CHAPTER IV 

 THE FLY-ROD AND ITS FUNCTION 



Up to within a comparatively few years, or, to be more 

 exact, to the advent of the American dry-fly purist, the 

 angling fraternity was composed of big-hearted, nature- 

 loving sportsmen, who respected their brother anglers* 

 views even if they did not entirely agree with all of them. 



It is different now since the dry-fly fishermen have be- 

 come writers, because a discordant element has thereby 

 entered the once peaceful angling fraternity; but let us 

 hope that time, "which cures many ills,'' will very nearly, 

 if not entirely, restore the old-time feeling of respect, tol- 

 erance and courtesy that one angler had for another. 



In order that the beginners at fly-fishing, who are to 

 form the coming generation of anglers, may have in mind 

 just the kind of thing to avoid in the future I am going 

 to call their attention to what a well-known dry-fly angler 

 has written about the views of a wet-fly angler and leave 

 it to them and experienced anglers to determine later 

 whether or not the above statement is warranted. 



Let us consider, for instance, a subject in which all 

 fly-fishermen should be interested and compare what an 

 old-time wet-fly angler and a modern dry-fly angler have 

 to say about the fly-rod and its function. 



IS 



