no FISHING KITS AND EQUIPMENT 



ceded that the proper length for the casting rod lies 

 somewhere between 5^2 and 6 feet. Personally I have 

 cast with a Henshall rod, 8% feet, a 7-foot rod, a 5%- 

 foot rod, and a 6-foot rod. With each of these I have 

 had a good deal of experience under various condi- 

 tions, and I have talked and fished much with other 

 anglers who used rods of other lengths. For all round 

 fishing the six-foot rod is, it seems to me, by far the 

 best. The average length of the original " Kalama- 

 zoo " casting rods was less than five feet ; and for long 

 distance tournament work rods of 5j4 to 5/4 feet are 

 the most common. But the casting rod for fishing 

 must be adapted to landing a bass as well as to mere 

 casting; and, within reasonable limits, the wise angler 

 will sacrifice casting distance to efficient bass-handling. 

 It has been proven by the experience of a multitude of 

 bait-casters, certainly by my own experience, that the 

 very short rods are mighty poor tools with which to 

 land a bass. The rod, however, must not be too long, 

 for this will make the overhead cast a matter of too 

 much difficulty. In fishing, the side and overhead cast 

 will be used impartially. The six-foot rod is long 

 enough to handle a bass well, and short enough for 

 overhead casting; in fact, it answers all the require- 

 ments of the bait-casting rod. The six-foot rod is 

 hereby recommended. 



The matter of weight will be regulated by the 

 length of rod and the rod material. Split-bamboo 

 casting rods average about an ounce to the foot; solid 



