8 AVERAGE LENGTH OF POWERFUL RODS. 



and consequently he will land his prey in a 

 briefer space of time. If a horse will sooner 

 yield to double bit and curb than to single, curb- 

 less snaffle, so will a salmon more readily feel 

 the influence — the severer leverage — of the 

 lengthy and strong rod. The consequence is 

 inability — instinctively-felt inutility, if I may 

 say so — on the part of quadruped or of fish, to 

 struggle lastingly against palpably superior force. 

 With a powerful rod one is more confident, and 

 will boldly stop a fish when he sees it making 

 for some dangerous part of the river ; whereas, if 

 he have a slight rod and the rest of his tackle to 

 match, he will not dare to hazard the attempt, 

 knowing that it will be sometimes useless and 

 frequently dangerous to do so. Rapidity of exe- 

 cution is the chief attribute of a long; and stronjy 

 rod. 



A man of the average height, weight, and 

 strength of Englishmen (5 feet 8 inches, and 

 10 J stone), should never use a rod longer than 

 17 feet, or at the utmost 17|- feet. That is the 

 average length I recommend for powerful rods. 

 With it the largest salmon that ever swam can 

 be safely played and securely captured. A winch 

 that will carry one hundred or one hundred and 

 twenty yards of stout line, will not destroy the 



