SALMON FISHING WITH THE FLY. 189 



ing with a powerful rod a moderately thick line is required, a 

 thin line, as I have before remarked, being of no use. A reel 

 four inches in diameter, with a drum of if inch in width, will 

 hold thirty or forty yards of thick line for casting purposes, and 

 100 to 120 yards of thin back line — in all about 140 yards, which 

 is long enough for any of our rivers. The majority of fisher- 

 men use a thick line, of the same thickness from end to end ; 

 but, as I think it may be taken for granted that forty yards only, 

 at the outside, are required for casting purposes, nothing is gained 

 by the remainder of the line being of the same thickness. 



I will endeavour to show that there is a great disadvantage 

 in using a continuous thick line, and that there is a good deal 

 to be gained by using a Hne made as I have described. When 

 fishing with a continuous thick line, should a salmon take a 

 long run when hooked in a rapid stream, the pressure of the 

 water upon the line is so great that, unless the casting line is of 

 unusual strength, there is great risk of its getting broken. On the 

 other hand, fishing with a thin back line, the resistance to the 

 water in a like case is so much less, in proportion, that the 

 chance of bringing the fish to bank is far greater and the risk 

 of a break reduced to a minimum. Another advantage in using 

 a thin back hne is that the reel of the aforenamed dimensions 

 will hold a far greater length of line. The line I recom- 

 mend, say thirty or forty yards, is tapered at both ends, and 

 moderately thick in the middle. The advantage of having 

 this line spliced to a back line is that when one end is worn 

 from casting it can be cut off, the worn end respliced to the 

 back line, and the other end brought into use. Anyone who 

 has not fished with these tapering lines will be surprised at the 

 ease with which they can be cast, and their superiority will be 

 found out when fishing on a windy day. Some say it is best 

 to use a light line upon such an occasion, because it cuts through 

 the wind better than a heavy line, but in my opinion a light 

 one is utterly useless for casting purposes upon a windy day, 

 and the heavier the line the easier it is to cast. 



Thicker lines are required for spring and autumn fishing, 



