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" gentle craft," offers excellent counsel on the 

 matter in question. The gallant sportsman 

 says, that "your fly-rod should be about 

 twelve feet three inches long, and about four- 

 teen ounces* in weight. It must not be top- 

 heavy, nor it must not have too much play in 

 the lower part, but the play should be just in 

 proportion to the gradual tapering, by which 

 there will be very little spring till after about 

 the third foot of its length. A rod too pliable 

 below is as bad a fault as being too stiff; and 

 from being too small there (at the but) is, of 

 course, more liable to be top-heavy, which 

 nine rods out of ten are. The consequence is, 

 they tire the hand, and do not drop the fly so 

 neatly. I have seen some Irish rods, which, 

 if they had not been too pliant, would have 

 been worth any money." 



In the following recommendations respecting 

 the choice of a rod, taken from the " Fly-fisher's 

 Entomology," by Mr. Alfred Ronalds, the 

 reader will perceive, that in some points that 

 gentleman agrees with us ; but that in others 

 his opinion is widely different from ours. Mr. 



* The generality of rods, of modern manufacture and of 

 the length the colonel recommends, do not weigh more 

 than twelve ounces. We have several rods in our posses- 

 sion thirteen feet and a half long, the average weight of 

 which is under fourteen ounces. However, the weight the 

 gallant colonel recommends is a very proper one. 



