24 



ANGLING FOE PIKE. 



The joints of the rod may be 

 either spliced together or joined by 

 means of ferrules. The latter is by 

 far the most convenient arrange- 

 ment, but as ordinarily made they 

 are apt to come apart. The top-joint 

 in particular is very apt to "throw 

 out," as it is termed. A fastening 

 of some kind is obviously neces- 

 sary. 



Several arrangements have come 

 into use of late years to fasten 

 the joints of fly-rods, any of which 

 can be applied to a pike-rod. Per- 

 haps the best are those made 

 by Hardy Brothers, of Alnwick 

 (illustrated in " Angling for Coarse 

 Fish "), and by Farlow and Co. 

 Fig. 4 sufficiently explains the latter, 

 which, being possibly a little stronger 

 than Hardy's, is preferable for pike- 

 rods; but both fastenings are ex- 

 cellent. In Farlow's fastening the 

 little ring (3) pulls everything up 

 firm and tight, however much the 

 ferrules may be worn. FeiTules are 

 sometimes so accurately fitted — in 

 fact, ground into one another like 

 gas-taps — that even in fly-fishing 

 they do not come apart. So made 

 they are termed suction-joints, and 

 are, to my mind, superior to the 

 ordinary ferrules with patent fasten- 

 ings. These suction-ferrules have 

 not, so far as I know, been used on 

 pike-rods, but they seem to me suit- 

 able for all kinds of rods. 

 A great deal has been written concerning the importance of 



Fig. 4. Rod-joint Fastening. 



