Cane pole line help?
 

I was wondering if anybody knew a source for good old fashioned cane pole fishing line? The stuff we used when I was a kid was either cotton, or linen, or dacron, or who knows. I just remember it was black, unbraided, and typically had a faded whitish core to it if it frayed. My great grandfather always said you had to burn the end of it or the knot wouldn't hold. I don't know if it is true, but the knots always held (and we had always burned the end of it). Anyway just wanting to rig up some river cane soon, and I can't find a line that fits the bill.

Thanks

Richard

Burning the end of the line suggests a synthetic, like nylon or dacron. Natural fibers like cotton or linen wouldn't benefit from burning the end.
You can still get the old style braided fishing line - I think it was dacron. I don't think that's exactly what you describe, but braided dacron fishing line is used on cane poles by a lot of people.

Yeah that's probably what I am going to go with even though what we used wasn't braided stuff. I was just hoping somebody would go "hey knothead here's where ya find it!"

Richard

Here is what you were thinking of, but note is is antique silk line and the spool is a collector's item today. :D

http://advertisingantiques.com/merma...ng-line-spool/

I switched to clear nylon 5-10# test back when I was a young man, just kept it straight by cutting it about 2 inches short of the pole length and putting the hook into the end of the pole when it was put up. I usually carried two poles with me to the lake, a split shot with a cork (bottle cork) and a float / swim pole. Oh, used black sewing thread to catch minnows on a 3-4 ft pole made from the tip, just split a worm in 4 pieces at the end and the minnows would grab the split worm and hang on until dropped into the minnow bucket. Catch minnows in a ditch. Bass and Specs love them.
Ed