36 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER 



makers lay two or three slits together, so as to form 

 a complete skin all round. This is much more 

 troublesome than making it of one piece, but is more 

 durable, and with good usage will never break. Rods 

 are sometimes made entirely of bamboo, but they 

 possess no advantage over those in common use, to 

 compensate for the additional expense a twelve-foot 

 rod of this material costing 2 or 4*. For our 

 own use we are exceedingly partial to rods made 

 entirely of cane, with the exception of the top, 

 which is bamboo. They are stiff, strong, and very 

 light ; the only objection to them is, that they are 

 liable to take a bend, unless the angler takes care to 

 straighten the pieces before putting them past. 



Great diversity of opinion exists as to how the 

 different pieces of a rod should be put together 

 when intended to be used. Some anglers, ourselves 

 included, prefer the tie system, for the following 

 reasons : A tied rod is not nearly so liable to break 

 as one with brass joints ; the wood of a rod requires 

 to be thinned in order to put the brass on, rendering 

 them liable to give way at the joints a fact which 

 the experience of all anglers will confirm. A tied 

 rod also bends most equally throughout; and no 

 angler will deny that it is the most agreeable to use. 

 The great objection, however, to brass joints is, that, 

 in order to bear their weight, the rod requires to be 

 made so much thicker throughout. A rod of twelve 

 feet, without brass joints, should weigh about four- 

 teen ounces ; with brass joints, it will weigh about a 

 pound and a half, nearly double the weight, which 



