xxviii THE PRACTICAL ANGLER 



been based upon a misconception. Seated in a boat an 

 angler is considerably lower, in relation to the surface 

 of the water, than he is on the bank of a stream ,- and, 

 as many of the fish may be looking not towards the 

 boat but away from it, he is therefore rather less 

 likely to be seen by the fah when on a lake than 

 he is when by the side of a river. Then, the lighter 

 the rod the more quickly does the turn of the wrist 

 in striking tell, and the less is the danger of a 

 breakage with a heavy fah. Indeed, there seems reason 

 for believing that the lightest of rods is often the best' 

 suited to lake-fishing. There is usually a breeze to 

 help in getting the, Jlies away. On the other hand, a 

 four-ounce rod will not bring a large trout to the 

 landing-net so quickly as a heavier one will, and this 

 must be a consideration when big fah are rising. 

 What, then, it may be asked, are the dimensions of the 

 ideal rod? The answer is that the ideal is not 

 embodied in any single type. To be equipped against 

 all emergencies, the angler must have more than one 

 rod. Length and weight are to be determined less by 

 the size of the fish than by the width of the stream. A 

 very light nine-foot rod will not be too frail for a 

 very heavy fish ; but, especially in an unfavourable 

 wind, it will not make a very long cast. Some of the 

 rivers that Mr. Stewart frequented, such as the 

 Tweed, call for a rod of twelve feet and equivalent 

 weight, or even a little longer and weightier; but very 

 many trout-streams are so much less broad that a rod 

 so large would be out of place on them. The essential 

 principle is that a light rod strikes more quickly, more 



