28 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 



rectly proportioned. It possesses strength combined 

 with lightness, resiliency, pliancy, power and balance 

 in greater degree than either steel or solid woods. 



Formerly anglers and rod makers could draw fine 

 distinctions between male and female Calcutta and 

 Tonkin " canes," but under present conditions good 

 Calcutta is very rare and the word " Calcutta " is be- 

 coming merely a trade term. Good bamboo of all 

 kinds is more difficult to obtain and a good piece of 

 Tonkin is better than an indifferent one of Calcutta. 

 Male Calcutta, however, is supposed to be superior 

 to either the female or Tonkin. The cheapest split 

 cane is known as steel vine or African cane. It is light 

 colored and makes up into good, inexpensive fly rods. 



Six STRIP AND EIGHT STRIP 



We assume that you know that bamboo is split and 

 then glued together in order to utilize the hard outer 

 enamel and reduce the diameter of the pieces. Some 

 rods are made of bamboo split into six sections (hex- 

 agonal) and some in eight (octagonal) but the six 

 strip construction is more often used. Some makers 

 claim that the eight strip, being more nearly a true 

 cylinder, possesses better action but this seems to be 

 more theoretical than practical, while the tiny tips of 

 an eight strip rod are likely to be " soft " due to the 

 comparative amount of glue necessary to hold the 

 pieces together. Eight strip rods cost more than the 

 six strip and if the angler wants a round rod they are 

 preferable to the six strip planed down as planing cer- 



