INTRODUCTORY. 



My son, according to well-known authorities, 

 fishing with rod, hook and line was first undertaken 

 immediately following the flood. It was common 

 pastime in the Trojan age and prevailed in the time 

 of the Romans. 



Several hundred years ago the jointed rod, wooden 

 reels, and home-made lines were used by those devoted 

 to the art of angling. There were not so many 

 enthusiasts then as now, our ancient friends having 

 among them the humanitarians who decried the 

 killing of fish. As the world progressed and man 

 became broader in his ideas and students of the art 

 gave out the virtues which it possessed in book form, 

 the devotes became more numerous. As their number 

 increased and the interest in angling became more 

 intense, it was established that long life, pleasure and 

 skill, followed its indulgence v and improvements in the 

 implements employed were manifest. In this advanced 

 age, when the individual is inclined to live at a rapid 

 pace, endeavoring to do in a day what was formerly 

 accomplished in a month, the exhaustion, nervous 

 depression and impaired condition physically which 

 follow, prompt him to seek for that relief which will 

 rejuvenate. The desire to shun the crowded city, to 

 drive away business cares, to play wth nature in her 

 simplicity, has, in fact, enlisted a mighty army of 

 anglers. They camp by the river, lake, or sea, and 

 include men, women and children. The mother of 

 invention has provided material alike for the use of 

 those skilled in the art and the novice who "fishes for 



