THE FLY ROD 27 



the whole cane, carefully fashioned by hand 

 and assembled with skill. 



Of the solid wood fly-rods it is generally be- 

 lieved that bethabara (washaba, " noibwood ") 

 is the best. My own experience with this ma- 

 terial has been such that I cannot discuss it 

 with any great enthusiasm. Greenheart is 

 largely used in England for all sorts of fishing- 

 rods, but over there, also, the split-cane rod is 

 conceded first place for the trout fly-rod, and 

 is constantly increasing in use. 



Parenthetically, the present trend of English 

 anglers is toward the use of shorter and lighter 

 rods of the American style, the two-handed 

 fourteen-foot affair for trout fly-fishing being 

 little in evidence; in fact, one of our most rep- 

 utable firms of rod-makers annually sends a 

 considerable number of fly-rods to England. 

 But the split-cane fly-rods of the English mak- 

 ers and anglers are still much stiffer and heav- 

 ier, length for length, than those favored in this 

 country. For instance, a split-cane fly-rod con- 

 structed by a very famous firm of rod-makers 

 according to the directions of Mr. F. M. Hal- 

 ford, whose angling books and articles, largely 

 on dry fly-fishing, are absolutely authoritative 

 as well as most readable, sensible, and genu- 

 inely informative for the American as well as 



