SELECTION, CARE, AND RIGGING 



dressed;" many successive applications of the 

 waterproof composition of oil and wax are 

 thoroughly worked into the body of the line 

 and it takes months to complete the job. A 

 tapered line will cast both farther and finer. 

 If you feel that you can afford the extra expense 

 have a double-tapered line, that may be changed 

 end for end on the reel after appreciable wear; 

 if not, content yourself with a level line, which 

 will do excellent work. In either case have the 

 gut leader which you attach to the line made up 

 tapered, as already noted, by the use of heavy 

 gut strands at the end joining the line, the 

 other strands gradually decreasing in size to- 

 ward the end holding the tail-fly. The one 

 condition under which you may achieve better 

 results with the flat (no taper) line and short, 

 heavy, uniform leader is when casting against a 

 stiff wind. Extraordinarily long and fine leaders 

 are sometimes used for the special purpose of 

 casting with the wind a modified form of the 

 "blow-line" angling popular on Irish lakes and 

 much practised with natural May-flies in the 

 season. 



Always unreel and carefully dry out all lines, 

 by free exposure in large loose coils to the air, 

 but not in the hot sun, immediately after use. 



The practical angler should know how to 

 splice a broken or cut line; this accident often 

 occurs from stepping on a hanging loop with 

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