196 TROUT LORE 



attention to the lure of tackle, which we know is 

 not the real fascination of trout fishing. Some 

 anglers seem to think that tackle, "rods and reels 

 and traces," comprise the whole attractivity of 

 their pastime. While I am free to admit that 

 there is true enjoyment in the possession of 

 tackle, and when I lift my eyes to my well-filled 

 tackle case, with its rods of many styles and 

 makes, reels and lures from three continents, I 

 know that the gathering of fishing paraphernalia 

 might easily become a passion comparable only 

 to the fad of the bibliophile. If I had the wealth 

 of a Croesus at my command I would gather 

 under one roof samples of fishing tackle used by 

 crudest savage and finished sportsman, from ear- 

 liest days to present time; and what an educa- 

 tional and interesting display it would be! One 

 can trace the development of the race in the fish- 

 ing tackle used. 



Then, too, the lure of fine tackle, for its own 

 sake, is very real and captivating. Always I 

 have urged fishermen to secure the best tackle 

 they can afford, not simply because the best 

 tackle is the most durable and responsive, but 

 because the possession of a fine article tickles our 

 aesthetic sense. The possession of a fine rod or 

 reel influences one as does the possession of an 



