NOTE 41 



a brand of repute would be gratefully received by anglers. Casts 

 tor fly and bottom fishing were mostly made of such horse-hair 

 as is indicated in his clear recommendation, and in many dis- 

 tricts of Derbyshire and Yorkshire, especially, there were horses 

 that were widely famous among anglers for the perennial supply 

 of superlative horse-hair they yielded. There are modern anglers, 

 however, who still swear by hair as against gut. A horse-hair 

 strand, to handle and to look at, is two or three times thicker 

 than the finest gut. But it is opaque, does not show the 

 glitter of gut, and has a something in its composition which pre- 

 vents the accumulation round it of minute globules. In other 

 words, the contention of its supporters is that, although appar- 

 ently coarser than gut, it is less discernible to fish in the water. 

 The hair cast in fly-fishing requires more careful handling than 

 gut, being more liable to snap with unfair usage. For all practical 

 purposes, therefore, these easts have been superseded by gut, 

 drawn and undrawn. Single hair casts for roach-fishing are stOl 

 in favour on the river Lea, where what is called the "tight line" 

 is used. 



The main points of Blakey's advice as to fishing-rods may be 

 accepted as they are written, and it is somewhat noticeable that, 

 writing as he did, at a time when salmon-rods of eighteen feet and 

 twenty feet were supposed to be indispensable, he suggests imple- 

 ments of shorter lengths. Modern anglers have gradually worked 

 up to his idea, and in America salmon-rods are very frequently 

 not more than twelve feet long. Although the advice tendered, 

 therefore, holds as regards the salmon-rod, I should recommend 

 the angler not to attempt a ti-out-rod so long as twelve or fifteen 

 feet. There is no necessity for one so trying in a day's work ; the 

 ordinary length for trout-fishing in the present day is ten feet six 

 inches. A tall strong man, who is not afraid of wrist- or backache, 

 may wield a single-handed rod of elevenfeet, or even twelve feet ; but 

 for everyday use there is no necessity whatever for such a rod as 

 tliat suggested by Blakey. The advance in English rod manufacture 

 since the chapter was written is immense. The Americans, no 

 doubt, led the way in producing a new type of rod, and, follow- 

 ing their example, the somewhat costly split cane has become 

 popular, and even whole cane (or bamboo) is being increasingly 

 fashionable for the larger rods employed in salmon or pike fishing. 



It wlU, however, be noticed that Blakey was aware of the 

 value of these whole cane or bamboo rods, although the length 

 he mentioned for minnow-spinning is at least five feet too long ; 

 but he apparently had not heard of the ingenions device of glueing 

 together hexagonal sections of cane, exquisitely jointed. In the 

 matter of lines, I have said that the pure horse-hair had had its 

 day, and that what he calls "oiled silk" was by Blakey recom- 

 mended as a more desirable material. The lines of plaited silk, 

 which are now used for all branches of fly-fishing, as well as for 

 general angling, are dressed after manufacture, and much depends 

 upon the efSciency of the dressing. The American and Canadian 



