ANGLING IMPROVED. 3 



For the ground angle, I prefer the cane or reed 

 before all other, both for its length and lightness: and 

 whereas some object against its colour and stiffness, I 

 answer, both these inconveniences are easily remedied; 

 the colour by covering it with thin leather or parch- 

 ment, and those dyed into what colour you please; or 

 you may colour the cane itself, as you see daily done 

 by those that sell them in London, especially if you 

 scrape off the shining yellow outside, but that weakens 

 the rod. The stiffness of the cane is helped by the 

 length and strength of the top, which I would wish to 

 be very much taper-grown, and of the full length I spoke 

 of before, and so it will kill a very good fish without 

 ever straining the cane, which will, as you may observe, 

 yield and bend a little; neither would I advise any to 

 use a reed that will not receive a top of the fore-men- 

 tioned length. Such who most commend the hazel- 

 rod, (which I also value and praise, but for different 

 reasons), above the cane ; do it because, say they, the 

 slender rod saveth the line; but my opinion is, that the 

 equal bending of the rod chiefly, next to the skill of 

 the Angler, saveth the line, and the slenderness I con- 

 ceive principally serveth to make the fly-rod long and 

 light, easy to be managed with one hand, and casteth 

 the fly far, which are to me the considerations chiefly 

 to be regarded in a fly-rod ; for if you observe the slen- 

 der part of the rod, if strained, shoots forth in length 

 as if it were part of the line, so that the whole stress or 

 strength of the fish is borne or sustained by the thicker 

 part of the rod, which is no stronger than the stronger 



