INTRODUCTION xxvii 



the angler's arm in fly-fishing " , and the difficulties 

 with which the makers of flfty years ago had to con- 

 tend may be understood from the remark about " two 

 feet extra length in a rod entailing' at least a half 

 more weight." Nowadays rod-making is a highly 

 specialised craft. The ferrules are tempered to prevent 

 their involving patches of unbending stiffness. They 

 add so little to the weight that a twelve-foot rod, 

 strong enough to manage the heaviest trout, need not 

 be more than ten ounces. There are, indeed, rods 

 much lighter. One can now have a nine-foot four- 

 ounce wand that is not to be deemed a toy. 4< The rod 

 for fly-fishing from a boat" says Mr. Stewart m 

 Chapter X., l( need not be longer than thirteen or 

 fourteen feet } as that is long enough to 'keep the angler 

 out of sight, and a very long rod is cumbrous to 

 manage. In angling from the bank, a rod two feet 

 longer might be advisable, in order to reach the places 

 where the trout lie." At this rate a trout-rod built 

 after the specification of Mr. Stewart ivould have all 

 the dimensions of a modern salmon one! The ex- 

 planation lies mainly in the primitive methods accord- 

 ing to which the rod-makers of his time managed their 

 material. If the wood were filed thin, it ceased to 

 have strength enough. At least, the makers thought 

 so. Since then the " steel centre "for built cane, and 

 other devices for strengthening and stiffening, have 

 been invented, and simultaneously anglers have gra- 

 dually discovered that the old rods were unnecessarily 

 long. Mr. Stewards preference of thirteen or fourteen 

 feet as the length of a rod for lake-fishing must have 



