RODS. 9 



to be pursued by rough, defiant methods, but by 

 humouring, as it were, and taking advantage of the 

 chances and changes which natural causes, bent 

 to the desired purposes, present. Although the 

 proper handling of the springy rod, such as is 

 ordinarily used in Ireland, is far, very far, more 

 difficult to attain to, the result is well worth all the 

 trouble, and all the expense in loss of flies, of arriv- 

 ing at it. Of course, if you wish, having hooked a 

 fish, to haul him out, as it were, "by the hair of the 

 head," the object is much better attained by means 

 of a stiff rod than a pliable one ; and when fish are 

 rising freely and taking the fly greedily, a much 

 larger number may be taken within a given time 

 than can possibly be brought to basket with a 

 limber one ; but it is very rarely that fish are in 

 this accommodating humour, and a far larger 

 proportion of those hooked are killed with a pliant 

 rod. Even were it otherwise, the balance, in my 

 mind, would still be greatly in its favour. The 

 sport shown by the fish is infinitely greater in the 

 one case than in the other. The angler's object 

 is not simply to kill a quantity of fish ; were it so, 

 the net would effect the object more readily ; and, 

 on the whole, having regard to the conscious pride 

 of skill and the pleasure in exercising it, as well as 

 to the result, I recommend young fishermen to 



