Tlow ro Squmw «a Loox. 55 
adise of the bass angler—when one morning I was awakened 
from my early slumbers by the loud calls of Mosier, my gaff 
er, Who had tried a cast with one of my rods from the Table 
Rock, and, in casting, had thrown a knot in the line about 
thirty feet from the reel; and, as the guides were too small 
to pass the knot, Mosier, to prevent the fish from getting 
slack line, ran back as the fish came toward shore, and ran 
forward when the fish carried off too much line, calling lusti- 
ly for me as he ran backward and forward in great excite- 
ment. I finally relieved him of the rod in due time, and he 
gaffed the bass, which weighed twenty-two pounds. Since 
then I have all guides made large enough to pass a small 
pea. Double guides are best, unless you have Pritchard’s 
patent guides, which turn on a fixed metallic band. It is al- 
ways best to disjoint a rod when done fishing for the day, 
and then change the sides of the two upper joints every day, 
as it prevents the rod from warping or setting. 
The reel, like I, should carry 600 feet of hawser-laid linen 
line, of from twelve to fifteen threads, thus rendering it about 
the size of a fine salmon line; but the line should be free from 
any oily composition, and a dip in dye to give it a greenish 
shade is beneficial. Never, by any chance, use a check reel 
for coast or estuary fishing. Depend on the pressure of your 
thumb for checking the fish, and wear knitted thumb-stalls. 
Hooks like M, with taper shank and loop of linen line, the 
aame size as that on the reel, extending six inches beyond 
the end of the shank. Place your squid along the hook so 
that the extreme bend of the hook will be opposite its eyes, 
when slide up sinker on loop E toward L until the sinker is 
even with the other end of the squid. By this process your 
tackle will-fit your squid. Then fasten E to its place by K; 
hook the squid back of its mouth, running the point forward, 
and turning it down so as to bring the point out between the 
eyes; attach loop L to the baiting-needle ; draw the sinker up 
through the ink-sack, or body, and attach the loop to the end 
of the reel-line, and you will be ready to commence trolling. 
