TACKLE 59 



They are usually made of a good grade of Italian 

 or Japanese silk, hard braided, and finished by a proc- 

 ess that is more or less of a trade secret. It may be 

 said generally that the best American hard enameled 

 lines combine good weight, beautiful finish, flexibility, 

 with just enough stiffness to cast well, and extraor- 

 dinary wearing qualities. These lines range in price 

 from three to ten cents a yard, depending on quality 

 and taper, and are usually sold on cards holding 

 twenty-five or thirty yards. They come in a variety of 

 colors, a popular one being the so-called " mist " or 

 " water " tint, a sort of green-gray. 



BUYING HINT 



The fault most likely to develop in a hard enameled 

 line is that the finish will chip or " knuckle." There- 

 fore in buying a line of this kind examine its finish care- 

 fully, rejecting those that show rough spots, " bubbles " 

 or other indications of imperfect finish. Take an inch 

 or two and double it with a hard pinch. If the enamel 

 is weak it will crack and produce a white powder or 

 a light spot. 



SOFT ENAMEL LINES 



With the increased popularity of dry fly fishing in 

 England British makers produced a line of softer finish 

 and more flexibility than the hard enameled which is 

 known generally as the vacuum dressed line. 



Vacuum dressed lines are braided solid and the water- 

 proofing material is applied in a vacuum chamber from 



