4. Reels

HISTORICAL

The first mention I can find of a reel is in “Barker's Delight or Art of Angling “published in 1651. He says: "Within two foot of the bottom of the rod there was a hole made for to put in a wind, to turn with a barrell, to gather up his line and loose it at his pleasure."

Walton, who acknowledges his indebtedness to Barker for fly fishing information, mentions a reel but apparently never saw one. The dear old fellow cleverly “camouflages”his lack of information by merely mentioning “a wheel “and dismissing the whole subject with the remark: "which is to be observed better by seeing one of them than by a large demonstration of words."

Venables showed a picture of a reel in his “Experienced Angler “in 1662.

The winch of Barker, Walton and Venables was a large, grooved wooden spool of the type still used in England and known as the Nottingham reel.

The early Kentucky bass fly fishermen, according to Henshall, used a reel similar to the Nottingham which they made from a large sewing thread spool fitted with a frame, handle and base made by the local tinker.

Some of them also used imported reels or the multipliers which they made themselves with wonderful skill as early as 1810.1

The earliest click reel turned out especially for fly fishing for bass was made by J. L. Sage of Frankfort, Ky., in 1848. It is still in excellent fishing condition and is of solid brass measuring 23/8 inches in diameter and 11/4 inches between head and tail plates. It has a permanent click which is placed in the head instead of the rear as is usual in click reels. It has an unusually sweet song.

This reel was presented by Mr. Sage to Dr. Hen-shall during the World's Fair at Chicago, who in turn has passed it down to the writer. Needless to say it is one of my prize possessions. The reel is pictured in the illustration showing the correct way to grasp the rod.

1Henshall credits the invention of the multiplying reel to Gee. Snyder of Kentucky, giving the date of his first reel about 1810. According to R. B. Marston, editor of the Fishing Gazette (London) Onesimus Ustonson advertised “the best sort of multiplying brass winches, both stop and plain “in 1770.

USE OF THE REEL

Compared with the bait-casting reel the winch for fly fishing plays a minor part. It is used mainly as a storage place for surplus line, to wind in excess slack and occasionally, depending on one's style of fishing, to play a fish.

THE SINGLE ACTION REEL

Many generations of fly fishermen have favored the single action or click reel and it seems to meet all requirements, being free from complications and of sufficient speed and power for all practical purposes.

The single action reel is a simple winch without gearing, making one turn of the spool to each revolution of the handle. The click consists of a toothed wheel (rachet) working against a wedge-shaped piece of metal (pawl) supported by a spring to permit movement in either direction, the idea being to retard the action of the reel enough to prevent over-running. The contact of the pawl against the revolving rachet produces a rapid clicking sound known as “the song of the reel,”very pleasing to the ears of all true anglers and of great inspirational value to the poetically inclined. The click mechanism is generally placed in the rear end of the reel and is either permanent or actuated by a sliding button on the tail plate.

FORM AND MATERIALS

Click reels vary as to form and dimensions but the majority of modern fly fishermen prefer the contracted type, made very narrow to avoid the necessity of guiding the line on the spool; with plates of large diameter and a large drum or spindle to prevent kinking the line and to speed up retrieving.

The working parts of a reel should be of the best material  finely tempered steel and bronze as softer metals soon wear. The materials most often used in making the frames and spools of click reels are aluminum, aluminum alloy, gun metal, German silver, nickel plated brass or one of these metals in combination with hard rubber or “ebonite."

FINISH

The English make fine reels of the large narrow style, noted the world over for their honest workmanship and fine finish, many of them being made of aluminum alloy, finished either all black or with just enough bright metal to furnish a pleasing contrast. Although I do not take much stock in the theory that bright metal scares a fish I prefer those with the dark finish  a preference shared by many of our most expert fly fishers.

WEIGHT

It is regrettable that many of the English reels are too light in weight to balance American-made bass and heavy trout rods, it being axiomatic that to secure proper balance the combined weight of reel and line should be at least 1.5 times the weight of the rod. American reels, especially the newer models, also tend toward excessive lightness.

I discussed this question once with a reel maker who said: “I agree with you that most fly fishing reels are too light in weight but somehow the angling public has the idea that lightness is a virtue and competition forces us to make what the angler wants; not what he ought to have.”Some anglers, who have learned the value of weight below the hand, add heft to their reels by winding on lead wire before putting the line on the reel.

ENGLISH REELS

any English reels of the contracted type are provided with large rings of agate for line guides; regulated clicks; detachable spools and other refinements. Besides being well made, English reels are often designed to take apart easily for quick and frequent cleaning which is a worth-while feature.

With 35% duty added to their price these English reels cost in this country more than the general run of fly fishermen care to pay, although an increasing number of American anglers are buying them, especially those models of the revolving head plate type which combine neatness, simplicity and strength.

A narrow reel of average proportions should be at least 3 inches in diameter to hold twenty-five yards of level or thirty yards of tapered E line or 31/8 to 31/2 inches for equal lengths of size D. A large reel is advisable as it enables one to splice his fly line to fifty yards or so of linen line for extra heavy fishing.

Good English reels retail in America at from six dollars to forty dollars.

AMERICAN REELS

The average American click reel is smaller in diameter and has a wider spool than the contracted type although large, narrow reels have been made in this country for many years. The old type of American reel is heavier, as a rule, than those of British make, which is desirable to balance the light-in-the-butt American fly rods. They are usually made of metal and hard rubber; sometimes entirely of metal.

Click reels made thiscountry have a rated capacity based on undressed line which M) often confuses the inexperienced.

Raised Pillar Type. What is known to the trade as the 80 yard size will hold 25 or 30 yards of E line and the 100 and 150 yard sizes are about right for 40 yards of E or 30 yards of D line. Reels with raised pillars hold more line than those of equal size and of ordinary construction.

American click reels of nickel and rubber, of a size suitable for bass fishing, retail at from two to four dollars; in German silver, at from five to eight dollars.

HANDLES

I can see no virtue in the balanced handle on a click reel, even when it runs under a protecting band, which should always be provided for this type of handle. The plain, crank handle is less objectionable but better still is the small, unobtrusive knob used on the revolving head plate type of reel.

AUTOMATIC REELS

The automatic reel consists of a spool operated by a spring which is wound up both by a revolving drum or key and by stripping line from the reel. The retrieving of the line is controlled by a lever, which releases the tension of the spring, operated by the little finger of the casting hand.

I once heard an angler, who should have known better, heap abuse on the automatic reel on the ridiculous assumption that the user of a reel of this type hooks his fish, touches the lever and hauls the struggling victim to the net, willy-nilly!

The object of the automatic feature is to take care of slack line expeditiously, which it does. I do not fancy this kind of a reel myself but I know very expert fly fishermen that do. Not the least of its merits is the fact that it is of ample weight; also well-made and not expensive, costing on an average, five dollars.

The size usually made for trouting will not hold enough line for all-around use but some makers turn out a special size for bass fishing.

Automatic reels are more mechanical and complicated than click reels, hence more liable to accidents and the user should have a spare reel of some kind to act as a substitute in case of emergency which, for that matter, is good advice regardless of the kind of reel one uses.

The multiplying reel is geared so that one turn of the handle will produce two turns of the spool in the double multiplier, four in the quadruple, etc. This is a decided advantage in casting from the reel, work requiring sustained action and free running, but it is of no particular value in fishing with flies. However, the average multiplying reel is provided with a click so that it can be used for fly fishing and a few fly fishers prefer it for the purpose, not agreeing with old Christopher North who pronounced the multiplying reel “the invention of a fool.”The principal objections to the multiplier, from the viewpoint of the ordinary angler, are the liability of the line catching on the prominent, balanced handle and its low, wide construction requiring the line to be guided on the spool to prevent it piling up and jamming against the pillars. From my own experience in fly fishing with a multiplier I would not recommend a beginner to buy one for the purpose, especially as he can secure a suitable click reel for a few dollars, but the bait caster who already owns one would be justified in using it for once-in-a-while fly fishing, if he is economically inclined.

American multiplying reels are the standard of excellence wherever fine tackle is used. They range in price from sixty cents to sixty dollars.

Care of the Reel

Whatever kind of reel the fly fisher uses he should take care of it, keeping it oiled and free from sand and dirt. To clean properly the reel should be taken apart carefully, all gummed oil and dirt removed with benzine, alcohol or kerosene (safer) and all openings cleaned with an oiled rag on a hardwood stick. When this is done re-oil all moving parts and carefully reassemble the reel. Those made of aluminum alloy should also be wiped on the outside with an oily rag to prevent tarnishing and this treatment will not hurt any reel. A scheme I use is to slightly oil the inside of a chamois reel bag (price fifty cents) and keep the reel in that which, in turn, goes into a regular leather reel box which costs about a dollar. Thus stored a reel is always in good order and less likely to be broken when traveling.

THE LINE

EVOLUTION

Early fly fishermen used lines of twisted and braided horse hair and Dame Berners gives explicit directions for selecting, coloring and making a line of this material. Later silk was mixed with hair to reduce its roughness. Finally, when manufacturers learned to braid silk by machinery, hair was eliminated entirely as a line material. I have one of these old braided hair lines, and although of too large diameter to render through the guides of a modern rod, I tried it once and satisfied myself that one can cast with it  I prefer the modern lines.

OILED LINES

Early braided silk lines were filled with linseed, or some other oil, to give them weight and to make them waterproof. Some anglers still use the oiled lines but mainly for economy as they are inferior to the enameled.

HARD ENAMELED LINES

I believe the process of enameling a line is of American origin; anyway American hard enameled lines were for many years the world's standard of excellence.

They are usually made of a good grade of Italian or Japanese silk, hard braided, and finished by a process that is more or less of a trade secret. It may be said generally that the best American hard enameled lines combine good weight, beautiful finish, flexibility, with just enough stiffness to cast well, and extraordinary wearing qualities. These lines range in price from three to ten cents a yard, depending on quality and taper, and are usually sold on cards holding twenty-five or thirty yards. They come in a variety of colors, a popular one being the so-called “mist”or “water “tint, a sort of green-gray.

BUYING HINT

The fault most likely to develop in a hard enameled line is that the finish will chip or “knuckle.”Therefore in buying a line of this kind examine its finish carefully, rejecting those that show rough spots, “bubbles “or other indications of imperfect finish. Take an inch or two and double it with a hard pinch. If the enamel is weak it will crack and produce a white powder or a light spot.

SOFT ENAMEL LINES

With the increased popularity of dry fly fishing in England British makers produced a line of softer finish and more flexibility than the hard enameled which is known generally as the vacuum dressed line.

Vacuum dressed lines are braided solid and the waterproofing material is applied in a vacuum chamber from which the air is exhausted by a powerful rotary pump. This enables the dressing to saturate thoroughly every fibre of the silk so that it becomes a part of the line itself and not merely a coating on the surface. After being treated in this manner several times the lines are cured and then carefully polished by hand so that they have a full roundness with a finish that will not chip or become sticky. These lines are very heavy, soft and flexible with little tendency to kink and are the last word in elegant fly fishing lines. They may be had either level or single or double tapered. The usual color is brown.

Current catalog prices of English vacuum dressed lines range from ten to twenty cents a yard; the American made, about fifteen cents a yard. Prices vary with the different sizes and tapered lines cost more than the level.

TAPERED AND LEVEL LINES

The tapered line, as its title suggests, has a middle of given size and gradually thins toward one end in the single taper and both ends in the double tapered, this being accomplished by leaving out a certain number of threads in the braiding process. Tapers vary; one American manufacturer is making his standard lines with 8 foot tapers and his tournament lines, very popular with some anglers, with very long front taper and with the middle or “belly “and the back taper made short.

Whether one should use a tapered or level line depends on his style of fishing. If he uses his bass tackle for trout fishing (which I guess most of us do) and he casts a floating fly for the spotted princes of our colder waters, he should, by all means, use a tapered line. If he uses only a wet or sunken fly or fishes for bass exclusively, a level line is recommended.

A compromise is the single tapered line enabling the angler to use the tapered end for dry fly fishing and the level end for wet flies, for casting in a high wind or for bass.

Naturally a tapered line eventually ends up level from the weakened part being snipped off from time to time.

SIZES

The custom among angling writers to recommend a certain size of line for certain kinds of fishing without any consideration of the weight and action of the rod, is to be condemned because the line should match the rod to secure the most satisfactory results.

I know of cases where young anglers have followed such recommendations and secured an unsuitable line and gave fly fishing up in disgust, claiming it “too much like work.”Investigation showed that they had lines too heavy or too light for their rods and such circumstances require much effort to make a good cast.

Taking a well-known and excellent American-made vacuum dressed line as a standard the proper sizes of lines would be approximately as follows: For American rods weighing less than 41/2 ounces, size F, tapered or level; for American rods weighing 43/4 to 51/4 ounces, size E, tapered or level; for American rods weighing 51/2 to 6 ounces, size D tapered, size E level; for American rods weighing 6 ounces or more, size C, tapered or level.

Much, of course, depends on the action of the rod. A stiff rod requires a heavier line than a limber one and a British rod having considerable weight in the butt can handle a smaller line than an American rod of the same ounces.English makers use numbers to designate the sizes of their lines. One well-known make corresponds with American sizes as follows:

STRENGTH

The enameled line is made very heavy compared with the soft light line used in bait casting. Bait casters judge their lines by their test in pounds and it is for the benefit of the bait caster taking up fly fishing that I bring up this subject. No ordinary fly rod can lift three pounds and experiments show that a fish pulls approximately its own weight  and a standard Size E fly line tests around 25 pounds! It is a good plan to snip off an inch or so of line from time to time. Failure to do so has often resulted in a lost fish.

CARE OF THE LINE

Whether one uses a hard or soft enameled, level or tapered line it should be given proper care as a well-treated line improves with use and a good one should last several seasons of hard fishing.

The best and simplest treatment for a hard enameled line is an occasional rubbing with the line dressing the line manufacturers make for the purpose.

Vacuum lines should be frequently dressed with deer fat or mutton tallow. This is sold in flat tin boxes and the best way to apply it is to run the line through it, taking care that the line does not rub against the sharp edge of the box. Then rub it down thoroughly with a pigskin line greaser or an old leather glove. This treatment is used primarily to make the line float for dry fly fishing but it also serves to keep the line supple and in good condition. After being long in use a vacuum dressed line can be returned to the factory for re-enameling at a nominal charge, which is one of the advantages of having an American-made line.

Tournament casters add to the fat treatment a coating of powdered graphite which they polish until it shines like the proverbial “nigger's heel.”This enables the caster to make long “shoots “but is “mussy “and makes the line unduly conspicuous in the water and is of no value in fishing.

Sand is bad for an enameled line. The line should be dried after being used and all sand removed. A line should not be kept on the reel any longer than necessary. After a day's fishing I strip all line from the reel and leave reel and line on a chair and rewind it on just before leaving for the stream.

Between trips and during the winter the line should be removed from the reel and either coiled in a large, loose hank and thrown in a drawer or stored on a large line dryer or grooved hoop made for storing a line. Treated thus, one's line will be free from kinks when he keeps his tryst with the fishes the following spring.

 LEADERS

PURPOSE AND EVOLUTION

The leader is the delicate connecting line between the necessarily coarse line used in fly fishing and the dainty, feathered creations we use as lures. Its principal use is to decrease the visibility of the line and to avoid weight at the end of the cast.

Early anglers used leaders of horse hair and the first fly fishers of Kentucky used fine sewing silk.

SILK WORM GUT

Silk worm gut was first used for leaders in the middle of the 18th century. This material is not the intestine of the silk worm but the contents of the cocoon spinning sacs which lie folded on either side of the worm's alimentary tract. As soon as the worm is ready to spin its cocoon the tip of this spinning material appears at the worm's “mouth.”At this stage the worm is taken and immersed in vinegar, which ends the career of the worm and commences that of the leader. The spinning material is then stripped from the worm and it hardens immediately on coming in contact with the air. Our leader material comes from Spain via England.

STORE LEADERS

Those who have neither the time nor inclination to tie their own leaders can buy them ready tied at the tackle stores. The two yard lengths of light, medium and heavy trout, light bass and heavy bass are most often used, depending on the average size of the fish in the waters one frequents.

SIZE OF GUT

Considerable saving can be made by tying leaders and it affords both a pleasant and profitable method to while away a winter evening or two.

Gut for leader tying is sold in hanks containing on an average twenty-five strands running from ten to fourteen inches in length. These hanks consist of either the Spanish assortment, containing good, bad and indifferent strands, or are made up in packages of selected strands by the dealer and sold at a higher price.

Systems of grading differ, but a sensible way is as follows:
Refina, extra light trout. Fina, light trout.
Regular, trout size.
Padron, black bass size.
Marana, heavy bass.

Double thick marana, salmon size. Of these the bass fisherman will use mostly Regular, Padron and Marana, while the trout fisher will use these sizes and then down to the finest drawn gut.

A prominent English tackle house catalogs gut, and gives its diameter in thousands of inches, as follows:

Regular (13-14); Padron 2nd (14-16);
Padron 1st (15-161/2); Marana 2nd (161/2-171/2);
Marana 1st (18-19).

BUYING HINT

If one buys the selected assortments of gut mentioned above he will be more certain of getting good material. Generally, good gut is smooth and perfectly round and strands with flat places should be rejected. By running the gut through the fingers slowly one can usually detect these bad spots or they can be seen by holding the strand so that the light shines along its length.

COLOR

Many anglers draw fine distinctions between colors of leaders although some prefer it just as it comes from the tackle store. There are a great many ways to dye gut, the simplest, and I believe the best, being those given many years ago by Salter: "To stain hair or gut a pale sorrel color let it remain a few minutes in a cup of strong coffee or black tea. To give it a pale slate color, mix water and black ink in equal parts and put the hair or gut in it for a moment only. For a grayish water color (mist) dissolve a little alum and indigo in boiling water, let it stand until it is cold and dip the hair or gut in it until it has acquired the tint you wish."

These worth-while directions might be added to in order to secure a greenish tint for fishing in the weeds. This can be done by using green writing fluid instead of the black, recommended above for obtaining the slate color. I do not believe in putting gut in hot solutions.

TYING LEADERS

Before one attempts to tie gut into leaders the strands should be soaked in luke-warm water to make it flexible.

There are several knots to tie the short strands together; the best, in my opinion, being the single and double water knots as they are known in this country or the fishermen's knots as they are called abroad.

The single knot (figure 1) is made by laying the ends of two strands along side of one another and tying a simple knot around each with the free end of the other. When pulled tight these knots jam against each other making what appears to be one knot. The strands should be shaken slightly as the knots come together. Finish by snipping off the over-hanging surplus.The double knot (figure 2) is made similarly except that a double knot is tied before tightening. Of the two I prefer the single knot because it is smaller although not quite as secure unless very carefully tied. Some anglers weave a tiny length of gut between the strands to act as a cushion before drawing taut but this I believe to be unnecessary. If one wishes he can insert the knotted end of a loop or strand between the knots for dropper fly before pulling them together.

In using either knot it takes from six to eight strands, depending on their length, to produce a leader approximately six feet long which is the most favored size for general fishing.

The best knot I know for making a loop at the ends of the leader is shown in figures 3, 4 and 5, labeled Favorite Loop. A double loop is loosely made on the end of the leader. The free end is placed between the loops, the upper loop is pulled through the lower and both pulled taut. This knot holds well, lies flat and will not cut.

If the angler uses snelled flies and fishes with more than one fly the best leader is made by looping together two three footers with loops at both ends. The snelled dropper fly can then be attached by simply inserting its end between the two loops. If more than one dropper fly is desired or if a strand to attach an eyed fly is wanted it can be tied to the leader as shown in figures 6 and 7.

One can learn these knots in a few moments by practicing with heavy jute cord such as is used by hardware dealers and others selling heavy merchandise.

I use only one fly and my favorite leader for bass is tapered, the upper two-thirds being of bass size, the lower third of heavy trout strength, the whole being slightly over 5 feet in length. My trout leaders vary in weight, according to conditions. Six feet is my wet fly length and 71/2 or 9 feet for dry fly fishing.

TESTING

After the leaders are made they should be stretched, permitted to dry and then be carefully labeled and put away. Some writers recommend testing each leader by making it pull three or four pounds against a spring scale. A two pound pull is enough and the angler will soon learn to test his leaders with his hands without putting undue strain on them. At any rate beware of permitting some Herculean guide testing them with his hands it cost us four dollars' worth of good leaders once!

LEADER BOXES

Leaders for immediate use should be soaked the night before and carried in a regular leader box which is provided with pads of felt to hold moisture. Spare leaders and gut strands can be carried in the tackle book. I know a good angler who carries his leaders in a home-made leader box improvised from a tobacco can. I suspect that he does it to impress his wife with the fact that he is an economical man, since he can get an aluminum leader box for about twenty cents; ones finely finished in oxidized copper cost up to $1.50. I do not recommend the combination leader and fly boxes.

CARE OF LEADERS

Anglers were of the opinion once that gut should be kept immersed in alcohol but nowadays it is stored by wrapping it in chamois or dark heavy paper and keeping it away from the light.

SUBSTITUTE GUT

Silk worm gut has a number of faults and a real substitute is much desired. One substitute is made of Japanese fiber or twisted silk treated with oil or shellac which in use soon becomes flimsy and worthless. Another is said to be a sort of “conglomerate gut”produced by drawing the gut from a great many worms at the same time. Its chief merit is that it is made without knots, except loops at the ends, and its “flat”finish makes it practically invisible in the water. It is very durable but must be soaked before being used the same as ordinary gut.

MISCELLANEOUS TACKLE

An important part of the angler's outfit, and one that he likes to use with reasonable frequency, is the landing net.

For wading, a short handled net is preferred by most anglers although where the streams are swift and rocky the long British net handle with a spike in the end is a big help. The short handled net may be either one whose handle folds, which is carried by a button or is tucked in the top of the waders, or one with an elastic cord that goes over the shoulder.

For boat fishing the long handled net used by the bait caster is satisfactory. For permanent camps it can have a one-piece handle and a solid frame but for ease of carrying the folding frames with jointed handle are most convenient. Cheap nets are made of cotton, the better grades being of braided linen fish line and are more durable.

CREELS, STRINGERS AND BAGS

The creel for large trout and bass fishing should be as large as possible. Creel straps should be the patent kind that go over the left shoulder with a belt to hold the creel close to the body. This leaves the right shoulder unencumbered for casting.

Many anglers prefer to string their bass, on account of their weight, and tie the string to a belt loop and make the fish transport themselves. When fishing from a boat a stringer, or better still, a fish bag is to be preferred since it keeps the fish alive. Fish that are not kept in a bag should be killed at once  humane and keeps the catch in better condition.

TACKLE BOX AND TACKLE BOOK

The angler who fishes entirely from a boat may use a tackle box such as his fancy dictates but for wading, space and weight make a tackle book desirable. This is made long and narrow with many gusseted pockets. In it one carries spare leaders or gut, hooks, scales, scissors (handy for snipping gut) tape or ruler, sinkers, split shot, swivels, oil can, connecting links, camera films, stringer, repair kit, fly or mosquito dope, line re-leaser, pliers, and all the other little knick-knacks that anglers use or think they use.

Accessories for dry fly fishing are mentioned in the chapter on that subject.

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