394 THE KEEPER'S BOOK 



fish which may tear off halt that length before their 

 first rush can be checked. A multiplying gear is also 

 a labour-saving improvement ; that is to say, for every 

 turn given to the handle, the barrel revolves twice or 

 more. Lastly, some sort of line-guard, like that devised 

 by " J ohn Bickerdyke, " is a desirable preventive of over- 

 running, that most fruitful cause of disaster at critical 

 moments. 



The rest of the tackle, the various combinations 

 of gut, hooks, and lead, must be dictated by a common- 

 sense consideration of the habits of the fish and the kind 

 of ground you are fishing on. By this I mean that 

 there are obviously some tackles which, though safe 

 to use on a smooth, sandy bottom, would be certain 

 to get foul of rocks. When fishing near the surface 

 for lythe, saithe, or bass, little or no lead is wanted. 

 In bottom-fishing a heavy weight is sometimes required, 

 and when the tides run very strong, and this lead has 

 to be one or two pounds, a handline is preferable to 

 the rod. At the same time it should be borne in mind 

 that the finer the line, the less the lead required to take 

 it to the bottom. Gut, single or otherwise, is much used 

 in sea-fishing in the new style. In Turkey, where the 

 water is very clear, and the sunshine exceedingly bright, 

 one has to use twenty or thirty feet of single salmon 

 gut, as the bass will not look at anything stouter ; but 

 in our thicker water and duller weather at home I 

 usually find nine or ten feet ample. An occasional 

 brass swivel, particularly where the gut is attached to 



