34 CASTING TACKLE AND METHODS 



wound handle is harsh to the hand and also liable to 

 disaster. I am so much in favor of the solid cork 

 handle that I am going to leave the question by urg- 

 ing the angler to invest in a rod provided with a 

 hand-grasp of that material, knowing full well that 

 he will later "rise up and call me blessed." 



There remains to consider the butt-cap, the end of 

 the rod, and we will have finished our discussion of 

 this important implement. Material German sil- 

 ver, of course. It should be of sufficient weight to 

 resist banging abuse without denting. A little 

 judicious "milling" adds to its appearance. There is 

 no advantage that I can see in having a "screw-off" 

 butt-cap unless you have a "reversible handle," ob- 

 viously out of place on a casting rod, for the reel will 

 never be used below the hand. If we were dealing 

 with a live bait rod, we might find use for the reel 

 below the hand under certain conditions. 



So I bring to a conclusion our discussion of the 

 rod. I have tried to be perfectly fair in my presen- 

 tation of the matter, though undoubtedly I am more 

 or less opinionated all anglers are. As I have said 

 again and again, in the foregoing pages, I have 

 simply recorded the results of my own experiments 

 and experiences. I love the short rod and casting 

 reel. More skill is required to properly handle them 

 than many a fly-fisher realizes. Not "any old stick 

 will do for a bait-casting rod," as one contemptuous 

 correspondent asserts, but it must be constructed on 



