362 The Trouts of America 



to insure success, and he is mainly handicapped 

 by the frequency of his hook catching on the 

 bottom, compelling him to disturb the water by 

 wading into it to release the hook. 



We now reach the subject of the outfit of the 

 angler, or to use a more modern and comprehen- 

 sive, but from a phonetic standpoint, rather inap- 

 posite, term, his impedimenta, the rod, the line, 

 the hooks, baits natural and artificial, and camp 

 equipage generally. Of flies we have treated in 

 previous chapters and in the succeeding one. 

 Of the rod I feel impelled to say to the young 

 trout fisherman as I recently did in Outing: — 



" In selecting a rod, choose one that fits you 

 best. Select it as you would a coat, a pair of 

 shoes, or a cane to walk with. You select those 

 because they fit you, and you feel at home in the 

 use or wear of them. Does the rod fit you as 

 you swing it into the air.? Does it balance well 

 in your hand, or is there a catch or interruption 

 of the harmony that should exist between you } 

 If so, discard it at once. Many anglers assert 

 that if a rod don't fit them, they grow to fit the 

 rod, that while they prefer a stiff one (or vice 

 versa), they work into a whippy one, and do good 

 and pleasing execution with it. This will do very 



