306 Fly-rods and Fly-tackle. 



trout streams. The only practical recourse is, then, to 

 cut off the dowel from the male ferrule, replace the fe- 

 male ferrule as before, and use your rod without the 

 dowel, until you can put it in the maker's hands. 



If the dowel seems part of the metal of the male fer- 

 rule, as is generally the case in fine rods, you must file 

 or saw it off only as a very last resort. It is usually 

 only united to the ferrule by soft solder, and if you heat 

 it well you can unsolder and remove it without injury. 



Some rods, however, are mounted with ferrules the 

 bore of which is smaller at the mouth than within. In 

 such the dowel is absolutely indispensable, since it alone 

 steadies the end of the entering joint and prevents it 

 from shaking. I cannot but think this a vicious con- 

 struction, if for no other reason, because it offers not the 

 slightest advantage over the cylindrical ferrule, while a 

 break of the kind under consideration at once disables 

 the rod beyond immediate repair. 



NOVICE. One other question : bamboo is so dense and 

 flinty that I should think it difficult successfully to mend 

 such a rod by splicing. Am I correct in this ? 



ANGLER. Partly so. Tips may be repaired without 

 difficulty, and a break in the upper portion of the second 

 joint is not hopeless. But I have never been able to 

 make a splice stand in the lower half of such a rod, though 

 I have tried repeatedly. The splices must then be made 

 extra long, and well scored ; and with this the user must 

 rest content until he can replace the broken joint by a 

 new one. His rod will then hang together and can be 

 fished with, but he will find its action so impaired that 

 its use will give little pleasure. Does any other question 

 occur to you ? 



NOVICE. No, I think of nothing more. 



