278 MR. BL ACKER'S SALMON-ROD. 



long summer's day. I approve of double brazing, 

 as this prevents trouble and danger in breaking 

 the tongue in the socket, when taking the rod to 

 pieces, and the brazings should fit air tight. 

 With such a rod the reel-line should be either 

 thirty or forty yards long, with what we term a 

 contracted reel, as the line will be found to run 

 off much more easily from its lying close together. 

 The casting line should be three yards long, and 

 composed of gut of fineness in proportion to the 

 size of the flies you fish with. The salmon-rod 

 should consist of four joints. The butt should be 

 of the best- grained solid ash ; the second and 

 third joints should be of well-seasoned hickory 

 without a flaw, and the top joint should be made 

 of bamboo, and, in my opinion, the whole length 

 of the rod should not exceed eighteen feet. The 

 butt and middle piece to be very powerful, to 

 prevent it from being top-heavy. The joints to 

 be double-brazed, having large and strong rings 

 from butt to top, that the reel-line may run 

 through them with ease. Proper rings besides 

 prevent the line from prematurely wearing out. 

 Prepared silk, and silk and hair lines are undoubt- 

 edly the best for casting. The former are more 

 lasting ; but the latter will be found the best for 

 throwing a line straight and far." 



My third authority consulted on rods is Mr. 

 Little, of 15. Fetter Lane, rod-maker to His 



