i8 THE DRY-FLY MAN'S HANDBOOK 



to 14 oz. The weight of the rod alone is 8 oz. 

 14 drams, and with a suitable reel and line is i6f oz." 

 " For the purpose of comparison we will take a 

 9 ft. 6 in. rod 6 oz. 6 drams in weight of practically 

 the same balance. Now this rod with the same reel 

 and line mounted for use weighs i4|- oz. If we 

 balance this rod at the centre of the grip we have to 

 add 16 oz. to counterbalance the leverage in front. 

 From this it will be seen that the heavier rod has 

 2 oz. less leverage in front of the hand than the 

 lighter one. This shows clearly that the 'Halford' 

 rod, although much the more powerful of the two, 

 is the easier rod to fish, and less tiring than the 

 lighter one." 



Mr. Hardy sums up the proposition as follows : — 

 " Where the weight of a rod can be reduced with- 

 out impairing its efficiency something has been 

 achieved. Some little reduction in weight, due tra 

 improvement in material and the use of lighted" 

 metal fittings, is quite practicable. With some men, 

 however, the notion of light rods seems to be quite 

 a mild sort of mania, and to such an extent is this 

 carried that short rods of '2^ oz. are actually in use. 

 These rods can undoubtedly place a fly within reason- 

 able distance of a fish, and it may rise to the fly and 

 even be hooked, but here the trouble begins. This 

 little bit of bamboo has really become the thick end 

 of the line, and on a river you must follow Mr. Trout 

 I wherever he cares to lead, and woe betide you if 

 there are snags or dangerous roots at the sides. The 



