124 AMATEUR RODMAKING 



length of tournament salmon rods was placed 

 at eighteen feet, but in 1907 this was changed 

 by the National Association and the limit 

 placed at fifteen feet. This is in line with the 

 desire to use lighter tackle, and it also enables 

 salmon fishermen to use their thirteen, four* 

 teen, and fifteen-foot fishing rods in tourna- 

 ments, placing them on fairly even terms with 

 contestants whose rods are made for distance 

 casting only, but which would be rather stiff 

 for all-day angling. 



Of all the fly-rods, the salmon rod is the 

 easiest one for the novice to build from solid 

 wood, and there is no reason why he should 

 not get excellent results from such a rod con- 

 structed for use exclusively in what is termed 

 tournament casting; in other words, all casting 

 for practice or for record. 



I give the specifications of three salmon rods 

 that I have used with satisfaction in tourna- 

 ment casting, and these are illustrated in Fig- 

 ure 43. 



Split Bamboo Salmon Rod. Length, 14 

 feet 11^2 inches; joints, 5 feet i inch; weight, 

 26 ounces; material, six-strip Calcutta bamboo. 

 Handgrasp, double, 24 inches long, solid cork 

 fitted to bamboo direct. Length of lower 

 grasp, 7 inches; diameter, i 3-16; buttcap, 



