76 LINES. 



lay close and secure over the broken rod; then draw 

 the third, which will secure the second, and so on, till 

 all lays smooth and close to the last turn; to fasten and 

 fix which, take the end of the waxed silk or twine, 

 which lays under the bows or hoops just described, and 

 draw it upwards till all lays smooth and tight ; then 

 cut off the spare part, and all will be fast and strong. 

 This is called the hidden or invisible knot." 



SECT. II. LINES. 



LINES are of various kinds, and are adapted to the de- 

 scription of fish to be taken, and the waters in which 

 they are to be used. Of lines for ordinary use, some 

 are of gut, arid others of horse-hair. For jack, pike, 

 and eels, the line should be made of fine silk threads, 

 bound round with fine wire. Most persons use, in 

 ordinary, a fine gut line; but those who have acquired 

 skill enough to use a hair line will find their advantage 

 in taking a larger number of fish, as they cannot see 

 the line so well as the gut. A gut line-, even if it be 

 as fine as a hair, will be seen more, in consequence of 

 its brightness. It also beads in the water, which 

 makes it appear thicker than it really is : a hair does 

 not bead. A line formed of a single hair at the bottom, 

 and of two hairs twisted for the upper part, will be 

 found a good one. Observe, once for all, that all 

 lines must be thicker at the upper end than at the 

 lower. 



For bottom -fishing, the line should, generally speak- 

 ing, be about three yards and a half in length that 



