i68 THE PIKE 



proof line, we can simply go into an empty room at 

 the end of the day's fishing, pull the line off the reel 

 and let it fall on the floor, winding it up when dry 

 next morning. But with twisted lines it is not safe 

 to do this, for whenever there has been a strain on 

 them they have a tendency to kink. This does not 

 matter when fishing, for we are working the tackle 

 and playing the fish entirely from the reel. Very con- 

 venient winders on which to dry lines are sold in 

 most tackle-shops. 



The float now most commonly used for live-baiting 

 is one rather long and slender than pear-shaped, and 

 having a hole down the centre through which passes 

 the line, which is kept in position by a peg. On the 

 whole, I think that red is the best colour for the top 

 of a float. I often use one which is coloured white, 

 and I find that under certain conditions of light, more 

 particularly when the sky is a pearly grey and is 

 reflected on the water, the white float is seen with 

 difficulty. In the late evening, on the other hand 

 when the water looks dark, and particularly under 

 the shadow of trees, white is the best colour. The 

 lower portion of the float, that beneath the water, 

 should JDe a quiet neutral colour, or dull green. 



For the tackle below the float there is nothing 

 better than a two-yard length of salmon-gut, medium 



