THE basses: fres h-w ater and marine 



The chief qualities required in a rod for sea 

 fishing are toughness, spring, and elasticity. It 

 should be silk-wound and have guides and tips of 

 agate or carnelian. The double bell-mouth guides 

 and a funnel top lined with agate are used on the 

 most expensive rods. 



For bait-casting in fresh water a lighter rod will 

 answer, its length and weight depending on the 

 work to be accomplished. A light pliable rod not 

 exceeding nine feet in length will be suitable for 

 fishing in shallow bays and lagoons, near river- 

 mouths, or in streams within tide limits. A two- 

 piece rod in ash and lancewood, with a length of 

 seven and a half feet and a weight of eight ounces, 

 or of split bamboo of lighter weight, can be used 

 with success. 



For fly-fishing a diif erent style of rod is needed. 

 Any good black-bass rod will prove effective in 

 striped-bass fishrag. For still-fishing, where the 

 fish are small, one may have fine sport with a plain 

 rod combined with a float and sinker and with two 

 hooks on gut leaders. For trolling, when the bass 

 are not too large, expert anglers often use a trout- 

 rod eight or eight and a half feet long and weigh- 

 ing from four to six ounces. 



Reels. — There is just as much variation in the 

 reels required for striped-bass fishing as there is in 

 the rods ; everything depends on the size of the fish 

 and the conditions surrounding it. Surf fishing, 



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