70 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Feb. 21, 1884, 



several occasions, when^tbereVwas a deficiency, 1 had to con- 

 tent myself with bare potatoes." "Among the families there 

 were seven old people, four males and three females, the 

 oldest ninety, the youngest seventy-six," This giving away 

 has been Mr. Wilson's constant practice since ever I became 

 acquainted with him. I never knew him to sell a fish. Your 

 correspondent seems to have a suspicion that he was wrong- 

 ing my friend when he prefixes the word "probable" to the 

 offensive term, and I regret that it has found an entrance 

 into your genial journal. T. P. D. 



Caroill. Ontario. 



THE DOWEL PIN IN FLY-RODS. 



Editor ForcHtund Stream: 



Mr. "Couples" has my thanks for his suggestions in ref- 

 erence to the article on "Leaders" in your issue of the 7th. 

 It is hoped soon to give the results of further experiments in 

 that direction, when his suggestions will be considered. 



But uow r missionary labor is in hand. 



A short lime since a well-known rod maker, while admit- 

 ting that the use of dowels on the joints of fly-rods, and the 

 excessive length of ferrule necessitated thereby, was a dis- 

 advantage, declared that the fault lay not with the makers, 

 but in the prejudice of the buyers, who would not purchase 

 a rod otherwise made. 



To combat this prejudice, if it exists, and to provoke that 

 discussion which is the life of progress, are the purposes of 

 this article. 



Since the value of an opinion bears some relation to the 

 experience and competency of him who gives it expression, 

 it may not be out of place to say, that for the last twelve 

 years I have made every article I use in fly-fishing, excepting 

 lines and hooks, and including ferrules and rods of almost 

 every attainable material, including 6-strip split bamboos. 

 That T have also made ten quite protracted trips, armed with 

 rods and ferrules so made, to the Rangeley region of Maine 

 and beyond, and have handled therewith many vigorous 

 trout from 7 pounds 2 ounces down. 



First — It would seem an elementary principle of fishing 

 lore, that a one-piece rod without any joints whatever, would 

 be the most uniform in action and efficient in use. But 

 convenience of transportation, since it is given to but few 

 To cast the fly except at a distance from home, precludes 

 such a rod. Nevertheless it is the ideal rod, and the nearer 

 it is approached the better will be the result. So far there 

 will be little difference of opinion. 



Certainly the chief feature to which the merit of such a 

 rod is due, is the absence of stiff and inelastic places therein. 

 Its bend is uniform from one end to the other. This oan be 

 approached in a jointed rod only by reducing the inelastic 

 portions to a minimum; or, in other words, by shortening 

 the ferrules to the utmost extent consistent with safety. If 

 this is so, it is conclusive that the dowelled ferrule is, in this, 

 inferior to one without dowels, since not only must the ferrule 

 itself be longer, but it must be capped at the junction of the 

 ferrule and joint as well, thus further prolonging the unbend- 

 able portions of the rod. 



Second — Though little complaint can now be made of the 

 prices asked for good rods, considering the really elegant 

 workmanship displayed and the great difficulty and expense 

 of obtaining'fit material — a difficulty and outlay not justly 

 appreciated by the uninitiated — still the purchaser might 

 with propriety wish the benefit of any diminution of cost, 

 which neither impaired the value of the rod nor lessened the 

 already reasonable profit of the maker. 



The dowelled ferrule and its mate practically consist of 

 two ferrules, one cap for female ferrule, metal dowel fitted 

 to end of joint, wooden dowel within, and on which the 

 metal dowel is fitted, boring out recess to receive dowel, and 

 lining same with metal. 



The simple ferrule and its mate are two pieces of plain 

 tubing, one fitted to enter the other. As the male ferrule in 

 either case may or may not be capped, such cap is not in- 

 cluded in the above e»umeratJon. '. 



Therefore it is clear that as far as cheapness of production 

 is concerned, the dowelled ferrule is at a disadvantage. 



Third — It will not be questioned that a large majority of 

 breakages take place at the ferrules. Nor will facility of 

 repair 'be lightly valued by anyone, who has once met with 

 this accident when distant from the repairer, and after a con- 

 siderable journey to his favorite stream. 



To repair on the ground, in camp, or at such lodgings as 

 trouting regions usually afford, presents these difficulties, 

 If the break is above the male ferrule, it becomes necessary 

 to shorten the rod by the length of both dowel and ferrule, 

 to say nothing of extracting the broken wood from the metal 

 parts', and the nice fitting required to make even a temporary 

 success of the job. If the ferrule is secured by that abomi- 

 nation, a pin, the difficulty is increased. It must be borne 

 in mind that not only must the wooden spike, upon which 

 the metal dowel is to be placed, be made central and in line 

 with the axis of the rod, but it must fill the metal nearly or 

 quite its whole length and also fit tight therein. Otherwise, 

 in the first case, the rod will not come together so as to be 

 safe against that .most disgusting mishap of throwing apart; 

 while, in the second case, when the rod is unjointed, the 

 metal dowel will remain behind in its socket. 



Again, shortening a favorite rod between the butt and 

 second joints by two inches or more, will so change the 

 action as to make its owner fairly sick at heart. 



On the other hand, if the rod breaks below the ferrule, he 

 is even more helpless; for aside from ridding the ferrule and 

 cap trom the broken portion, how is the tapered hole to be 

 bored to receive the dowel? Yet unless this is done some- 

 how, the dowel will strike against the end of the joint within 

 the ferrule, and the male ferrule, if it enter at all, will not 

 do so sufficiently to permit the rod to be used. 



Again and again have I known the accident to occur, and 

 never knew it to be remedied short of some kind of a shop; 

 while, except in a few rare cases and with common rods of 

 little value, it has been a case of immediate quarantine and 

 subsequent hospital treatment by a professional rod doctor. 

 » But if a rod provided with the simple ferrule is so broken, 

 a few matches softens the cement which retains the ferrule 

 in position, the broken piece is pushed out and the ferrule 

 replaced with the very minimum loss in length, and that by 

 the merest tyro in repairs, And in fifteen or twenty minutes 

 he goes on his way, if not rejoicing, still not a lit candidate 

 for a madhouse. Here surely the advantage is not with the 

 dowelled ferrule. 



Fourth— But it strengthens the rod : 



A sane man would hardly anchor a 16-foot cat boat with a 

 frieate's best bower anchor, though that would undoubtedly 

 strengthen that boat's hold on the bottom. And so, if with- 

 out the dowel and its complications the requisite strength 



can be obtained, it would scarcely seem common Sense to 

 retain it for that reason alone. 



^ Through ten trips in Maine I have used the plain ferrules. 

 That on the end of the butt-joint is scant two and one-half 

 inches long, and made from metal of the thickness of an ordin- 

 arily heavy visiting card, considerably thinner than any other 

 make of ferrule that I have ever noticed on a flyrod. Yet I 

 am unsparing in my demands upon a rod. When the Sep- 

 tember sun is just, about to vanish behind the hills of West- 

 ern Maine, there comes a time when all that gambling spirit 

 which actuates enterprise in man. takes possession of that 

 angler so fortunate as to be on the ground. He wants no 

 third or fourth prize in the lottery. His casts are for the 

 first, or at least a good second — five pounds, no less, will 

 pass; w 7 hile if beneath the water there is any sense whatever 

 of the fitness of things, it is the plain duty of an eight or ten 

 pounder to offer. 



At such an appointed time, and it is brief at best, minutes 

 are precious, and a two and a half or three pounder— any- 

 thing which it, is humanly possible to derrick with the tackle 

 in use — is reeled in and got rid of without the slightest cere- 

 mony, and with the reverse of thanks for his attentions. I 

 have done my share of this with ferrules, as describe. .1, and 

 never yet has oue bent or given way. It is to be borne in 

 mind that before a tube will bend it must collapse, and if 

 the lod is so put together that the ends of the joiuts within 

 the metal aro close together (say one-eighth to oue-sixteenth 

 of an inch, which is quite ample to allow for wear) it is 

 plain thai to bend the ferrule will require a power almost 

 equal to the tensile strength of the metal itself, a strain to 

 which, in use, no fly-rod is ever even approximately subject. 

 It weuld, therefore, appear that in this particular the simple 

 ferrule, properly constructed and applied, is practically 

 quite the equal of its dowelled rival. 



Fifth — It strengthens the rod! And this is the only asser- 

 tion in its favor 1 have ever been able to elicit. 



But is this assertion true? 



I believe that it is not only false, but that the direct con- 

 trary is the truth. A ferrule may be able to endure any 

 possible strain with impunity, while the rod to which it is 

 applied may be as brittle as a pipe stem. Of course the 

 weakest point in the rod measures the strength of the rod. 



This is just, the case in point. 



A dowelled ferrule in itself is undoubtedly stronger than 

 a simple ferrule, but the rod to which it is applied is weak- 

 ened thereby, and is not as strong as it would be were a 

 simple ferrule of proper construction substituted in its place. 

 The strain brought on the unyielding metal is localized and 

 concentrated at its extremities. The ferrule and its mate 

 act as one single lever, in which the power is applied at one 

 end, while the fulcrum is at the other. It is elementary and 

 axiomatic that the longer the lever the greater will be its 

 power. If the weight to which the lever transmits its effort 

 (the timber beyond the ferrule), and that effort exceed the 

 strength of the fulcrum, the latter will surely be crushed, 

 i. e, ; the rod will break at the ferrule. 



This simple principle of natural philosophy seems to de- 

 monstrate that, other things being equal, the introduction of 

 any ferrule weakens a rod, and that a longer ferrule weak- 

 ens a rod more than a shorter ; since with equal pull at the 

 tip, more strain is concentrated at the end of a long ferrule 

 (or lever) than at the end of a short ferrule (or level'). 



It is a corollary to this that in all jointed rods the points 

 where the ferrules terminate are subject to a degree of strain 

 considerably in excess of the proportion due to their location 

 — or in other words, in excess of the strain imposed at the 

 same point under like conditions upon a like single-piece un- 

 jointed rod. 



Therefore fracture at those points should be more com- 

 mon than at others; and that such is the fact every one 

 knows, one theory tells us such should be the result— our ex- 

 experience shows such is the result. Therefore it would 

 seem the theory has stood the regulation verification by ex- 

 periment, and that it may be safely accepted as sound. 



A dowelled ferrule must of necessity be long. A sitnp.e 

 ferrule may and should be short. Wherefore it again ap- 

 pears the verdict must be against the dowel. How it first 

 came into use I think I can understand. At the compari- 

 tively recent period, when the American rod maker ceased 

 to be a -mere imitator of the English, and allowed his indi- 

 vidual ingenuity and brains fair play, each maker, of neces- 

 sity, made his own ferrules, bending the plate metal over a 

 mandrel,' and soldering the seam himself. Then placing the 

 tube so formed upon a tapered mandrel and the latter in his 

 lathe, he forced a steel roller against the nascent ferrule 

 while it revolved, and thus rolled it into shape and condensed 

 and stiffened the metal at one operation. To accomplish 

 this result it was requisite the ferrule should adhere to the 

 mandrel and revolve with it. This necessitated the use of a 

 tapered mandrel, so that the ferrule as it stretched and 

 shaped itself under the pressure, should always tit. snugly 

 upon and receive its motion from the mandrel. A tapered 

 ferrule was the result, one which, while it fitted its mate at 

 the mouth, was too large within. Something thereforewas 

 required to steady the inner end of the inserted joint, aud 

 to accomplish this the dowel-pin was employed. 



This was all very well in the then state of the art. But 

 why it should still survive, when in any city tubing of any 

 required size can be procured drawn inside and out; and 

 that, if ordered in quantity, cheaper than it can be made by 

 one not in the business, I am at a loss to conceive. 



If any one knows of any advantage the dowelled ferrule 

 possesses, I should be pleased to be instructed, for 1 can 

 imagine none. 



In conclusion I would suggest three points to the favor- 

 able consideration of those whose ideas and habits are not as 

 yet formed beyond change— all tried in many a contest, and 

 believed to be of value. 



Use a handle with a ferrule immediately above it — or, 

 better still, sunk into it— to receive the butt joint, the whole 

 so arranged that while the handle remains still the butt joint 

 can be turned readily so as to present the rings beneath or 

 on top of the rod. One handle will thus do for all single- 

 handed fly-rods, heavy or light. You can cast with the 

 lings underneath or above, while the reel always remains ia 

 its normal and only convenient position— that below the 

 hand and under the handle— and you can change from one 

 to the other as your fancy dictates. You can play your fish 

 in the same way, changing the direction of the strain in an 

 instant and a dozen times on the same fish if you wish. 

 Thus in ordering a new rod you will not only save the ex- 

 pense of a new handle and its furniture, but avoid the temp- 

 tation to use strong language when you find your old reels 

 will not fit. Again, your rod. even if of inferior material, 

 will always remain straight and uniform in action. 



ISText to discarding the dowel pin. I believe this to be the 

 most valuable improvement which can be applied to the fly- 



rod as at present made. 1 am aware this construction is not 

 altogether new; but it is uncommon, while its great merit 

 should make it universal. And even when employed, it is 

 not unfrequently regarded either as a mere ornament or as a 

 device to make possible a cheaper or lighter handle, while 

 its most important function (the ability frequently to reverse 

 the direction in which the strain is brought upon' the rod) is 

 altogether ignored. Let any gentleman have one of his rods 

 (especially if it has already taken a .set) out immediately 

 above the handle, and a short, well-fitted, simple ferrule in- 

 serted to reunite the divided portions, and then try it for one 

 campaign. 



Of course, to bring the rings above, but half a revolution 

 of the butt joint in the handle-ferrule will be required, and 

 the line will then wrap in a long spiral half way round the 

 rod. Now if, in reversing the rings to underneath' the rod, the 

 precaution be taken always to reverse the motion as well (so 

 that the line will lead straight to the rings and not wrap all 

 the way around the rod), it— the line — will be found to 

 render equally well in either position of the rings. 



And, unless the teachings of ten years' practical experience 

 are delusive, the more particular he who tries it is in regard 

 to his tackle, the more certain he is to adhere to it ever after. 



Second — Be liberal in the use of rings. If you seize a 

 piece of wood of uniform strength by the'ends and break if. 

 it does not give way where it is grasped, but at some inter- 

 mediate point. Aud thus with a fly-rod , By being liberal 

 in the matter of rings you diffuse the strain, go that though 

 its aggregate be great, yet at no place will it reach the break- 

 ing point. 



Third— Place a ring close to each ferrule and its mate; 

 i.e., so that when the rod is jointed a ring will be both above 

 and below the unyielding mettd, for thus, for reasons before 

 stated or implied, you lessen the danger of accident at those 

 points. 



I will throw in one more point for g90d measure and for 

 the benefit of those who don't already know and use it: 

 Always tallow or oil your ferrules and" then wipe them ad 

 dry as you can before jointing your rod. You will then 

 never be plagued by having the "joints stick and refuse tu 

 separate. This is of especial importance when the handle 

 hereinbefore recommended is used. 



The truth is, Mr. Editor, us anglers have fallen, or are 

 falling, into a rut, and are three-quarters asleep besidcSi 

 Occasionally some book on our favorite pastime appears 

 and the fraternity is momentarily galvanized ; but a speedy 

 relapse follows. We cannot fairly expect aid from the pro 

 fessional class to wake us up; if for no other ruason,, be- 

 cause if they tried it the effort would probably be misunder- 

 stood, Nor have, they, as a general thing* time for that 

 actual practical experience which teaches the defects of the 

 old and discovers the new. We business and professional 

 men, amateurs, whose only purpose is to share with others 

 the benefit and pleasure we ourselves receive and enjoy, can 

 do this. It is, aud must be, a labor of love. 



In a moment of impulse, perhaps of folly, I have thrown 

 my feather-weight into the scale. So far the result has not 

 been very encouraging, but hope is not yet quite dead. 



Is it possible that the great fraternity of fly-fishermen are 

 dumb, or are they ignorant, or is it because they show at 

 the writing table a degree of indolence and selfishness they 

 would blush to exhibit in the field? 



A comparison of the correspondence in your paper in ref- 

 erence to the art and implements of the angler with that in 

 reference to other sports is a standing shame and reproach 

 to every man who handles a rod. Let us hope for a better 

 future. Henry P. Wells. 



New York City j 



THE CHRONICLE OF THE "COMPLEAT 

 ANGLER."* 



THE scholarly fisherman is under many obligations to Mr. 

 Satchell for the complete and beautiful manner in 

 which he has reproduced the Library of Old Fishing Books. 

 The volume before us is a chatty discourse on the many edi- 

 tions of Walton and Colton's famous book, and is evidently 

 prepared by one who loves his task. The book is handsomely 

 printed, bound in half leather, Roxburghe style, and is one 

 that reading anglers will appreciate. In closing, it says: 

 "Fishers have increased and fishing books have multiplied, 

 but where is the fisher blest with such a 'heavenly memory' 

 as our Izaak, and where is the fishing book so rich in honor 

 and renown as his?' On royal and noble shelves — the brown 

 overcoat unscorned by the purple and splendor of courtiers 

 and dramatists and poets — there do we find you, little booK 

 'of eighteen pence price.' Shakespeare looks kindly on you ; 

 Bacon eyes you with a kindly smile; Sir Philip Sidney and 

 you are paired, in the" pairing of pastorals; Elizabetman wis- 

 dom and Elizabethian quamtness and pathos own you for an 

 equal." 



*The chronicle of the "Gompleat Angler" of Izaak Walton and 

 Charles Oolton. Being a Bibliographical Record, or its various edi- 

 tions and mutations. By Thomas Weslwood. A new edition, with 

 some notes and additions. bvThonias Satchell. London: W- Satchell, 

 19 Tavistock street, Covent Garden, 1883. (Price, 10s. Gd.) 



English Orayling pok the St. L\wkeaci-\— Mr. S. 

 Maltby, of Montreal, writes to the Star, favoring the intro- 

 duction of English grayling into the St. Lawrence River. 

 We do not know wherein this fish is superior to the 

 Michigan grayling, it is not as handsome. The letter says; 

 "1 attended the late meeting of the Montreal Fish and Game 

 Protection Olub, but my time being rather limited I did nul 

 have the opportunity of bringing before the meeting the im- 

 portance of introducing the English grayling into our noble 

 St. Lawrence, If this were done, it would be a great boon 

 to thousands of our fishermen who have not the opportunity 

 of spending a season in the Lower Provinces. _ The Old 

 Country grayling is not to be equaled lor pluck; it will rise 

 at the fly after being pricked with the hook, not once but 

 several times. In fact it may be considered a perfect bull- 

 dog, as it will hang on to the last, until it eventually succumbs 

 to The net. Tha St. Lawrence is about the same temperature 

 as the River Trent in England, with the exception thai it is 

 considerably colder in winter, but this would be no dis- 

 advantage, as the grayling generally selects the coldest. 

 streams and thrives "better in them. Once introduced into 

 the St. Lawrence, no fish would equal it as a delicacy of the 

 table, unless we except salmon. Trout in the Old Country 

 bring twenty-five cents per pound, the grayling thirty rents. 

 The grayling season commecces at the. close of the season 

 for trout, and we have in Canada three months of beautiful 

 fall, and in the winter season even the grayling comes in 

 within a few yards of the shore, thus affording the angler or 

 fly-fisher a delight seldom excelled. The fish will Tise at 

 the fly when the ice js twining down the river, The grayling 



