FISHING .RODS. 83 



as ever, lead the world. The anglers of America, and of Eu- 

 rope, are under a lasting debt of gratitude to our skilled 

 rod makers, for their efforts in this direction. In order to 

 become convinced of the justice of these remarks, it is only 

 necessary for the veterans of the gentle art to take a retro- 

 spective glance, and compare the rods of a quarter of a 

 century ago with those now turned out by our best makers. 



BLACK BASS FLY RODS. 



There are anglers, of course, who will always prefer bait- 

 fishing for Black Bass ; and, moreover, with the present 

 short, light, and graceful " Henshall rods," rapid-running 

 reels, lines of small caliber, and approved hooks, bait-fishing 

 is indeed a pleasure; and the highest branch of it, minnow- 

 casting, is the baccalaureate degree of angling, next only 

 in degree to fly-fishing, which is the M. A. (Master of An- 

 gling) of the gentle art. 



The tool of first importance for fly-fishing is the fly-rod, 

 and fly-rods have been much shortened during the past few 

 years. The fly-casting tournaments of the National Rod 

 and Reel Association have demonstrated that the long and 

 comparatively heavy rods of a decade ago were a mistake, 

 as better work has been done with shorter and lighter rods. 

 I have experimented a good deal in this direction during the 

 past five years, and am now convinced that for Black Bass 

 fishing, the fly-rod, if constructed of the best materials, 

 and made in a first-class manner, should not be less than 

 ten, nor more than ten and a half feet in length, and should 

 weigh from seven to eight ounces (with reel bands instead 

 of a metal reel-seat). 



To be more explicit, a rod weighing seven and one-half 

 ounces, and measuring ten and a quarter feet in length, is 



