278 Fly -rods and Fly-tackle. 



of the " strike" at any angle of the rod may be obtained. 

 Construction of the proper diagrams will also show that 

 the strike becomes less and less efficient as the length 

 of the line increases, and also as the hand actuating the 

 rod approaches the level of the water. 



I have said a theoretical measure^ and advisedly, since 

 we have been treating the fly-rod as though it were as 

 stiff as a telegraph-pole. Clearly we must take its flex- 

 ibility into account, since before the movement of the tip 

 can overcome the inertia of the line and the friction of 

 the water upon it, the rod must bend until the tension 

 of its elasticity is in excess of that inertia and friction 

 combined. Thus we see that another deduction must be 

 made from the efficiency of the strike, one rapidly increas- 

 ing in amount as the length of line, and its consequent in- 

 ertia and friction from contact with the water, increases. 



Based upon these considerations was the suggestion 

 heretofore made, that a cast of five and a half times 

 the length of the rod approximated closely to the ex- 

 treme efficient limit in practical fly-fishing assuming 

 the caster to be wading knee-deep or sitting in a fairly 

 high-sided boat. A quick eye and a prompt hand, trained 

 by long practice, may extend this distance somewhat, but 

 I believe not much. The stiffness of the rod used is also 

 a variable factor effecting the result. I therefore per- 

 sonally prefer a rod as stiff as is consistent with pleasur- 

 able casting. Furthermore, it was with these consider- 

 ations in view that I have, in the Chapter on Rod-mak- 

 ing, sought to give all emphasis to the direction, so to 

 proportion the lower part of the rod as to give absolute 

 command over the tip. 



If our mathematics are correct, the following practical 

 conclusions would seem necessarily to follow: 



