980 



FISHEEirS OF THE UNITED STATES. 



[156] 



Fishing rods. 



Exhibited by William Mitchell, of New York City, and entered for 

 competition : 

 Salmon rods ; five varieties. Trout rods ; twelve varieties. Bass 

 rods ; five varieties. 



"Trout fly rods: 



Grade. 



Length. 



Weight. 



Reel and 

 line. 



Leverage. 



No. 1 



Feet. 

 12 



m 

 ii 



10 



9i 



Ounces. 

 91 

 74 

 61 

 44 

 4 



Ounces. 

 61 

 5 



4f 

 31 

 31 



Ounces. 

 30 



No. 2 



26 



No. 3 



22 



No. 4 



16 



No. 5 



13 







" Salmon rods : 



Length. 



Weight. 



Eeel and 

 line. 



Leverage. 



14 feet 



Ounces. 

 17 

 26 

 28 

 30 

 35 



Ounces. 



194 



22 



22 

 22 

 22 



Ounces. 

 20 



16 feet 



47 



164 feet 



50 



17 feet 



64 



18 feet 



74 







u Split bamboo rods of the same class average from 1 to 3 ounces 

 heavier. (See ' Henshall's Book of the Black Bass,' or ' Forest and 

 Stream,' January 2, 1879.) 



" The average leverage, holding the rods at an angle of 30° from the 

 horizontal, is fairly two- thirds of the foregoing. Eod No. 1 is a standard 

 black-bass rod. Upon a No. 2 was caught and killed, without gaff or 

 net, a salmon which weighed 33 pounds. No. 3 is the ' standard' trout 

 rod at present in this part of the country. A ' standard ' rod of 1843, 

 made for Daniel Webster (sent in for repair), has also been tested : 

 Length, 12 feet ; weight, 17| ounces ; weight of reel and line, 7 ounces ; 

 leverage, 5 pounds. As the reel is above the hand, this rod of 1843 is 

 not so strong, nor will it stand work, nor can it cast as far as the 11-feet 

 standard of to-day. A 10-ounce rod is now almost as obsolete as that 

 one of 1843. 



"A fly rod of 11 feet in length, weighing 6£ ounces, having on it a No. 

 4 reel and line weighing 4f ounces (grip above reel, of course), the lever- 

 age is 22 ounces, that is, if the rod be held level ; upright, of course, 

 there is no leverage ; if the rod were held most of the time at an angle 

 of 45°, the average power exerted would be 11 ounces ; but the rod is 

 held lower, nearer 30°, and it is safe to say that, on such a light rod, a 

 power of over more than one pound and a half is constantly straining 

 on the muscles." 



