18 ANGLING FOR GAME FISH. 



Spliced rods (i.e., made with no ferrules at all) I will refer 

 to in tlie chapter on salmon. 



The Care of Rods. — Rods should be re-varnished with 

 coachmakers' varnish every year. To remove the glitter of 

 the varnish, rub it lightly with fine sand-paper, and after- 

 wards smooth with an oiled rag. Feriniles should be greased 

 occasionally, or they will stick. Butter scraped off a sandwich 

 will do if nothing better is forthcoming. If ferrules stick, try 

 a little spirit, and, having given time for it to penetrate, warm 

 the outside ferrule in the flame of a match, and then try what 

 a little force will do. The wanning will often do without the 

 spirit. The partitions in rod bags should be made larger than 

 is generally the case. A rod — particularly if made of split 

 cane — should never he put in a damp bag, or against a damp 

 wall, and should always be wiped after a wet day's fishing, and 

 left out of the bag in a warm, dry room, so as to allow any 

 wet which may have got into the ferrules to dry out. For 

 the same reason, the stoppers or plugs should not be put into 

 ferrules for some hours after a rod has been used in the 

 rain. Never lay a rod on the grass, but stick it into the 

 ground by means of a spike, usually screwed into the butt. 

 Salmon-rods, and rods used from boats, are best without a 

 spike ; a nice finish for the butt of such rods is an india- 

 rubber knob. I see that Mr. Kirker has recently patented a 

 spike which telescopes up into the butt when not required. I 

 have not seen one, but the idea is certainly good. If the joint 

 of a wooden rod warps, hang it to a nail, and suspend a weight 

 at the lower end. 



The Reel, or Winch. — The cheapest really useful thing 

 of the kind is a 2iin. or Sin. wooden Nottingham reel, fitted 

 with a very light check or click (mechanism to prevent the 

 reel running too easily) and a line-guard. Such a reel is 

 shown in Fig. 6, and it need not cost more than 4s. or 5s. 

 These reels, having a large barrel, wind up very quickly, and 

 possess all the advantages of a multiplier without any of its 

 many disadvantages. The wire line-guard shown in the illus- 

 tration is a little idea of my own, which answers very well. 



