FLY FISHING IN THE SEA 151 



Before dealing with what I may call the ' fly-taking sea fish, 

 a word or two as to tackle may be necessary. The salmon 

 fisher needs no teaching on this point, beyond perhaps a re- 

 minder that if he is casting for cuddies or small fish which 

 weigh at the outside a pound, he need not use an i8-feet rod, 

 nor a cast suitable for a i5-lb. salmon. Coarse tackle has 

 prevailed for so many centuries in the sea, that immediately a 

 man gets on salt water he seems to regard tackle which would 

 be laughed at on river or lake as_ being quite suitable and 

 proper for very small sea fish. 



For those, then, who are not already fly fishers, a few re- 

 marks on rod, reel and line. The best general fly rod is made 

 of greenheart, and should be about 15 ft. or 16 ft. long. 

 That is a weapon to be used with two hands. For single- 

 handed use for small fish, n ft., or u ft. 6 in., is a good 

 length. The rod should be fitted with snake rings made of 

 phosphor bronze or hardened German silver (on no account 

 have steel rings bronzed over ; they invariably rust sooner or 

 later), and for the top ring I like nothing better than my own 

 little invention which is illustrated in the next chapter. It 

 should be fitted with an inner revolving ring of phosphor bronze. 



The rod should be fitted with suction ferrules which should 

 be kept vaselined or oiled to prevent them sticking. The 

 Weger and Warner winch fittings are about the best. The 

 reel should be large in the barrel and free from any steel works 

 or screws. For bass and other large fish, it must hold at least 

 150 yards of line ; for smaller fish, a hundred yards of line is 

 sufficient less will suffice in harbours. Of lines there is a great 

 variety. The cheapest serviceable line is of eight-plait hemp or 

 linen, tanned. We can have much the same thing made in silk, 

 or an eight-plait silk line with the usual waterproof oil dressing. 



The cast should consist, for bass, of two and a half or three 

 yards of the strongest salmon gut, or, failing that, treble twisted 



