The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1923-11-29

the ferrules have become loosened
by the heat during the closed season.
1t may take good weeks work to
properly fit up the rod again and this
might have been obviated IL proper
care had been taken of it during the
winter season.
An overhauling of the rods before
you begin their Information will add
greatly to their life and in this period
of the high cost of getting by, a rod
that has dinged up the bank-roll for
a pretty little chunck should be ham
died like an ounce of radium, if the
ferrules or tip have become loosened.
remove them and scrape off the old
cement; and cement them on again.
One or two coats of varnish, easily
applied, will keep the water out next
season. After the first coat let rod
dry for six or eight days before CIV
ing it the next one; and whether you
keep the rod in form or hang it up
by the tip, the best place for it is in
a room that is not heated.
Naturally, the reel is one of the
most important pieces of equipment
and one that should receive the most
careful attention and it should be
| thoroughly cleaned and oiled before
being stored in some safe and cozy
/ spot. If you are the proud possess
sor of a "take-apart" it is a simple
matter to wipe out the oil that has
/ caked in it and the little grains of
grinding sand that will cut the reel
bearing quite bit If you allow them
| to collect in the 'inwards' of the
machinery.
If you are a tinkerer and can take
thing apart with the chances in
favor of your getting everything back
in its proper place, you can take al
most any reel apart and put it toge-
Their again; but, as the reel is a finely
set piece of equipment it should be
sent to an expert for the final once
over and cleaning Oil the reel well
with light oil, putting a little vase
line on the cogs which will keep it
in good shape until again needed. Be-
! fore you wrap the reel up in piece
of slightly oiled rag, take off the old
casting line. and il you haven't one
of the leather reel cases get one, for
you will find 1t a fine protector for
this most important piece of tackle.
When you remove a line from the
reel rewind 1t on the original spool
and wind 1t as carefully and evenly
as possible. Although fellow will
nearly always start off with a couple
! of new lines each season, it is worth
the small amount of trouble neces-
sary to have the old lines with us.
If you have dried the line out after
each days fishing and reversed it
every few days during the casting
season, you can figure that it will
stand the gag quite well for another
one. | have had lines with which
ended the season stand up we'll for
casting and the early trips and have
used these old lines for trolling, which
is the logical windup of the life of a
line.
If fly-casting is your hobby, the fly
rod should be fitted together and hung
up by the tip. A small brad in
the wall molding in a corner Of the
attic out of the way will answer for
2 place to hang it. If this is not
possible hang the rod up by each
joint, tying a piece of thread around
the smaller end. To remove set in
the tip or in joint, tie light weight
at the bottom of the thicker end.
OF course the steel rod is husky
and can stand quite bit of rough
treatment. 1t needs only little oil
rubbed over it to keep 1t from devel-
oping a rusty or corroding complex.
After oiling put it to sleep in its little
bag somewhere out of the way and
. l..
as clipper and strong as ever.
The care of the hy-casting line is
most important and, as a good line
of this kind causes quite a set in
the checkbook, it should receive pray
erful attention. Remove your oiled
or enameled line and coil it in loose
coils, first pulling the line thru
soft rag or chamois to take away all
chances of grit or kinks. Then, after
ii has been cleaned, coil it in pile
on an even surfaced table and don't
wrap it around the hand. This lat
ter produces a wonderful assortment
of kinks and twists and everyone of
them will be laying for you when
the next season starts. Place the
coiled line in fruit jar, covering the
top with a paper cap and set the
whole thing away in dark, dry, cold
place as moisture, light and heat are
the finest kind of bad medicine for
enameled or water-proofed lines
Flies, the greatest little lures that
the moth tribe come in contact with,
when carelessly put away. can be
protected by placing them in ma
son jar. Slip in few moth balls
or a handful of naphtaline for COM
pany. and then be sure you have the
rubber ring on the jar before the lid
is screwed on. Moths can get into
things thru the small space and
regular fly diet for moths is too ex-
pensive for the most of us ordinary
fellows.
The fly-casting reel is not as intri
cate as is the bait-casting tool and
requires less care. Take 1t apart,
clean out the sand and caked oil, give
re-oil, then slip it back into its case
and 1t will be ready for the next
spring foray into, the haunts of the
ro- foil