18 FISHING TACKLE 



and sometimes spring off the reel in spirals, 

 or cause backlashes. The soft dressed line, be- 

 ing braided softer and finished by hand rubbing, 

 gives less trouble than other lines. Among the 

 better class of undressed lines, the favorites 

 seem to be those that are braided very hard 

 over a heavy, twisted silk core, the braid being 

 so tight as to render the line practically water- 

 proof, or at least against soaking. These lines 

 are also very smooth and keep their shape, 

 which a soft line will not do. 



Paraffin dissolved in turpentine and applied 

 quite warm by soaking the line in it will im- 

 prove undressed silk lines without rendering 

 them wiry, but this, like a paraffin-benzine dress- 

 ing, will wear off in time. The gossamer-like 

 casting lines have so little body that it is diffi- 

 cult to fill them with anything that will not 

 quickly wear off. 



In Mrs. Marbury's " Favorite Flies" a cor- 

 respondent makes the claim that small casting 

 lines can be improved by soaking them in a 

 warmed solution of paraffin and benzine. He 

 calls this semi-waterproofing and claims that a 

 line so treated will last longer and cast further 

 than any other. The line is not taken out of 

 the solution until the latter cools, in order that 

 all the wax possible may be retained in the line. 



