214 Book of the Black Bass. 



it was hooked, and must, of a necessity, be landed as soon as 

 possible. 



In this case, a long, light, and pliable — but not too 

 limber — rod must be used, say a natural cane pole, twelve 

 or even fifteen feet long, with the finest and smallest line 

 that can be procured, which, in this case, is the twisted 

 silk line. This line is made of very small caliber, nicely 

 tinted, of a suitable color, and is quite strong. It is manu- 

 factured in connected lengths of fifteen feet, which is 

 about the right length of line for this kind of angling. The 

 sizes run from No. 1, the smallest, up to No. 5, the largest. 

 The smallest, or No. 1, is the size to use, always, when 

 fishing on streams; but for pond or lake fishing, where 

 pickerel abound. No. 3 or 3 may be substituted. 



Next to the silk line, in order of merit, comes the twisted 

 or relaid sea-grass line, domestic or Japanese, the latter 

 being the best. They are numbered in the same way as 

 the silk line, No. 1 being the smallest size, and the prefer- 

 able size to use. Many anglers, notably in the border and 

 southern states, use the sea-grass line for a reel-line, in 

 preference to all others, because it is strong, of small cali- 

 ber, quite hard and elastic; and, as they do not cast very 

 frequently, it answers pretty well, but, as stated before, 

 will kink when much casting is practiced. The sea-grass 

 line is both twisted and relaid, the latter being the best, 

 as it does not kink quite so badly as the twisted line. In 

 relaid lines, the strands are three in number, each strand 

 being twisted from left to right, and the strands twisted 

 together in the opposite direction, or from right to left. 



On the score of economy, twisted flax and cotton lines 

 are sometimes used for rod-lines ; but they are beneath the 

 notice of the black bass angler, as the sizes are too large 

 to be used for this purpose. 



