THE FASCINATION 197 



old master. The angler who has lavished 

 twenty, thirty, or forty dollars for a fly-rod, per- 

 haps more for a handsome reel, is not going to 

 treat his tackle with disrespect. More than once 

 I have stopped fishing because a favorite reel fell 

 into the sand when I was without a second winch 

 in my case. 



A perfect rod cannot be built for a few cents, 

 though one that will take trout can. He who 

 has never had the experience of laying a fly-line 

 with a truly high-class rod has missed something 

 well worth while. Every true follower of Izaak 

 Walton should have, if he can possibly afford it, 

 one truly high-class rod. In any event every 

 angler should own his own fishing tools. In 

 Heaven's name, don't borrow! 



There is more in the matter of tackle than the 

 uninitiated realizes. A Leonard rod represents 

 something more to its owner than the mere lavish- 

 ment of sixty whole dollars. 



I advocate the employment of light tackle: 

 the lightest possible commensurate with the 

 angler's skill. With gratification I read that one 

 famous tackle house has put upon the market a 

 fly-rod weighing only fifteen-sixteenths of an 

 ounce ! Fly-rods weighing two and a half ounces 

 are not uncommon any longer. Once an angler 



