32 FLOATING FLIES 



never be other than a handicap no matter how 

 skilfully it may be handled. 



In the selection of the dry fly-rod it is well, 

 however, while avoiding the really stiff rod, to 

 favor one with an adequate degree of "back- 

 bone " in other words, steer very clear of 

 the whippy rod. For dry fly casting no line is 

 the equal of the double-tapered silk line, enam- 

 eled or vacuum-dressed, and a rather heavier 

 article than the ordinary level line chosen for 

 wet fly fishing should be used. The rod must 

 have sufficient casting power to handle a 

 line of this sort. The line generally employed 

 is size E. The matter of the mutual adapta- 

 bility of line and rod will be treated later; it 

 can, however, be noted here that only a rod 

 tending to stiffness rather than whippiness 

 is capable of rightly handling the line desig- 

 nated. 



I have elsewhere (" Fishing Kits and Equip- 

 ment," pages 48-50) described the manner of 

 testing a fly-rod with a view to ascertaining its 

 possession or lack of the various qualities and 

 characteristics outlined above. Therefore it 

 seems best not to rehearse the matter here, but, 

 in this connection and as a final word on the 

 question of the desirable fly-rod qualities from 

 the viewpoint of general utility and practical 



