CASTING THE MINNOW. 411 



methods are essentially and practically different, and re- 

 quire implements and tools commensurate with this differ- 

 ence. 



While the fly-rod is willowy and long, the minnow-rod 

 is short and comparatively stiff; the fly-line is rather heavy 

 and of large caliber as compared with the minnow-line, 

 which should be as fine and light as possible, consistent 

 with strength. The artificial fly is cast by the weight of 

 the fly-line and suppleness of the rod, while the weight of 

 the bait, and swivel or sinker, give the necessary momentum 

 for casting the minnow. The fly is usually cast overhead, 

 directly in front of the angler, while the minnow can only 

 be cast, for any great distance, to one side or the other, or 

 obliquely, by underhand casting. 



MINNOW TACKLE. 



THE MINNOW ROD. The rod for casting the live min- 

 now should be shorter and stiffer than the fly-rod, but of 

 about the same relative weight; for it, like the fly-rod, is 

 a single-handed rod. It should be from eight to nine feet 

 long. Eight and a quarter feet is the standard length 

 that I have advocated for many years, though the manu- 

 facturers, in order to suit all tastes, now make this style 

 of rod from eight to nine and a half feet long. It should 

 weigh from eight to ten ounces, no less and no more. It 

 should be well balanced, with a stiffish back, to insure good 

 casting, but pliable enough to respond to the slightest 

 movement of the fish. Most of the bend and play should 

 be in the upper two-thirds of the rod, which bend should 

 be a true arch, and not a horse-shoe curve, as is often seen 

 in a poorly-constructed and weak-backed rod. The best 



