WINDING RODS 211 



but as they are not necessary, it is well to make 

 them all ten or twelve turns, with still nar- 

 rower ones next to the wide bands covering 

 the guides, and at the ends of the joints. Red 

 being a lasting color, it is well to use it through- 

 out, with light or medium green for borders. 

 All red without ornaments requires much less 

 work, but is not so neat as if there is some 

 relief. If you object to colors, use cream or 

 light yellow silk, which will hardly show on 

 bamboo or dagama. For bethabara red is 

 standard. Green alone or as a predominat- 

 ing color lacks taste, although it comes out well 

 ^for narrow borders with red. At one time I 

 happened to see a spool of lilac silk while wind- 

 ing a rod, and tried it. It looked so neat at 

 first that I used it throughout the rod, using 

 apple green for borders. The rod was a good 

 one, but I couldn't stand those colors, and 

 gave it away to a fisherman in Canada. 

 Somehow the colors " got on his nerves," too, 

 and he in turn gave the rod to an uncle whose 

 vision was poor. I trust the old gentleman 

 does not consider it a hoodoo rod, as his 

 nephew and its maker did 



There is a sort of unwritten law among 

 rodmakers to use heavy winding silk on large 

 rods, and so on down to the finest silk foi 

 light fly-rods. It is well to follow this rule 



