Tackle 75 



the British idea as to the weight and length of 

 rods has changed very much of late ; and I think 

 few would now recommend a rod longer than 

 eighteen feet for fishing from the bank, whereas 

 twenty years ago those of twenty to twenty-two 

 and twenty-four feet even were in common use. 

 Certainly such heavy engines have no practical 

 advantage save that of developing the muscles 

 by unnecessary labor, and at the latter half of 

 a long day, toil for this purpose ceases to be a 

 pleasure. Even were rods of equal weight, the 

 shorter would be the easier for continuous use. 

 One often hears a person say, generally of a 

 heavy, unwieldy rod, " What a rod that would 

 be to kill a fish," oblivious to the fact that one 

 rod is just as good as another in its killing 

 powers, provided both are well enough made not 

 to break at the strain required to hold the 

 salmon. I know of a thirty-eight-pound fish 

 being killed on a five-ounce trout rod, and I 

 landed one of twenty-eight pounds on a rod 

 not much heavier. It was rather tedious, as I 

 was afraid to put the strain on the fish that an 

 ordinary salmon rod would have stood easily. 



The combination in a rod to be sought, and 

 not easy to find, is one of strength, lightness, and 



