36 PRACTICAL BAIT CASTING 



A fitting of special merit is the detachable rubber 

 butt, particularly if you reel with the butt of the rod 

 resting against your six feet, more or less, of virile 

 young manhood as the novels say. Its cost, twenty-five 

 cents, is not much to gamble and its "comfiness" may 

 pleasantly surprise you. 



GUIDES 



There are many different styles of guides, but not all 

 of them are suitable for bait casting. The German 

 silver trumpet guides were once the most popular, but 

 with the advent of the short rod they were driven out, 

 temporarily, by the exaggerated Kalamazoo pattern 

 often as large as a silver quarter. The tendency now 

 is toward medium size guides, either trumpet, bell, or 

 casting ring with off-set tip-top, which is the English 

 term for the tip guide and prevents confusion with the 

 tip proper. 



German silver or hardened steel is used throughout 

 on the lower priced rods, the rods of the better class 

 being fitted with guides and tip-top lined with agate, 

 or imitation agate. Agate reduces the friction to a 

 minimum it saves wear on the line as well as on the 

 guide itself. Soft metal guides eventually become 

 roughened, which quickly plays havoc with the line. 

 Most of the friction, however, comes at the first, or 

 hand guide and at the tip-top and these at least should 

 be of agate or glass, even on cheap rods. The hard- 



