English question: What does the expression "put a line in the water" mean, figuratively?
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Thank you very much both for answering. I came across it in Michael Connelly's "The Concrete Blonde. "
"Well, that was all I was checking," Mola said into the phone. "Just trying to put a line in the water. Ask around and let me know what you come up with."
(As they are trying to find out who the murderer is.)