The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1917-06-14
BAIT CASTING LINES.
My Dear Buck:

My Dear Buck:
Many a fish. old scout, has been
lost on the first three feet Of the line,
not on account of the weakness Of
the entire line, or poor quality, but
solely from the wear and fraying on
the end of the bait casting line due to
the friction on the guides and the pull
of the bait in its stare 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 it 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 well
and absorbs practically no water, but
as a casting line it takes a 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 No. line. Some
manufacturers lettering their product
make q G size which corresponds to
the No. s. For the lighter lures OF
the spoon. pork rind and minnow class
let your selection be No. 8 or II
size.
Don't Use a Rope.
The big mistake Of the beginner, as
we'll as lots of sure-fire fishermen, old
man, is to select a line that is too
large and heavy. It is absolutely Inn
possible to do accurate casting with
a big, heavy, clumsy line, and at that
| 1t is entirely unnecessary. With the
ordinary tackle few fishermen can put
more than four or five pounds pull ON
the line If the rod is used properly,
and II It is not the rod will go be-
| fore the line.
I do not think 1t is necessary to
use a line Of greater test strength than
IL or IS pounds for ordinary casting,
unless, of course, your are casting
for muskie, northern pike or pick
erel. For general bass casting a
! 15-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
a towline on tug.
| Dry Your Line After Fishing.
| One of the simplest ways to put a
good line out Of the game is to let it
dry on the reel do this few times,
Buck, and your line is n. g., no mat
ter what high quality goods you
started with. In drying on reel only
the top layers OF the line really dry
the balance molds and rots so as to
be in fine shape to break when you
hook that big one. All Of which points
to the fact that you should reel out
your line after each days fishing, hang
ing it between two convenient trees
and let it dry out thoroughly be-
| fore 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 it's life.
Another way to put a good casting
line on the hummer is to use 1t for
trolling. No matter how many swiv-
els you have ON your line while troll
| ing, it will become so twisted that
casting with it will become a worlds
series" Of back lashes. When you
think 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 Line.
To avoid soaking up too much water
in your casting line, which makes Il
heavy, you can waterproof 1t by satu-
rating it in a 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
(not boiling) and soaking the entire
line at once. If you oil the line while
still on the original spool let 1t soak
about 20 to 80 minutes; if you have
the line wrapped loosely on a stick
much shorter time, about ten min
utes, will do the trick. In either,
case wipe off all the surplus oil.
This will not only waterproof your
line, but will make it plant and
flexible and the lubricant will reduce
the friction on the guides, saving wear
on the line and aid it in running
smoothly and easily under the thumb.
DIXIE.