Rod-making. 227 



low nine feet six inches, a contingency hardly possible 

 if you planned a ten foot six, or even a ten-foot rod. 

 If too stiff, before you proceed to weaken it, impress a 

 friend to hold the handle, hang a weight on the tip, and 

 put a good smart strain on the rod. If its curve is even 

 and true, thin the rod all over, except the upper part of 

 the tip. If it is not, mark the stiff places with a pencil, 

 and work them off. Get a true curve first before you 

 begin to think of reducing the rod generally, for with- 

 out this a fly-rod is an abortion. When present, you 

 will know the strain is diffused equally, and that each 

 inch is contributing its best to the general integrity of 

 the whole. When you think the golden mean between 

 stiffness and flexibility is reached, if circumstances per- 

 mit fasten on a few rings temporarily, rig your line, and 

 go out on the grass, or on top of the house any place 

 where you can get a clear range and try its casting 

 powers. If you can borrow a good rod, or secure the as- 

 sistance of a friend who has one, try first one and then the 

 other alter if need be, and try again; be patient and 

 painstaking, and I shall be much mistaken if you do not 

 turn out a very respectable rod, even at your first effort. 



Finish with sand-paper, first No. 1, afterwards No. 0, 

 turning the joint constantly, while you rub the sand- 

 paper longitudinally. Get a good smooth finish, for it 

 will save much time and trouble in varnishing, and is 

 essential if you wish the rod to look well. 



If the material of which the rod was composed were 

 perfectly homogeneous, and without ferrules, strict ad- 

 herence to our diagram would give the desired result. 

 But such is never the case. No two pieces of wood are 

 alike, even though from the same tree. Much less then 

 can this be the case when the rod is composite in char- 



