A CORRECT ATTITUDE. 5 



forty yards of medium fine silk tapered line, dressed under 

 hydraulic pressure, will complete his first outfit. 



I am going to assume that you, my friend, know 

 how to put a rod together, to place the reel on the rod, 

 and thread your line ; but just here a word as to the 

 reel, and I am now speaking to the right-handed fisherman. 

 Always use your left hand for manipulating the reel 

 that is, have the reel fixed on the rod so that its handle 

 is pointing towards the left hand when the rod is being 

 used. It is quite a simple matter to learn to use the 

 reel with the left hand, and it is of infinite advantage to 

 the fisherman.* The rod can thus be always retained in 

 the right hand after striking a fish avoiding the awkward 

 and, in my opinion, unnecessary changing of the rod 

 from right to left hand when a fish is hooked, and leaving 

 the left hand free at all times for the landing net, for 

 manipulating the line and reel, for one's pipe, glasses, 

 etc., etc. 



The rod and line being now ready, take your stand 

 in the middle of your grass plot. The rod should be in your 

 right hand, pointing forward, the reel being on the lower 

 side of the rod, your hand firmly grasping the butt, with 

 the thumb extending along the rod on the upper side. 

 (See Plate I.) 



Get a friend to take the end of your line in his hand 

 and walk out about twelve yards. Lower your rod to 



* See Ambidexterity, page 109. 



