FLIES, FLY-DRESSING, ETC. 93 



long, will be amply sufficient for most waters. Those 

 accustomed to use rods from twelve to thirteen 

 feet may think this much too short, but a stiff rod 

 of this length will throw a line farther than one of 

 thirteen feet, made as supple as they usually are. 

 And even in rods of the same stiffness, a couple of 

 feet extra length will not enable the angler to throw 

 much farther from him. For supposing he is using 

 a line twice the length of his rod, he will have four 

 feet extra length of line and two of rod, in all six 

 feet. But then the rod in casting is never held 

 straight out, but at an angle of about forty-five 

 degrees ; the line also makes an angle with the water, 

 so that five feet is the utmost additional command of 

 water gained, and this is much more than counter- 

 balanced by the facility of casting with the small 

 rod, and by its lightness ; two feet extra length in a 

 rod entailing at least a half more weight. 



It is quite common among anglers to suppose that 

 a twelve-foot rod will command twice as much water 

 as one of six feet, but this is an error ; and in order 

 to explain this, it is necessary to consider in what the 

 casting power of a rod consists. The first power in 

 the casting of a line is the force with which it is 

 urged forward ; thus, if the angler uses a great 

 amount of force, his line will go farther than if he 

 uses a less amount. The forward motion is com- 

 municated to the line by the point of the rod, so that 

 upon the rapidity with which the point of the rod 

 moves through the air depends the motive-power 

 applied to the line. We think the point of a six- 



