chut. x. Striking. 1 35 



l'.ut some will say that, when striking very quick, they are in 

 danger of strikiiig too hard and breaking either rod or line when 

 they come across a big fish. There is a simple way of making 



an) such mishap much less likely. Never throw the lull length 

 of your line, but just a foot or so under it, so that it is necessary 

 to get the rod out of the same line with the line, to get the rod 

 point just a foot or two elevated before yon can quite straighten, 

 or gather up the slack on, your line. Then any sudden pull 

 must come on the top joint of the rod, which being a pliable 



By-rod yields till the line runs. lie careful at the same ti 



to grasp your rod underneath the line so that it runs free over 

 your baud. You may then strike without much fear. If you 

 strike a trifle too hard the bending rod and running line will 

 save your tackle from the worst force of the first blow, and after 

 that you have time to regulate the incline of your rod to the 

 pull of the fairly hooked fish. 



But this principle is only applicable within certain limits. 

 With a salmon rod you can never strike lightly enough for fine 

 drawn gut, that is, if you strike at all quickly, you must use 

 salmon gut; with a two-handed 14 ft, trout rod you must use 

 coarse or stout gut ; with a light one-handed trout rod only 

 can you use the finest drawn gut or even a single hair. To 

 strike quickly and lightly is the finest touch of art in the. 

 accomplished trout fisherman, but even he cannot do it with a two- 

 handed 14 ft. rod, much less with a heavy salmon rod. It 

 can only be done lightly enough for the finest tackle with a 

 light rod of from 9 ft. to 11 ft. which you can perfectly command 

 with a single turn of the wrist. I use for such fishing a 10 ft. 

 rod. A 14 ft. rod is just too much for it; you need to take both 

 hands to it, and you use your arms more than your wrist, and 

 directly you have to use your anus you are slower in giving the 

 strike, and slower again in stopping it, in short, you necessarily 

 take longer in overcoming the greater vis inertia: of the heavier rod, 

 whether it be in setting it in motion or in stopping its motion or 

 momentum. Some trout fishermen prefer a 14 ft. rod for trout 

 fishing on the ground that they can cover so much more water 

 and keep further away from the fish. That is true enough, 

 but if they would only consider the above, and try it, they would 

 find that they dare not use nearly such fine tackle, because it is 



