20 FISHING KITS AND EQUIPMENT 



suiting comfort of the user. The angler whose fish- 

 ing days are few and far between likes to hit the river 

 early in the day and stay with it as long as he can 

 see his flies. It is hard work even with the lightest 

 rods. This subject w T ill be discussed more specifically 

 under the subject of length and weight which will be 

 taken up in a later chapter. 



The fly-rod must have the correct degree of pliancy, 

 although the question of how great that degree should 

 be is, in a measure, a matter of taste, some preferring 

 a whippy rod and others one moderately stiff. The 

 rod best adapted to average trout fishing in streams 

 and it should be said that average stream fishing is 

 always implied herein unless another form is specific- 

 ally mentioned should, however, be neither whippy 

 nor stiff. When fishing in strong rapids a whippy rod 

 is a mighty poor tool. It has neither the ability to 

 answer at once to the angler's strike, nor, in case the 

 trout is fortunately hooked, the backbone to handle him 

 properly. In addition to this, a whippy rod is not 

 suited to long casting not tournament distances 

 but fishing casts for the simple reason that it will 

 not lift a good length of line from the water. Nor is 

 the stiff rod desirable. On surface indications one 

 would conclude that since, as above stated, a too 

 pliant rod does not cast well, a stiff rod should be a 

 strong caster. Such is not the case however. A rod 

 that is very stiff refuses to aid the angler in casting 

 the line; it does not bend sufficiently, and consequently 



