FISHING TACKLE AND HOW TO MAKE IT. 



515 



part of my rod works in unison. Rods that are made to 

 gauge in separate pieces are not near so good, as you will 

 find some parts of them more dense in grain, and other parts 

 more open. By working all together you can make them 

 I" 1 i act in unison — that is, each part of the rod docs 

 its share of the work. I think you will find 

 every part of my rods does its share of the work. 

 / })iakc it ZL'ork from handle to tip. Most rods 

 are made with stiff butt. This is good enough for 

 its purpose — giving length. In a rod of that 

 kind the fish is killed on the weakest part; in 

 my rod you kill him on the strongest. Also, 

 in casting a line — if you get impetus from the 

 resilient butt you can cast with less exertion, 

 and a smaller rod of this kind will do the work 

 of a much larger one of the ordinary build." 



Rods for Mid-water Fishing, such as troll- 

 ing, fishing with live bait, etc., need to be of 

 rather sterner character. For Bass-fishing, Dr. 

 Henshall recommended an eight-foot three-inch 

 rod of eight ounces, made of ash-butt; lance- 

 wood tip and second joint. For my own part I 

 prefer one rather longer, but this is a matter of 

 choice. The ten-foot two-joint rod (Chubb's) 

 fig. 4, with reversible hand-grip, is to me a 

 splendidly efficient weapon. By the way, this 

 hand-grip is a good idea. It allows of the reel 

 being below or above the hand, and one can 

 cast from the reel or not, according to choice. 

 Of course the short, strongly built Tarpon and 

 Mascalonge rods are "horses of a different color" 

 to the above. I have one made of greenheart from an old 

 ship's knees or ribs, which weighs 28 ounces, and is but 

 twelve feet long — but oh! the strength! It is capable of 

 helping a man out of the water without straining, and is fine- 



% 



Fig. 4. 



