116 Fly-rods and Fly-tackle. 



and at the same time swell it and increase the firmness of 

 its embrace upon the bamboo. But it was all useless. 

 The first fish struck would start some splice, and the rod 

 was worthless. Again and again have I spliced bamboo 

 joints for friends where accident has occurred at a dis- 

 tance from the repair shop, using that most adhesive of 

 all glues, " Russian isinglass," but they never stood, nor 

 do I think they can be made to stand, for any length of 

 time. Bamboo tips, however, may be successfully re- 

 paired without difficulty. 



But notwithstanding all this, if you once become pos- 

 sessed of a really good bamboo rod, you have the best 

 there is something superior to any wooden rod that can 

 be made. 



ASH AND LANCEWOOD. 



1, 1.0335. 



Next in order, through seniority, comes the ash and 

 lancewood rod. The butt is of the white-ash that of 

 wide grain, and with the dense intervening portion white 

 and bone-like in texture, is the kind available for rods. 

 An old billiard-cue is an excellent source from which to 

 derive the material. If the grain is either very narrow 

 (one-sixteenth of an inch or less) or very wide, the wood 

 is apt to be weak. Select that having a grain about one- 

 eighth of an inch wide, and nine times out of ten it will 

 be good. Anything off the white in color is a bad sign. 

 Red-ash is worthless. Any redness in the grain, though 

 the more solid portions are of good color, is an unfavor- 

 able indication. 



The middle joint and tip are lancewood. This is im- 

 ported from the West Indies and South America in poles 

 from fifteen to twenty feet long and three to ten inches 



