134 ANGLING. 



years, and which are as strong and trustworthy as they 

 were when I bought them. When a line begins to go, 

 however, it should be well tested when wei, as lines are 

 often much weaker when they are wet than when they are 

 dry, and all that is at all unsound should be broken off and 

 cast aside. 



Any line of from eighty yards long and upwards may 

 be turned end for end when one end begins to show signs 

 of weakness, but even then the weaker portion should be 

 broken off, as it is always unsafe ; and it is better to lash 

 it on to a length of common undressed stuff, which will 

 answer all the purposes of a long run, which will happen 

 now and then with a salmon, than to trust to any weak 

 part. Thus, in a line of that length you get two lines or 

 rather two lengths which you could hardly get out of a 

 shorter line, as in the run you would so soon get into the 

 worn part with a shorter line. It is as well to have the 

 cast eight or ten yards tapered so as to meet the casting 

 line, as this makes perfectly straight casting so much 

 easier and more certain. If more than this is tapered, as 

 is too often the case, it makes the line too light to go well 

 through the wind. 



Rod, reel, and line being settled on, we next come to the 

 casting line : I usually employ for this about one yard of 

 treble-twisted and one of double-twisted gut, and about 

 two yards or two and a half of good round sound carefully 

 tied single salmon gut. You cannot be too particular in 

 looking at all the joints and junctions in your casting line. 

 Every knot should be regarded with scrupulous care, as if 

 the gut is new, sound, and good as it ought to be, if a 

 salmon breaks away it is nineteen times out of twenty one 

 of the knots that gives. The " double barrel " knot 

 shown at Fig. 2, Plate 4, in tackle making is the best and 



