ROD AND TACKLE 23 



laid on inside the loop back towards the whipping. 

 The end A is then laid along the joint and one 

 turn of the silk taken over it as shown in Fig. 9. 

 Successive turns are then taken and laid evenly- 

 side by side until all the turns in the loop have 

 been taken up. The finish then appears as shown in 

 Fig. 10. The end A is then pulled up with the 

 thumb and the finger over the turns of the finish until 

 the waxed silk is quite taut and the projecting end of 

 A cut off close. A little working with the thumb and 

 finger over the finish to smooth it and a coat of 

 varnish completes the work. 



Brass or gun-metal reels are seldom seen nowadays, 



and the ebonite reel is practi- 

 Reels. cally a thing of the past. 



Aluminium or aluminium alloys 

 of different kinds are almost invariably used by the 

 modern tackle maker for his reels. There is an inclina- 

 tion on the part of the manufacturers to fit reels with 

 an adjustable check in the form of a screw on the 

 outer surface of the reel, by means of which each 

 angler can arrange the check so that it is as light 

 or as heavy as he desires. In theory it sounds quite 

 good, but in practice I would urge that it is a mistake. 

 The angler carefully adjusts the check to his liking, 

 and the first friend, or keeper, who holds the rod for a 

 few moments, is irresistibly impelled to fiddle about with 

 this screw. The result is that either it is set too strong 

 for the fisherman, or it is eased to such an extent that 

 the line overruns and gets into a hopeless tangle. 



