120 AMATEUR RODMAKING 



under 4% ounces will be admitted to the four- 

 ounce class, and one just under 5^4 ounces to 

 the five-ounce class, if each has a metal reel- 

 seat. The length limit is 1 1 J^ feet. 



Five-ounce tournament rods are usually 10 

 feet long and much stiffer than rods made ex- 

 clusively for fishing, but they are pleasant to 

 fish with, particularly on windy days, with a 

 heavy double tapered line. 



Heavy single-hand tournament rods that are 

 admitted to the open-to-all trout fly contests 

 are limited only in length, to nj^ feet, but 

 may be any weight. In the East these seldom 

 weigh more than 10^2 ounces and are gener- 

 ally ii feet long, but in the West n feet 5 

 inches is a favorite length, and some rods 

 weigh as much as 13 ounces. These are ex- 

 tremely stiff, and they are powerful enough to 

 lift 100 or more feet of heavy tapered line out 

 of the water. 



The grasps are 12 to 15 inches long, and 

 the rods taper from about J^ inch at the grasp 

 to 7-64 at the top, with long and heavy split 

 or serrated ferrules. These vary in caliber, but 

 are about JH* and % inch in diameter. The 

 middle joint is heavy and tapers very little at 

 the lower end. 



