cost more than ten times as much, but the three 

 dollar reel, in the hands of a caster who understands 

 the ways of bass and knows how to handle his outfit, 

 will catch as many fish as the more expensive winch. 



There are just two important operations in cast- 



