PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 463 



day, the inner rim will swell with the wet, causing the 

 winch to clog. I have once or twice experienced the 

 misfortune of a " strike " on my colleague, the reel's part, 

 brought about under watery conditions of weather, and that 

 too at a time when the fish were, to use an angler's slang, 

 "mad on" a concurrence of circumstances not to be 

 devoutly wished. It has struck me that an edge of 

 very thin metal fitted upon the rim of the inner wheel 

 would entirely obviate this only defect in an otherwise 

 perfect winch. A twisted silk line is good, but a plaited 

 line is far better ; I would advise anglers, therefore, always 

 to choose the latter. Twisted lines, unless the angler is an 

 adept at throwing from the reel, of which more anon, kink 

 abominably after they once become wet, and I leave it to 

 my reader's own mind to picture the misery of a man who 

 gets some 25 or 30 yards of line in a fearful "boggle" 

 about twice out of three times in his attempts to throw 

 out to a spot where the fish are taking the bait. With 

 a plaited line it is different ; and even if the angler cannot 

 throw from the reel a little performance that requires 

 some practice before perfection is attained he has only to 

 be fairly careful and see that his coils of line are free and 

 clear of any obstruction in the shape of twigs or stiff blades 

 of grass if upon the bank, or the toes of his boots, or the 

 chair legs in a punt. At the time of throwing out also, 

 dispense with anything like a jerk when impelling the bullet 

 to its desired destination, thus securing the ultimatum of your 

 happiness to wit, the free running of the line through the 

 rings, without any tangle, or the annoyance of finding the 

 fine line linked well round one of them, and the bullet and 

 leger bottom flying away through space by itself, broken 

 away from the line by the impetus of the throw, and the 

 sudden check caused by the link aforesaid. Supposing, then, 



