TACKLE 225 



a dry fly, I think that one can fish more accu- 

 rately without a steel centre. 



Every angler who has fished much on chalk 

 streams must know how impossible it is even 

 with the greatest care to prevent the hook 

 touching or catching in weed now and then, 

 when a line of any length is being lifted off 

 the water quickly. Time after time have green- 

 heart rods been snapped most untowardly in 

 this way. Mine generally broke close to the 

 joint, and years ago I took to diminishing the 

 danger by using two-piece spliced greenheart 

 rods. These were a little more troublesome 

 to put together than the ordinary rods, but 

 if they broke at all it had to be somewhere 

 else than at the splice. Even these did not 

 remove all danger of disaster, if, when one was 

 working hard and keenly, the hook caught 

 suddenly either in a weed in front or in a bush 

 or grass behind, and at last after many accidents, 

 partly caused by being, I fear, a somewhat hasty 

 and too vigorous angler, I bought my first split 

 cane rod, a powerful two-piece ten foot six rod, 

 of Messrs. Hardy in 1884. The butt and joint 

 of that rod are still as sound as ever, after 



