viii PREFACE 



The sportsman's transcendent implements are his 

 rod and his gun. Compared with the glut of " gun- 

 dope " data on models, actions, bores, sights, 

 gauges, shells, ballistics, etc. constantly appearing 

 in the outdoor journals and in book form for the 

 consumption of the followers of Nimrod, there is a 

 dearth of readily-available and plain technical infor- 

 mation relating to the fishing-rod. While it might 

 be urged that comparatively but few anglers would 

 care to undertake the manufacture of this instrument 

 in its glorified form, it requires little argument to 

 convince anyone that fishermen in general, whether 

 especially addicted either to fresh or salt water, love 

 to tinker with their tackle; and no argument at all 

 to elucidate that a treatise dealing with construction 

 must perforce include full directions for all rod reno- 

 vation and repairs. He that can make a rod cer- 

 tainly can fix one. Further, we admit the temerity 

 to trust that this book will appreciably stimulate an 

 increase in the number of those who will be embold- 

 ened to essay the " whole trick." 



Building a split-bamboo rod is an operation, and 

 we have explained our technic with the same con- 

 scientious care that we would observe in delineating 

 the consecutive details of a surgical operation; for it 

 is a matter of curious comment that amongst all we 

 have read of definite instruction in this art, we never 

 received any help from such sources in overcoming 

 those particular difficulties in handling and working 



