The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1917-06-23
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 traying ON
the end of the bait casting line due to
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 EN-. One of the big points
to remember in the care of the line
is to test it every now and then ard
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 m,y 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 it wears well
and absorbs practically no water, but
as d 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 artifcials of the wobbler variety
you should have No. . line. Some
manufacturers lettering their product
make a G size which corresponds to
the No 5. For the lighter lures OF
the spoon, pork rind and minnow class
let your selection be a No. 6 or II
size.
Dent Use Rope.
The big mistake of the beginner, as
we'll as lots Of sure-1ire fishermen, old
man. is to select a line that is too
large and heavy. 1t 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 five pounds pull on
the line if the rcd is used properly,
and if it is not the rod will go be-
fore the line.
do not think it is necessary to
use a line of greater test strength than
II or Is pounds for ordinary casting,
unless, Of course, your are casting
Ior musllie, northern pike or pick
egel. For general bass casting a
test line will more than fill
the bill and at the same time keep
Your line down to a size that will
make your casting tar 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
O. towline on a tug.
Dry Your Line After Fishing.
One of the simplest ways TO put a
good line cut Of the game is to let IL
dry on the reel; do this a few times,
Puck, and your line is II. g, no mat
ter what high quality goods you
started with. In drying on a 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
10 the fact that you should reel out
,0ur line after each days fishing, hang
ng it between two convenient trees
and let it dry out thoroughly be-
ore putting it to bed. Don't let it
lie along the ground or dry out in the
sun, and with the 2bOve care you will
i'd 100 per cent to it's life.
Another way to put a good casting
rolling. No matter how many swiv-
is you have on your line while troll
ng. it will become so twisted that
,asting with it will become worlds
erieS' of back lasheS. When you
hink it's time to use a new line for
,asting, shoot the old one into the
rolling department, and die happy
asting the new one.
Easy to Waterproof a Line.
To avoid soaking up too much water
Il your casting line, which makes it
leayy, you can waterproof it by satu-
ating it III a solution of vaseline and
ght oil. You can apply the oil
timer by rubbing it into the line
With weiI-soakeG cloth or apply
t in bulk by heating the oil
not boiling and soaking the entire
inc at once. If you oil the line while
till on the original spool let it soak
bout 20 to 80 minutes; if you have
he line wrapped loosely on a stick
luCh shorter time, about ten min
ties, will do the trick. In either
ase wipe off all the surplus oil.
his Will not only waterproof your
ne, but will make it plant. and
exible and the lubricant will reduce
he friction on the guides, saving wear
n the line and aid it in running
mOOthly and easily under the thumb