122 FISHING TACKLE 



long, then measure back sixty-five feet, cut the 

 line there and splice on the back line, which 

 should be a good piece of level dressed line, 

 But as you will soon " out-grow " this first line, 

 do not cut up a good fishing line, but purchase 

 a regulation tournament line or make up one 

 from several lengths of the proper sizes. 



The tournament lines are made in various 

 ways, but two of the most frequently used are 

 like this : One tapers up almost the full length 

 to the center, then tapers down to the other 

 end; the other has a long front taper, a belly 

 ranging from twenty to fifty feet, then tapers 

 down rapidly to a thin, level back line. This 

 type of line has proved to be the best one for 

 distance casting. 



If you are fond of experimenting, make up 

 a line from pieces of level dressed line, which 

 you can purchase in twenty-five-yard lengths, 

 splicing the various pieces together. In this it 

 is of course desirable to make few splices, hence 

 the tapers will not be nicely graduated, but 

 this will not greatly matter in practice. If the 

 thirty-four-foot belly is size B, splice fifteen feet 

 of D on the front end, and a ten-foot length 

 of F on D. Then on the back end of the belly 

 splice on five feet of D and the forty-foot back 

 line. Four splices only will be needed, as 



