150 
FOREST AND STREAM 
April, 1921 
Landing a good one after a 
there is the slightest suggestion of a 
chill. 
But what about the most essential 
part of our Waltonian’s outfit — his 
tackle? 
W HILE any amount of money may 
be spent on fine fishing tackle, 
the essential equipment for the 
novice trout-fisher need not be at all 
expensive in order to be satisfactory. 
A really fine rod — the most beautiful 
of all sporting implements — is much too 
good to hazard in the hands of the be- 
ginner on the stream, and yet we would 
advise that he equip himself with one 
made of split bamboo. Any tackle 
house of repute can supply him at a 
cost of from six to nine dollars with 
such a rod, about nine feet long, well 
adapted to his needs. Free of the fear 
of accidental injury to an expensive 
article the beginner will make greater 
progress; and when he has learned to 
cast very fairly with this rod he will 
note a surprising improvement imme- 
diately he has a better one in his hands. 
When he has learned to know a good 
rod when he handles and uses it, has 
learned how to treat such a rod, and 
just what style of rod will suit his in- 
dividual wants, then it is time enough 
for him to acquire the best that his 
means will allow, whether it be an 
American Thomas, Leonard, or Hawes, 
an English Hardy, Farlow or Ogden, or 
of some less eminent make but perhaps 
fully as trustworthy. 
At the outset the novice must know 
that he must have a reel and line that 
properly “fit” the rod. A harmonious 
balance of line weight and of rod 
weight or stiffness is absolutely essential 
to proper and successful casting of the 
artificial fly. A heavy line is necessary 
to bring out the action of a stiffish rod, 
but the same line will impede or kill 
the action of a rod that is too light or 
whippy to handle it. Lines most com- 
monly used are graded from D, the 
heaviest, through E, F, and G to H, the 
lightest of these five sizes. In most 
cases a five-ounce rod should carry an 
glorious ten-minute struggle 
E enameled line, whether level or tap- 
ered, and anything over six ounces a 
D line. 
A single-action reel generally is 
preferred for fresh-water fishing, ex- 
cept when casting from the reel; and 
the reel should be seated below the 
hand on a rod used for fly-fishing or 
the lighter bait-fishing. To properly 
string a three-joint rod proceed as 
follows: Pick up the butt-joint with 
handgrasp and seat the reel so that it 
will come underneath the rod, with 
handle to the right, when the line- 
guides are also down, and so that the 
line will render from the lower side 
of the reel-spool straight to the first or 
bottom guide. That is to say, this is 
the more general practice. Again, in 
waters where heavy fish frequently are 
encountered many experts prefer to 
control the game with the “good right 
Photo by W. E. Scripture, Jr., Rome, N. Y. 
A “regular fellow” with a 7 lb. Brownie. 
arm” and to handle the net with the 
left hand. Such right-handed anglers 
then place the reel — still underneath — 
with its handle to the left and with 
the line hugging the rod as it x-uns off 
the spool, and in reeling in they turn 
the handle backward with the left hand 
and do not change hands on the i'od to 
play a fish. Draw now from the reel 
about fifteen feet of line, and lay 
down the butt-joint. Next join the top 
— to the middle-joint; thread the line 
through the remaining guides ; and then 
— and not till then — join the combined 
smaller joints to the butt. Attach 
leader and flies. 
When the jointed-up rod, with reel 
attached, is balanced horizontally 
across the finger, the nearer, within 
reason, the center of gravity ap- 
proaches the handgrasp the less the fa- 
tigue that will attend prolonged use of 
the rod; and with the popular, very 
light American reels it may be neces- 
sary to weight the barrel with a strip 
of sheet lead wound under the spooled 
line, to achieve the most satisfactory 
results. The desirability of thus add- 
ing weight to the reel can be ascer- 
tained only by experiment; it will im- 
pair the action of a too limber i*od. 
A level or flat enameled line should 
be the selection of the novice, who later 
will graduate to a double-tapered affair. 
An occasional rubbing-down with a 
paraffin candle followed by pui - e linseed 
oil will keep it in good condition. Al- 
ways dry out lines thoroughly in the 
air in large, loose coils, after use, but 
not in the hot sun; and also remove any 
deer-foot or mutton-tallow that may 
have been used to float the line be- 
fore putting it away. If allowed to 
remain indefinitely it will detei'iorate 
the line; the linseed oil will clean it off. 
B Y all means consult some friendly 
expert and learn the simple art of 
tying your own leaders or casting- 
lines, from strands of gut bought by 
the quantity, from a dozen up. It is 
readily acquired ; and you also will need 
at the same time to learn how to 
rig your cast, that is, how best to 
attach leader to line and the flies 
to the leader. Any experienced fresh- 
water angler will be glad to show 
you these things, and it will take only 
a few minutes. Get these gut strands 
stained a “mist” or bluish-gray color. 
The three most useful sizes of the silk- 
worm-gut used both for trout and bass 
fishing are what are known to the trade 
as First Padron, Regular, and Refina, 
the first being the heaviest of the three. 
Use six lengths for a trout leader, and 
taper it by uniting them as follows: 
one of First Padron, two of Regular, 
and two (or three) of Refina at the fly 
end. Before tying soften the gut thor- 
oughly in water, and after tying and 
before use soak again and dry the 
leader stretched straight between two 
pins that hold the ends. , 
When it comes to flies good ones are 
cheaper in the end, as not only will they 
be more attractive to the fish but also 
will last longer — will not whip out so 
easily. Get them tied on Pennell Lim- 
erick hooks, and eyed — not snelled or 
attached to short pieces of gut — of sizes 
