46 SEA-FISH. 
leads of over a pound at the outside, the ideal 
rod lies in my opinion somewhere between the 
tarpon- and salmon-rod, and I have long found 
a three-joint rod of Io ft., made for me by Little, 
a very sporting article. The butt and first joint, 
of bamboo, measure respectively 41 and 40 ins. ; 
the top, of lancewood, measures an inch short 
Acom- Of the last, and there is a spare top of 
promise only 25 ins. making an excellent stiff rod 
of 8 ft. 10 in. for pollack, or, when attainable, bass. 
If a little additional expense is not objected to, it 
is advisable to buy two rods at, say, a guinea 
apiece, one like the above—or the ro ft. “ Farne” 
rod sold by Hardy—for boat- and ordinary pier- 
fishing ; the second, of 16 or even 18 ft. for ex- 
ceptional cases. Do not pin your faith to what is 
known asa “general” rod. A jack-of-all-trades of 
this kind is an abomination, so far at least as sea- 
fishing goes, and I understand that it is equally 
objected to in fresh water; it is a makeshift under 
all conditions, and never exactly the right thing. 
Having decided on the length of the rod, one or 
Rubber tWO points remain which are of great im- 
knob on portance in ‘sea-angling. The simplest of 
the butt these, which may be dismissed with a few 
words, is the additional comfort derived, especially 
when standing up in a boat, from the addition of 
a soft rubber knob to the extremity of the butt, 
which can be rested in the hollow of the thigh when 
playing a heavy fish, a practice that would not be 
comfortable with the usual wooden or metal ex- 
tremity. If added when the rod is purchased, the 
‘cost of this improvement should at most be 
nominal ; indeed, many sea-rods are supplied with 
it ready, 
