REELS AND THEIR CARE 47 



able. The old-time free running reel has no 

 superior; by " free running " is meant that there 

 is no graduated device for retarding the speed 

 of the spool. Free-spool reels are of another 

 class, in which there is a device to throw the 

 gears out of mesh during a cast, the handle re- 

 maining at rest, the gears engaging while the 

 line is being wound in. They are excellent reels, 

 but considerable practice is necessary to cast 

 without backlashing, as the spool-action is very 

 rapid. 



Fig. 6. Meek No. 3 Blue Grass Reel. 

 If you ask a manufacturer how to take one 

 of his reels apart for cleaning, he will probably 

 tell you not to attempt this at all, as only " one 

 skilled in the art," as inventors say, can adjust 

 a reel properly. This is of course true of some 

 reels in the hands of careless persons, but one 

 who possesses ordinary skill may easily take 



