44 SEA-FISH. 
opposite conditions, will find a few particulars on 
the subject of modern hand-lining in the next 
chapter. 
The first consideration is the rod itself. The 
main requirements of the sea-rod are 
strength and lightness ; and the great diffi- 
culty that must present itself to the tyro about to 
purchase his rod is the matter of length. In this 
particular, sea-rods have undergone some strange 
changes. A very little travel on the coasts of 
continental countries shows us that the rod had 
its origin in sea-fishing on rocky coasts. Near 
Gibraltar and near Naples, you may see the natives 
Long using enormous bamboos, 20 ft. in one piece. 
rods The reason for this is obvious. Although 
the water is usually of a depth sufficient for pur- 
poses of fishing right up to the foot of the cliffs, 
just as it is round a large part of the 8,000 miles 
of Australian coast, there are generally small out- 
lying rocks to clear ; and it is with this object that 
the long rod is used. A case is found in the 
Channel in the Admiralty Pier at Dover, on the 
western parapet of which, owing to the position 
of the angler, it is impossible to fish with com- 
fort with anything under 15 ft, 20 not being 
amiss. When the rod came into general use 
among amateurs in salt water, say about 1887, it 
was also the fashion, whether fishing from boat or 
picr, to use a long bamboo rod, often wholly out 
Short Of proportion to the needs of the case, 
rods From that, opinion veered round, as it so 
often does, to the opposite extreme, and it became 
the correct thing to fish with those short rods 
of 6 or 7 ft, of which there are a variety ot 
patterns still in vogue. For boat-fishing, especi- 
