Rods and, Rod Material. 157 



doer goes from bad to worse. The longer rod is less 

 and less frequently used, until it is altogether discarded 

 for its shorter rival ; and this not " with malice afore- 

 thought," but in natural obedience to the logic of events. 



However these things may be, this at least is certain : 

 to one escaping but seldom from the weary routine of 

 office-work, to swing even a seven-ounce rod all day may 

 become a burden, while to him whose muscles are braced 

 by abundant exercise and robust health it seems but as 

 a feather's weight. The truth is, that there is in this 

 matter no hard and fast line where dogmatism may take 

 its stand and say, this is right and that is wrong. Let 

 each use that rod which to him affords the most pleasure, 

 and for him that rod is the best, whether it be forty feet 

 long or only two. 



When the fly-rod is under discussion, we not unfre- 

 quently hear it urged, as the highest of encomiums, that 

 some particular rod can be so bent with safety that the 

 tip will touch the butt. This has a very imposing sound, 

 well-calculated to impress the unthinking; but like many 

 other statements equally impressive, it will well bear a 

 little investigation. If the prime object and sphere of 

 usefulness of a fly-rod was to tickle the butt with the 

 tip, there would be nothing to be said. But this is not 

 the case. To cast the fly with fluency and precision, 

 and without a sense of dread in the caster when his line 

 exceeds the length of his rod, lest on the back cast he 

 fasten his flies in his own ears this, and the power to 

 control at will the course of the struggling fish with an 

 implement adequate to any possible emergency, yet im- 

 posing on its user not one ounce of superfluous labor 

 these are the desiderata in a fly-rod. Every material 

 has its elastic limit. Keep within this, and anything 



