RODS AND TACKLE 37 



long runs like salmon or trout, but bore like the 

 grayling, making the best use of the large dorsal fin. 

 The tax on the spare line is slight. I have had 

 many a bold run from trout and salmon, which 

 nearly emptied the reel, but I have no recollection of 

 any difficulty in recovering the slack on the fish's 

 return journey. The immediate effect of the weight 

 of a fish on a multiplying reel is a tension, which 

 makes winding impossible. This is due to the 

 complication of wheels within wheels, and the 

 locking of the cogs. The only way to recover the 

 line is by rapidly lowering the rod, when the winch 

 can be worked freely enough. This process is 

 repeated, until the needed quantity is recovered. 

 Anglers will, I think, agree with me that to give a 

 fish a slack line runs the risk of giving him his 

 liberty. I have known trout and salmon that only 

 needed a moment's slack to get rid of the hook 

 effectively. If a fish is firmly hooked it does not 

 matter; but how often does the fly drop from the 

 mouth of the trout and salmon the moment they 

 are netted ! Had the slack been given before netting, 

 they would have escaped. 



No doubt the strength of the tackle which the 

 Canadians use enables them to give the bass rough 

 handling. With fine gut, a stiff rod and an unyielding 

 reel could scarcely be used without losing many 

 fish. I think it is possible that the time will come 

 when coarse tackle will affect the weight of the creel. 



