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always attended with danger to the tackle, and especially 

 to the rod. A salmon rod should be made .of the best 

 Indian mottled cane, or blue mahoe wood, and so made 

 that when a fish is hooked the strain comes into the butt, 

 and tells in the hand, which greatly relieves the top and 

 middle part, and also prevents an unequal check on the 

 casting line and fly. This kind of rod is a medium Castle 

 Connell, and I find it will throw a line better than those 

 which are made stiffer ; and, being handled much easier, 

 makes the fishing a real pleasure, and not a work of toil 

 to the angler. Rods that are made from woods such as 

 blue mahoe, greenheart, lancewood, or hickory, I prefer, 

 for my own use, the butt ferruled and the top spliced. 

 They play more equal, and are not so liable to break, as 

 when ferruled. It may be a little more trouble in putting 

 it together for use, but it will repay the angler in the result 

 of his day's fishing. I can splice my rod in five minutes 

 in a manner that it will stand its work for a week. The 

 splices should be made a little stouter than the other 

 parts, by leaving a little more wood in them. On no 

 account put wax on the splices. The wrapping for these 

 should be four or five strands of hemp, well waxed, not 

 twisted, but kept as flat as possible, as it will hold the 

 splices much firmer when flat than when twisted, and is 

 better than string or whipcord In wrapping the splices 

 together, commerlce' at the top of the splice, and start 

 with two or three easy wraps \ then holding the hemp 

 tight in the right finger and thumb, close to the splice, 

 and twisting the lower joint with the left hand, it is done 

 at once. I usually put my wraps about a quarter of an 



