THE BRITISH ANGLER'S LEXICON. 203 



balanced rod and an- imperfect one is about the same as 

 between a gun that comes up to the shoulder perfectly and 

 one that does not ; with the latter a good shot may prove a 

 "duffer," with the former a poor shot may carry off the prize 

 in a " hot corner." If a rod is not balanced to suit a 

 man the arm soon tires, and when this takes place the 

 angler wearies, and when he wearies he ceases to enjoy his 

 sport ; therefore, the purchaser should carefully choose 

 a rod suitable to his strength of arm and capability, when 

 pleasure and profit will be the result. Some fly rods 

 have hollow butts to carry spare tops, but these are ob- 

 jectionable and have not the play of a solid built rod, 

 and of necessity are very large in the handle. The Castle- 

 connell rods are small in the handle and taper slightly right 

 away from the butt. These rods are top heavy, but are 

 powerful, and lift a long line with remarkable ease and 

 give good command when playing a strong fish. 



Rod Straps are simple but very useful articles, for 

 strapping together a bundle of rods, nets, &c. They should 

 be made of nice pliable leather, with buckles and tongues. 



HudLcL (Leuciscus erythropthalmus) are found in many 

 of the rivers and lakes of the United Kingdom. They are 

 supposed to be a distinct breed, although some affirm 

 they are the produce of the bream and the roach. They 

 live on insects, and may be angled for same as the roach, 

 with paste, gentles, or small red worms. They seldom attain 

 more than one pound in weight. The tackle used should 

 be strong and fine. When fishing for them with the arti- 

 ficial fly, allow it to sink, rest a little, and then draw 

 towards the surface. The rudd swim in shoals, spawn in 

 April and May, and are considered better fish for the table 

 than roach. The name is a corruption of " red eye," from 



