112 FISHING KITS AND EQUIPMENT 



than a twenty-five cent piece. Few good rods are 

 found at the present time fitted with these exaggerated 

 Kalamazoo guides, although you will occasionally see 

 them in use. They are not necessary ; they burden the 

 rod ; make the rod unhandy to put in its case ; and 

 do not use them. Of course the idea was to avoid the 

 friction of the out-running line, but experience has 

 proven that the more conservative guides are nearly 

 if not quite as efficient. 



The rod may be adequately fitted in the matter of 

 guides in two ways: First, the best and most expen- 

 sive way, use nothing but narrow raised-agates of 

 moderate size and offset agate tip guide; or, secondly, 

 trumpet guides of German silver with agate hand and 

 tip guides. For long distance casting the raised 

 agates are the thing; but, as in fly-casting, the man who 

 is continually trying to cast " clean across the lake " 

 generally gets more exercise than bass. At any rate 

 use the agate hand and tip guides. Increased ease in 

 casting undoubtedly results and they save line-wear to 

 a very appreciable extent. 



Some very good rods are furnished with a finger- 

 rest. While this is more or less a matter of taste, the 

 use of a finger-pull is not at all necessary for good 

 casting and it is better not to use one. They are 

 liable to get smashed and are in the way when casing 

 the rod. The finger-pull was a regular feature of the 

 first short casting rods but is not now so frequently 

 seen ; indeed, the present tendency among rod makers is 



