22 THE PIKE. 



the chief objection being the very great weight of this wood, 

 coupled with a tendency to snap short off, sometimes with- 

 out any apparent reason, and no flaw discoverable in the 

 grain of the wood. Of course I am aware that some lovely 

 rods are built from greenheart, that have stood any amount 

 of hard work for years, and to counteract the weight some 

 of them are built up with a cork grip, which certainly does 

 reduce the weight somewhat. A pike rod built with an ash 

 butt and lancewood centre and top is a very fair weapon in- 

 deed, but the same objection can be raised against this, as 

 against an all-greenheart one — ^viz., extra weight in using. 

 Then again there are pike rods made of what some people 

 call whole cane; but this in eight cases out of every ten is 

 not whole cane at all, but simply the very cheapest that a 

 rod maker can buy — ^viz., " Tonquin." Now, this cane tapers 

 very little, the joints of the rod are nearly as thick at one 

 end as they are at the other, and consequently there is not 

 the power in the lower joints that I like to see in a pike rod. 

 The cane that seems to me to be the very best that caci be 

 emploved in making a pike rod is what is known as East 

 India cane, and when it is mottled and spotted in an atci ac- 

 tive manner, why, I don't know a handsomer or more useful 

 weapon. This material of late years has sprung to the front 

 in an amazing manner, and certainly when we look at it, it is 

 admirably adapted for the purpose, for the rods made finm 

 it are light, stiff, and very powerful — three attributes of the 

 very first importance — ^and when all three are combined in 

 one, why, the value is very much increased. This cane is 

 tapered more than any other I know ; a piece four feet long 

 sometimes is as much as one and a half inches in diameter 

 at one end, and only three-quarters of an inch at the other. 

 As good and as cheap a pike rod for all practical purposes 

 that can be used, and one that will be within the reach of 

 any working man angler, should be made of this cane, and 

 in three lengths, or not more than four at the very outside, 

 personally I prefer three — ^viz., butt and one or two centre 

 joints of East India male cane, and one or two tops, accord- 

 ing to fancy, of good tough lancewood or greenheart, the 

 former for choice, as I fancy lancewood has more spring 

 than greenheart; the latter seems to be so very stiff, and 



