74 The Angler's Secret 



ing to material, workmanship, and finish- 

 ings, but the best of anglers will admit 

 that from four to twenty dollars is all 

 that need be paid for as serviceable a rod 

 as need be used. If you buy a split-bam- 

 boo rod to angle with, let it be one that 

 is guaranteed, as the cheap split-bamboo 

 rod recommended for fishing purposes is 

 not as good as the cheapest rod of any 

 other material. It is only intended as a 

 wall decoration no practical man uses it 

 for any other purpose, and no honest 

 dealer ever offers it for any other 

 usage. 



Frank Forester says: "A perfect rod 

 should gradually taper from one end to 

 the other, be tight in all its joints, and be 

 equally and uniformly pliable, not bend- 

 ing in one place more than another." 

 Our Frank does not mean to say, how- 

 ever, that the butt or handle proper 

 should bend, but the rod should, never- 

 theless, when in use, appear as though 

 every portion was being strained. 



