248 Fly-rods and Fly-tackle. 



strain is brought upon the rod, is altogether ignored. Let 

 any gentleman have one of his rods, especially if it has 

 already taken a set, cut immediately above the handle, 

 and a short, well-fitted simple ferrule inserted to reunite 

 the divided portions, and then try it for one campaign. 



Of course, to bring the rings above, but half a revolu- 

 tion of the butt joint in the handle-ferrule will be re- 

 quired, and the line will then wrap in a long spiral half 

 way round the butt joint. Now if, in reversing the rings 

 to underneath the rod, the precaution be taken always 

 to reverse the motion as well, so that the line will then 

 lead straight to the rings and not wrap all the way around 

 the rod, it (the line) will be found to render equally well 

 in either position of the rings. And unless the teachings 

 of over twenty years' practical experience are delusive, 

 the more particular he who tries it is in regard to his 

 tackle, the more certain he is to adhere to it ever after. 



Fifteen years have elapsed since the foregoing was 

 written, during which I have wooed the wily trout or 

 salmon from Labrador to Alaska. During this time, 

 except at infrequent intervals, and for a few trial casts 

 by request, no fly-rod, either for trout or salmon, with- 

 out an independent handle has been used by me. If I 

 praised its merits before with the spirit of an advocate, 

 I now extol them with the zeal of a missionary. Given 

 two rods of equal excellence, one with and the other 

 without an independent handle, both properly used, and 

 the first will still be young and sprightly long after the 

 other is decrepit and passe. 



During these peregrinations, often far into the wilder- 

 ness, many other anglers have been met, usually encum- 

 bered with a bundle of rods as large as a small water- 

 main. My whole rod outfit two butts, three middle 



