96 FLIES, FLY-DRESSING, ETC. 



thirteen feet, made as supple as they usually are. 

 And even in rods of the same stiffness, a couple of 

 feet extra length will not enable the angler to throw 

 much further from him. For supposing he is using 

 a line twice the length of his rod, he will have four 

 feet extra length" of line and two of rod, in all six 

 feet. But then the rod in casting is never held 

 straight out, but at an angle of about forty-five 

 degrees ; the line also makes an angle with the water, 

 so that five feet is the utmost additional command 

 of water gained, and this is much more than counter- 

 balanced by the facility of casting with the small rod, 

 and by its lightness ; two feet extra length in a rod 

 entailing at least a half more weight. 



It is quite common among anglers to suppose 

 that a twelve-foot rod will command twice as much 

 water as one of six feet, but this is an error; and 

 in order to explain this, it is necessary to consider 

 in what the casting power of a rod consists. The 

 first power in the casting of a line is the force with 

 which it is urged forward ; thus, if the angler uses 

 a great amount of force, his line will go further than 

 if he uses a less amount. The forward motion is 

 communicated to the line by the point of the rod, so 

 that upon the rapidity with which the point of the 

 rod moves through the air depends the motive 

 power applied to the line. We think the point of 

 a six-foot rod may be sent through the air as fast as 

 that of a twelve-foot one ; and, therefore, if the angler 

 was standing on an elevation of six feet, he could 



