29G THE SALMON FLY. 



prejudicial to success, owing to their obvious conspicuousness in the water, 

 are far more troublesome to use and to dry. If there is any good in them 

 I cannot detect it. 



Other materials have been tried. Hair lines, and those of silk and 

 hair together, are too rough, too loose in plait and too light in weight. 

 Besides, it is useless to attempt to dress them. 



Plaiting is better than twisting. A plaited line is less liable to kink, 

 takes dressing better, and, what is still more important, is easier controlled 

 in the water. I often meet with twisted lines, but never once have I seen 

 any "tricks of the trade " performed with them at work. The plait may 

 be either round or square. The former results in a more even surface at 

 first, whilst the tiny hollow centre running through their entire length 

 can be filled up by a certain process of dressing a solid continuous core 

 being thus permanently formed. Managed in the old fashioned way with 

 any sort of dressing, this small channel soon holds water and then the 

 silk begins to rot. When this fact became known, lines plaited over a 

 manufactured core were introduced into use, but in our branch of the sport 

 they afford no practical benefit. 



The lines I use myself have often been submitted for trade inspection, 

 and it is gratifying to announce that Mr. Carswell, 90, Mitchell Street, 

 Glasgow, a wholesale maker, has so far succeeded as to be able to supply 

 retail dealers with something that will assuredly find favour and please 

 critical eyes with a line, at all events, that considerably reduces every 

 difficulty in high class presentation. As may be supposed, I have given 

 several of these a good trial and find they differ in a great degree from the 

 ordinary stock in trade. They, moreover, possess exceptional qualities 

 which are at once serviceable for the Salmon-fisherman. They happen to 

 be christened the " Kelson Enamelled." Their salient features are : 

 A fairly tight plait, a smooth surface, more weight for bulk than usual, 

 whilst the quality of evenness and of material cannot be surpassed. They 

 are made in several sizes, the choice of which is necessarily left to the 

 judgment of the purchaser from the fact that rods differ so much in 

 action. The " Kelson " rod best carries a No. 3. 



From this we begin to see the advantage derived from having a 

 standard line in the market fit for a rod so balanced as to admit of the 



