246 I CO A -FISHING. 



was able to reach any point within a hundred feet to lee- 

 ward with the tail fly. 



I pause a moment to describe the rod which I was 

 using. 



The weight, length, and material which are best suited 

 to a rod will depend wholly on the circumstances under 

 which it is to be used. I find on counting that I am 

 possessed of eleven rods, and I have used every one of 

 them more or less. Dismissing all but such as are suited 

 to trout-fishing, I find some which I use more than oth- 

 ers. One is a strong rod, thirteen feet in length, weighing 

 ten ounces without the reel. I use this rod for black 

 bass and for trout when fish are large and plenty, and I 

 desire to kill as many as possible within a limited time. 

 A heavy rod properly handled will kill a large trout 

 quicker than a light one, but carelessly handled is much 

 more likely to lose the fish. The next two rods are fac- 

 similes one of the other — a light seven-ounce rod, twelve 

 feet long, made with the utmost care by an experienced 

 fisherman, each joint thoroughly tried, and the whole rod 

 subjected to every proper test before it was regarded as 

 complete. The tip bends to the butt, and flies back to a 

 straight line. With one of these light rods I have during 

 five years' use killed many hundred pounds of fish in 

 Europe, Asia, Africa, and America; and I would not part 

 with either of them to-day for a hundred times its cost. 

 They were made by Mr. Thaddeus Norris, of Philadel- 

 phia, an accomplished angler, and author of one of the 

 best fishing-books we have. These two rods are for all 

 kinds of fly-fishing, on lake, river, or brook. I have one 

 Xorris rod lighter still for occasional use. 



The English fishermen do not, as a general rule, like 

 our American light rods, and it is true that on their own 



