8 ELEMENTS OF ANGLING. 



may suggest an undressed line, but at first the novice 

 should have none of it. Though cheap, it is only 

 suitable for certain special kinds of angling with 

 which the novice will not be concerned for some 

 time ; and, personally, I do not now use undressed 

 lines at all, as I find that a thin dressed line will do 

 all I want. 



That, however, is by the way at present. The 

 tackle-maker will probably put the line on the reel 

 for the novice in the shop, but if not here is the 

 prescription for doing it at home. Get a cardboard 

 tube, such as is used for sending prints through the 

 post, or make a similar tube by rolling up a stiff 

 newspaper and tying string round its ends ; over it 

 pass the ring of coiled line just as it came from the 

 shop, and through it pass a walking stick. The 

 ends of the stick are then placed on two chairs, 

 with their backs to the operator, and far enough 

 apart to allow the tube to revolve freely between 

 them. The end of the line is then found and 

 fastened to the drum of the reel (it has occasionally 

 happened that a novice at salmon fishing has 

 omitted to take this precaution, with the result that 

 the first fish hooked ran out all the line and 

 departed with it) by means of a double slip-knot 

 the pieces of silk that hold the coil of line tight are 

 snipped with scissors, the reel is fixed to the rod 



