Fishing Rods 139 



be desired, for proper modeling will insure perfect balance 

 and pliancy. 



Many kinds of native and foreign woods have been tried 

 and experimented with to produce a rod perfect in action, 

 such as cane, ash, hickory, maple, basswood, ironwood, 

 hornbeam, cedar, barberry, bamboo, memel, lanoewood, 

 malioe, greenheart, bethabara, noib, snakewood, dagama, 

 service-berry, etc. For black bass rods, however, both for 

 fly and bait, it has been found that split-bamboo, ash, 

 lancewood, bethabara, and greenheart are the most suitable 

 woods. 



Ash. — For butts of rods there is no wood so suitable 

 as good, close-grained, second-growth white ash. It is 

 straight-grained, light, springy, and strong, and in some 

 kinds of rods it is also available for second pieces or joints, 

 having a springy " snap " possessed by no other wood. 



Lancewood. — For second pieces and tips, lancewood, 

 when of good quality, stands pre-eminent, being close- 

 grained, tough, and extremely elastic, with sufficient re- 

 siliency for small Joints. It is used for tops, or tips, more 

 universally than any other wood, on account of its superi- 

 ority over all other varieties for this purpose. It is rather 

 heavy for bu.tts, though often used for this purpose, some 

 fly-rods being constructed entirely of this fine wood, mak- 

 ing very durable and beautiful rods, with a good action, 

 but still rather heavy for most anglers. 



Greenheart is next to lancewood for tips, and for sec- 

 ond joints is preferred by many ; it is somewhat heavy, and 

 quite tough, and spring5^ Many rods are made entirely of 

 this wood, and are excellent, too, by the way, but rather 

 heavy for the admirers of light rods. It certainly forms 

 a handsome rod, when nicely polished, and is capable of 

 good and hard service. In England it is a favorite wood 

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