94 THE BRITISH ANGLER'S LEXICON. 



to fourteen foot rod for trout, or sixteen or eighteen 

 foot rod for salmon ; that is to say, rods up to ten feet are 

 better in two pieces, above ten feet to eighteen feet they 

 are better in three pieces. A pleasant style of fly rod to 

 use is one of eleven to twelve feet long, with a brass taper 

 joint either locked or plain between the butt and middle 

 piece, and a waxed corded splice joint between the latter 

 and the top piece. Most rods give way at the top joint 

 owing to the wood being small there, and when making a 

 heavy cast against the wind the brass joints, which, wrongly 

 in many cases, are let into the wood the thickness of the 

 brass, act as a knife, and snap the wood off close. The 

 wood should never be cut to allow the ferrule to be fixed 

 flush ; in all the best rods the ferrule is driven tightly 

 on the joint over the wood, and if this is done and the 

 wood well seasoned it will never move. The wax-corded 

 lapped splices, when properly put together always give 

 satisfaction, but to make these right takes up some little 

 time, which on the banks of a stream is apt to cause the 

 angler to lose patience and to hurry over the job, lest he 

 should miss the trout which he sees rising on each side 

 of him ; consequently the joint is only half made, and 

 works loose, especially at a critical time. Besides, when 

 tying, this joint necessitates the angler wearing gloves to 

 prevent the wax adhering to his fingers, which it will do in 

 a determined manner, and is only to be got rid of by an 

 ample use of hot water and soap. If a flat silk braid is 

 used, much wax is unnecessary ; silk takes a better " bite 5> 

 on the wood than cord or thread. A single-handed rod 

 should never be longer than twelve feet, and this length 

 will cover all the water necessary. For wooded or narrow 

 streams, a rod nine or ten feet is very suitable. A double- 



