70 FISHING KITS AND EQUIPMENT 



uated line has its disadvantages. These lines are usu- 

 ally furnished in double-taper. The taper is generally 

 about 1 8 feet in length. The lines come in lengths of 

 30 and 40 yards. Sizes E and F, to fit the rod, are 

 right. 



Whether the line shall be level or taper, is, in a way, 



a matter of taste; that the line be a fine one, in the 



sense of quality, is a necessity. There 



A ? eS T tl - n ^ are a great many cheap and worthless 

 the .Line. .. , . , 



lines on the market although they are, 



presumably, "enameled, waterproof, braided silk 

 lines." When purchasing a fly-line see that its surface 

 is smooth, hard and free from stickiness. Bend over 

 two inches of the end of the line and twist the strands 

 together hard. If the enamel cracks or gives at any 

 point a white spot will tell you that some other line 

 is preferable. Extremely high polish is not imperative ; 

 in fact, a certain firm of tackle dealers advertises the 

 fact that its best line is not highly polished since, they 

 say, a too smooth line slides so freely through the 

 water as to hamper good casting which, it would 

 seem, is getting things down to a rather fine point. 



The line should also be tested from time to time, 

 as to its strength, during the fishing season. Experi- 

 ments made by Mr. Wells and others show that a trout 

 pulls, approximately, its own weight. The locality 

 where you fish and the size of the trout you are liable 

 to take will determine measurably how far an old line 

 may be trusted. As a matter of fact, before a line has 



