THE FLT ROD. 7 



usually omitted in small rings. It is, as a rale, of steel, 

 but should be of ivory for sea fisbing. I may, perhaps, be 

 prejudiced in favour of my own invention, but I should 

 not venture to recommend it here had it not received the 

 praises of a goodly number of accomplished anglers. Both 

 the snake rings and the top ring should be of considerable 

 size — much larger than those used on pike rods. The 

 fly rod should be a salmon or grilse rod, about 16ft. long, 

 made of greenheart or hickory — the former for preference. If 

 the angler is very strong, and can wield a longer and heavier 

 weapon, by all means let him obtain one, for he will be able 

 to make a very long cast with it. On the other hand, if he 

 feels a rod of 16ft. too much for his strength, he should be 

 content with one of 14ft. The fly rod should have an extra 

 top, only 6in. long, for use in general fishing. It is not a 

 bad plan, when patemostering or float fishing, to have out a 

 second and stronger line, with leger tackle, baited for big 

 fish. The fly rod with the short top can be used for this 

 line. The winch fittings and rings of the fly rod should be 

 those already described. The joints of fly rods are sometimes 

 spliced together, and sometimes fastened with fen-ules. The 

 latter method is the most convenient, but the spliced rods 

 cast best, and I rather prefer them. The splicing, however, 

 takes time, has to be carefully done, and is an undoubted 

 bother. Against this, it may be said that ferrules get loose, 

 and crack; and if a rod breaks, it is usually at the ferrule. 

 If the fly rod alone is purchased, and it is used for general 

 fishing, an extra butt may be added to increase the length 

 of the rod when desirable. In this case, the lower end 

 of the ordinary butt has to be fitted with a ferrule, as if 

 it were a middle joint. Mr. Senior, the angling editor of the 

 Meld, has had a fly rod made with a telescope butt, which adds 

 an extra 2ft. on to the rod when it is required. I have given 

 this invention a trial, and should think that it would be very 

 useful in lieu of the extra butt on the rod I have described. 

 There are various methods of fastening the joints of ferruled 

 rods together, but in the best rods now made no fastenings 

 are necessary, the ferrules fitting one another so truly that 



