The Outfit — Reels. 49 



remain motionless for ten minutes; or, in half as many- 

 seconds, he may dart through the water as though hound 

 over the neighhoring hills to some distant and less 

 troubled river, where man ventures not and the insects 

 are less hot-footed. The part of the reel in all this play 

 is that of second fiddle. It must be strictly a duet, and 

 never a solo. When the fish runs it must promptly re- 

 spond with its cheerful melody; when he stops, it must 

 at once begin to count " forty bars rest." For, if per- 

 versely independent, it continues to run on its own ac- 

 count, the outer turns then remaining on the spool be- 

 come loose and confused; the angler, hastening to regain 

 line, winds over them; the salmon takes a fresh run; the 

 line renders as it should till the place of the last halt 

 is reached; but there it fouls, refuses to render, the leader 

 parts, and the angler lifts up his voice and — weeps. 



When one hundred and twenty yards of line are wound 

 upon my own reel, which seems to answer all these re- 

 quirements, the coil measures 3f inches in diameter. If 

 the line is then led through the rings of a rod to a 

 spring-balance, and a strain is applied by bending the rod, 

 the click starts when half a pound is indicated. When 

 the line is half exhausted one pound is required ; and 

 when the combined diameter of the axle and the remain- 

 ing line measures one inch, three pounds are necessary. 



Some salmon-reels are now to be bad with a drag ad- 

 justable from the outside, which can readily be made to 

 supplement the click with any desired amount of resist- 

 ance. They are excellent, but expensive.* 



* I have recently seen a good serviceable reel of this description 

 retailing for $ 5. The market price of salmon fishing tackle shows 

 a marked downward tendency at present. 

 4 



