SOME CONTROVERSIES 131 



to point out truly enough that a well-built dry-fly 

 rod of the type favoured by him did not feel heavy in 

 the hand, because though it might actually weigh 

 several ounces more than a modern light rod, a 

 good deal of that weight was in the handle and so 

 served to bring about a nice balance. However, 

 I always thought it a notable sign of the times that 

 Mr. Halford himself capitulated to the new move- 

 ment to some extent. His later patterns of rod 

 were much lighter than the earlier. I doubt if 

 he would ever have come down to the half-ounce- 

 to-the-foot standard though. He liked a rod which 

 was obviously powerful and which by its solidity 

 of build gave him a feeling of mastery however 

 hard the wind might blow. The dubious eye which 

 he would cast on the kind of rod I generally fish 

 with showed that he would have small confidence 

 in it for rough work. 



Personally I am, I suppose, what is called a 

 light-rod man, and I simply would not fish with one 

 of the old dry-fly rods if I could get anything else. 

 But it is not the question of weight that seems to me 

 most important. The quality I find in the light 

 rods which seems most valuable is delicacy. For 

 putting a fly to the proper place, for hooking a fish 

 without fear of mishap, for playing it with judgment 

 and a proper sense of what strain you have got on, 

 a sensitive rod is a great advantage. The bulkier 



