78 PRACTICAL BAIT CASTING 



without removing the reel from the rod. They are 

 collapsible and easily carried in the tackle-box. They 

 cost two dollars and will save this much in lines in a 

 season or two. 



How long a line should last depends on the guides, 

 the weight of baits used, the amount of casting done, 

 the water, and the care the line gets. Offhand, we 

 would say that no line, except the heavy, very hard 

 braided line, is good for more than thirty hours cast- 

 ing, and few last that long under average conditions. 

 With light, soft braid lines, many expert casters will 

 use one end one day, dry it, and put the used end of the 

 line on the reel first the next time, use it a day, and 

 then throw it away. It is a safe method, no doubt, 

 but some casters would consider from thirty-five cents 

 to a dollar every day for line an extravagance. 



The caster should not use the braided silk line for 

 trolling or still-fishing, as with these methods it be- 

 comes thoroughly soaked and is likely to deteriorate 

 rapidly. Have a separate line for this work. Enamel- 

 ed line is by far the best for this purpose. 



To say how much or how little one should pay for 

 a line is a good way to start an argument. By its 

 very nature silk line, regardless of quality, will not 

 last very long, so we believe it is better to get medium- 

 priced lines, and get them oftener, than to depend sole- 

 ly upon high quality. A dollar for a fifty yard spool 

 is enough to pay for ordinary fishing, and for seventy- 

 five cents fifty yards of perfectly good line may be had. 



