Macon beacon., 1917-06-01
BAIT CASTING LINES.

My Dear Buck:
Many fish, old scout, has beer
lost on the first three feet Of the line
not on account of the weakness O
the entire line, or poor quality, bu
solely from the wear and fraying OF
the end Of the bait casting line due t
the friction on the guides and the pull
of the bait In its start to the fish
The wear is far greater on the first
few feet Of the line than any Other
part, and to be sure OF your fish, you
must be sure Of the strength of that
basic part Of your tackle, the line
that lands 'em. One of the big points
to remember In the care Of the line
is to test it every now and then and
break off foot or two when 1t shows
weakness, The swapping Of a good
line can be avoided by this little pre-
caution.
Soft Braid Versus Hard Braid.
The only line to be considered for
bait casting Is the braided silk, and
of this kind we have the choice be.
tween the hard and soft braided. OF
the former it can be said 1t wears we'll
and absorbs practically no water, but
as casting line it takes back seat
to the soft braided affair. Owing to
the ease with which the soft braided
line slides from the reel, it makes the
best possible line for casting, and you
can thumb it all day without burning
the thumb into the quick, which is
more than you can say for the hard
braided.
For general bait casting with plugs
and artificials of the wobbler variety
you should have q No. line. Some
manufacturers lettering their product
make G size which corresponds to
the No. S. For the lighter lures of
the spoon, pork rind and minnow class
let your selection be a No. or H
size.
Don't Use a Rope.
The big mistake Of the beginner, as
well as lots Of sure-fire fishermen, old
man, is to select a line that Is too
large and heavy. It is absolutely i'm
possible to do accurate casting with
q big, heavy, clumsy line, and at that
It Is entirely unnecessary. With the
ordinary tackle few fishermen can put
more than four or Ave pounds pull on
the line If the rod is used properly,
and If it is not the rod will go" be-
fore the line.
do not think It Is necessary to
use line of greater test strength than
IL or Is pounds for ordinary casting,
unless, Of course, your are casting
Tor muskie, northern pike or pick
erel. For general bass casting q
l5-pound test line will more than fill
the bill and at the same time keep
your line down to size that will
make your casting far easier than with
the heavier and more bulky line which
piles up on your reel so quick that
It fouls on the reel pillars and makes
casting about as enjoyable as handling
\ towline on a tug.
Dry Your Line After Fishing.
One Of the simplest ways to put
good line out of the game is to let It
Try on the reel; do this few times,
Buck, and your line is n. g., no mat.
.er what high quality goods you
started with In drying on reel only
The top layers Of the line really dry;
he balance molds and rots 80 as to
be in fine shape to break when you
hook that big one. All of which points
10 the fact that you should reel out
1ouf line after each days fishing, hang
ing it between two convenient trees
and let it dry out thoroughly be-
tore putting it to bed. Don't let 1t
lie along the ground or dry out in the
sun, and with the above care you will
add 100 per cent to its life.
Another way to put q good casting
line on the hummer is to use it for
No matter how many swiv-
els you have on your line while troll
ing, it will become 80 twisted that
casting with 1t will become worlds
series" of back lashes. When you
.hink it's time to use a new line for
casting. shoot the old one into the
trolling department, and die happy
casting the new one.
Easy to Waterproof a Line.
To avoid soaking up too much water
in your casting line, which makes 1t
heavy, you can waterproof It by satu-
rating it in solution of vaseline and
light oil. You can apply the oil
either by rubbing it into the line
with a well-soaked cloth or apply
It in bulk by heating the oil
mot boiling) and soaking the entire
inc at once. II you oil the line while
still on the original spool let it soak
about 20 to 80 minutes; II you have
he line wrapped loosely on stick
much shorter time, about ten min
utes, will do the trick. In either
case wipe of all the surplus oil.
This will not only waterproof your
line, but will make it plant and
Hexible and the lubricant will reduce
The friction on the guides, saying wear
On the line and aid 1t In running