Evening star., 1925-11-19

of the proper use and purpose OF rec
Reels are divided into two classes.
hait-casting reels and f1y-casting reels.
The bait-casting reel is quadrupie
multiplying. That is, every time the
handle turns once, the spool turns
four times. This is to make for speed
in retrieving the lure through the
water. The bait-casting reel likewise
has fine bearings. and is balanced
to make it run freely and easily. This
is TO make for good casting. when
the lure, slung by the rod, must pull
the line out after il.
In casting, the spool of the reel
must be "thumbed'' so that you can
stop it the instant the lure hits the
water. otherwise it will keep on spin
ming and the line will be wound up
again backwards. This is called a
hacklash. In reeling in the line must
be wound carefully on the spool so
that 1t will play out evenly on the
next cast.
You can get bait-casting reels that
are anti-backlash, that is, the reel
automatically stops as soon as the
lure hits the water.
The fy-casting reel is not a multi
plying reel. Every time you turn the
handle once the spool turns once.
There are no gears of any kind. The
drags usually found on casting reels
are absent. The fly reel is very
simple affair. That Is because the
fly reel has only two purposes-to
hold the line when not in use and to
balance the rod.
Casting is not done from the reel
The angler plays the fish with the
line in his left hand. The bait cast
ing reel sets above the handle of the
the fly reel sets behind the handle,
thus 1t acts as a balance to the rod.
Always select a reel only after you
have tried its balance on your rod.
Bass Getting Heavier.
Do you know that larger bass are
being caught each year? That does
not sound much like the wailing of
the oldest inhabitant" who mourns
the days gone by when the lakes
weren't fished out and you could
catch bass so big without half try
ing, but it's borne out by facts just
the same.
o. w. Smith has taken the trouble
10 look into the matter. and he finds
that leading authorities in the
United States not many years ago
agreed that 1.-The MAXIMUM weight
seems to be about 5 pounds. An ex-
ample caught in Lake Maxinkuckee
weight 4 pounds. The largest ever
taken in that lake weighed 5
pounds" And the quotation is from
>. the famous and standard American
Food and Game Fishes" by Everman
and Jordan.
Such weights as these are now
eclipsed every day all over the coun.
try and new records are being hung
up every sea son. The bass of Florida
is hanging around the 25-pound mark
for a record, and even the small
mouth bass of the North, smallest and
gamiest of all, declared few years
ago to never reach more than
pounds, is rapidly approaching 10
pounds as record.
Perhaps somebody will say we sim
ply imagine all of this, and that bass
have lived in America for thousa nds
of years, and have always been about
the same. Perhaps, others will say,
we are designing tackle that catches
big ones that the old tackle couldn' I
fool
But / think Smith has it doped out
right. He says the fish are actually
getting larger, for the following rea
sons: A few years ago bass were
found only in a comparatively linn
tied area. Now they are every place
in the United States. Bass are being
planted in lakes where no bass ever
lived. The bass that grow up in these
newly planted lakes, Mr.. Smith says,
Immediately attain a great size be-
cause they are literally surrounded
by a wealth of food that never has
been touched. 1t is in regions where
bass have been introduced, he finds,
that the big records come from.
At any rate, it's comfort to know
that the next cast may set an entire
ly new record for black bass