CHAPTER VI 

 ON PIKE LINES, AND THE OUTFIT 



Nottingham spinning lines Waterproof dressed lines The " Stag " 

 brand lines How to dress a pike line The line dryer and its 

 uses The landing-net for pike The flight box and haversack 

 Varnish and waterproofs. 



A CAREFULLY-SELECTED line is one of the most 

 important items in a pike angler's outfit, and I 

 might as well say at the outset that there are lines and 

 lines. Before our fisherman buys his line he should know 

 what he is going to do, and how he is going to cast. I 

 would strongly impress on him that a strong and heavy 

 waterproof line will not be a success if tried as a casting 

 line direct from the reel. We will take one that shall be 

 suitable for the Nottingham style first of all, and this 

 should be an undressed silk, or at most only slightly and 

 smoothly oiled and dressed down. I prefer a plain white 

 silk ; colours, green and black mixed in, I do not like, as I 

 fancy this dyeing of the threads has a tendency to rot them. 

 The line must not be too thick nor too thin, because when 

 constantly winding in and throwing out through the rings 

 on the rod it is liable to be chafed flat, and soon becomes 

 weak. I like fifty or a hundred yards of No. 9 plaited 

 silk, which will lift a dead weight of eighteen or twenty 

 pounds ; these plaited lines are free from any objectionable 

 kinks and curls. When an angler essays the Nottingham 

 style of pike-fishing, the judicious selection of the rod, 

 reel, and line has more to do with his success or non-success 

 than he would imagine ; I have known men who have been 



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