CHAPTER III 



CARE OF THE RODS 



WHEN you come to the fishing rods, it 

 is a good plan to take them all out 

 of the tackle cabinet or place where 

 they are kept, joint them up and examine them 

 in a superficial way to see if any ferrules are 

 loose, and if there are any kinks in tops that may 

 be straightened out before the angling season 

 comes around. Too often anglers get into 

 the habit of standing rod-joints in a corner in a 

 closet. If they are protected by wood forms, 

 leather cases, aluminum or bamboo tubes, there 

 is little danger that tips and joints will go 

 crooked, but if left in cloth cases, tied with 

 tapes, they may need straightening. It is handy 

 to keep a rod in a cloth case, but often one tape 

 is tied more securely than others, and the swell 

 of the hand-grasp will help to curve the tips 

 if the rod is left in a dry place for several weeks. 

 The beauty of a fine trout rod may be marred 

 in a short time merely by leaning the joints 

 against a wall. 



A better plan is to suspend all the parts from 

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