WINTER TALKS ON SUMMER PASTIMES. 49 



a fly with a hoop pole, but one might almost as well have a 

 hoop pole as some rods that are palmed off as appropriate 

 for salmon casting. Unless the spring is equally distributed 

 from tip to butt, and can be distinctly felt at the latter as well as 

 clearly seen at the former, it is not a rod for the work for 

 which it is intended. But with such a rod casting is an ab- 

 solute pleasure, whether the responses are few or many. 

 One may manage very well with an inferior line, if it only 

 has strength, with sec >nd or third rate strong leaders, and 

 with fli'js which would not pass muster in the eye of an 

 artist, but he had better stay at home than to go to salmon 

 waters \rith anything less than a number one rod, whether 

 of wood or bamboo. My own favorite rod is of wood, but 

 it is fair to say that it is the only one of half a dozen that 

 can be branded as perfect. But this one is perfect. It has 

 the very spirit of elasticity in every fiber, and responds to 

 every movement as if instinct with life. Such a rod is 

 better than rubies, and is worth more than its weight in 

 gold. I would lather break every other rod I own than 

 raise so much as a splinter upon the surface of this grand 

 old hero of a hundred battles. Nevertheless, T have made 

 slightly longer casts with a bamboo, but I never give a large 

 fish its butt without a tremor. Its advantage is lightness of 

 weight no mean advantage, be it understood, when one's 

 muscle is of delicate fiber. 



"In fishing for salmon, I like a tine of good weight not 

 alone for strength, but for casting. A heavy eighteen-foot 

 rod needs something at the end of it you can feel. The 

 most accomplished expert would make poor work with a 

 light trout line on a double-handed salmon rod. An oiled 

 line of medium strand, a hundred or a hundred and twenty- 

 five yards in length, is what one needs. With such a rod 

 and line and with such leaders and flies both in sufficient 

 numbers as can be procured of any honest dealer, and a 

 reel made for use and not for ornament, one may feel sure 

 that good sport will not be marred by bad tackling." 



"Thank you, so far; but after I have secured my tackling, 

 what am I to do with it?" 



