62 CASTING TACKLE AND METHODS 



and control I gladly employ it. In a word, my 

 favorite all-around casting-reel is an automatic- 

 spooler. With such a reel the angler is free to give 

 all his attention to the cast, and when the fish is 

 hooked, to the battle, assured the reel is taking care 

 of the line as he could not "by hand." 



The first spooling devises which attracted my at- 

 tention were attachments, built to fit any reel of 

 given dimensions; naturally they were more or less 

 crude and awkward, one, which I am under the im- 

 pression was never put on the market, was propelled 

 by a tiny belt running in a groved pulley attached to 

 the spool at one end; if the belt stayed in position, 

 if half a dozen things did not happen, the reel 

 worked, but unfortunately things usually happened. 

 We can not take time to mention the various crude 

 productions though each was something of an ad- 

 vance upon its predecessor. Came at last the Redi- 

 for spooler or winder, which would fit any reel with 

 round pillars of a given length. The line played out 

 over a little pulley, which was thrown down in cast- 

 ing so as to be out of the way, and up against the 

 line in retrieving, playing back and forth upon an 

 endless screw. It will be readily understood that the 

 line caused the pulley to revolve and so travel upon 

 the endless screw, and when the pulley was not 

 pressed up against the line with the caster's right 

 hand fore-finger the winder did not work. Some- 



