ANGLER'S EQUIPMENT 39 



To keep a rod in good order, and render it im- 

 pervious to wet, it should be varnished occasionally. 

 If any part of it is made of bamboo, this should be 

 done every three or four times it is used, as the 

 varnish will not adhere to the skin of the cane, but 

 cracks off in casting. For this purpose spirit varnish 

 is generally used, which may be had of any fishing- 

 tackle maker or druggist, and should be applied with 

 a brush. 



Reels. The best reels are those made of brass, 

 and with a plain wheel. Some anglers prefer the 

 multiplier, because it rolls up the line more quickly, 

 and others the rack, because it presents a greater 

 resistance to the running off of the line ; but these 

 advantages are counterbalanced by their liability to 

 go wrong, particularly the multiplier ; and we have 

 known anglers who have lost a salmon by the rack 

 catching at a critical moment. A plain wheel will 

 sometimes allow the line to run off too freely, but this 

 is the angler's fault, who in playing a trout, should 

 regulate the amount of stress to be laid on it by the 

 hand entirely. Reels have been greatly improved in 

 shape of late years ; they are now made much deeper, 

 and not so 'broad, thus allowing the line to be run 

 off more easily, and be wound up more quickly. The 

 size of the reel should always bear some proportion 

 to the size of the rod. A large reel seems quite out 

 of place on a small rod, and v ice versd. 



Lines are now usually made by a machine, and if 

 care be taken in their construction, they can be made 

 much better in this manner than by the hand. They 



