PIKE REELS 39 



among which the line would tangle and jerk, and be gener- 

 ally aggravating. 



The "Mallock" reel was invented to meet the difficulty 

 of these casters ; but after a careful inspection I have come 

 to the conclusion that it is more useful to the salmon 

 fishermen who use it in wide open rivers, with plenty of 

 stream and a good depth of water. If an angler is using 

 it in a shallow weedy lake, and it is necessary to begin 

 winding in the bait the very instant it touches the water, 

 it is likely to be a failure under these conditions. When a 

 bait is cast from this reel the barrel, which revolves in other 

 reels, does not turn round ; it is fitted with a hinge, so 

 that it can be turned half round, the end of the reel facing 

 the rings on the rod. The force of the cast pulls the line 

 off, and as the weight of the bait carries it onwards, the 

 line unwinds itself like pulling thread over the end of a 

 bobbin. Now this is where the trouble comes in ; before 

 you can wind in, the barrel of the reel must be twisted 

 back again and relocked, and before this is done the bait 

 sinks a few inches and grips fast the weeds, and therefore 

 that cast is spoilt. Of course, in deep and unobstructed 

 lakes this objection does not hold good ; but I always 

 found the best pike lurked in the fastnesses of the weed 

 beds and jungles, where it was necessary to begin winding 

 in the very moment the bait reached the water. 



There are scores of good spinners in Ireland and Scotland 

 who swear by these reels, and can cast out marvellous dis- 

 tances, but being made of metal they are apt to be very 

 heavy, and they are also rather expensive ; but, I must add, 

 they are calculated to assist those anglers very much who 

 cannot master the vagaries and peculiarities of an ordinary 

 easy-going Nottingham. 



Slater's " Combination " is a pike reel of the very highest 

 class. The revolving barrel of this reel runs in a cage that 

 is firmly fixed to the back. Sometimes even in experienced 

 hands the line drops outside the reel in casting and jerks 

 round one of the handles ; this fixed cage in which the reel 



