3 6 ANGLER'S EQUIPMENT. 



bought at such a moderate price, and withal so 

 much better than any angler can make them for 

 himself, that it is unnecessary to give any instruc- 

 tions for the mechanical part of rod making, and 

 we shall merely mention what a good rod should be 

 made of, and the qualities it should possess. The 

 two great requisites in a rod we consider to be 

 stiffness and lightness, two qualities exceedingly 

 difficult to combine. The amount of stiffness should 

 be such that, when casting, the forward motion of 

 the rod may be stopped pretty quickly without any 

 recoil of the point taking place. Most of the rods 

 that are to be had ready made in Edinburgh are 

 useless from their excessive pliability, and from 

 what we have seen of English and Irish rods they 

 are still worse. This is not the fault of the rod- 

 makers, who require to suit the public taste, but 

 the fault of anglers who will have their rods made 

 in that manner. We know of no place where a 

 better rod can be had than in Edinburgh if the 

 angler only says that he wishes it stiff. In casting 

 with a supple rod, after propelling the line forward, 

 and stopping the forward motion of the hand, a 

 recoil of the point takes place, which to a consider- 

 able extent, interferes with the forward motion of 

 the line. 



The advantages of a stiff rod are its great supe- 

 riority in casting; it will throw a longer and a 

 lighter line, and with greater certainty, to any spot 

 the angler wishes. Its advantages, in these respects, 



