The Angler’s Workshop.—II. 
Fishing Rod Making for the Beginner 
By PERRY D. FRAZER 
Fishing Rod History — Continued. 
I N an attempt to choose between double en¬ 
ameled hexagonal bamboo and octagonal 
bamboo, the former may safely be given 
preference. In an octagonal rod the butt and 
middle joint are stronger, provided the caliber is 
large, but eight-strip tips consist of so much glue 
and so little cane that they will not withstand so 
much hard usage as will the six-strip stock and 
frequently give way at the ferrules, particularly 
if the parts are carelessly twisted. 
On the other hand, the gluing of double enamel 
hexagonal strips is partially protected from 
moisture, and if properly made a double enamel 
rod is strong and powerful. Besides, this method 
; is a simple one, and double enamel strips are 
easily made in several ways, the common forms 
being to plane two strips of rectangular section, 
glue them together and then plane as in a single 
• strip,* the other to make a strip of triangular 
section, then plane off the apex of the triangle, 
glue another strip to the base and plane this 
down. 
In Fig. io the dotted lines show the form of 
' the completed section, and the shaded lines the 
enamel. In Fig. n, a is the outer strip with 
apex of triangle planed off; b, second trip glued 
1 to a; dotted lines c indicate section of finished 
strip. 
It does not follow that, because some rods are 
I made with double enamel, that it is the better 
: method. If first class bamboo is used, and the 
strips are well made and perfectly fitted, noth¬ 
ing can surpass the plain hexagonal rod; but 
the difficulty of obtaining good bamboo is great 
and is increasing, and it is not always possible 
to get material thick enough to make perfect 
triangular sections without resorting to the 
double enamel process in butts and joints. Many 
rods are now made the centers of which are 
hollow because of this difficulty of getting 
material thick enough to make all strips per¬ 
fectly triangular in section. 
It can be said with perfect safety that six- 
strip split bamboo is to-day the favorite fishing 
rod material in the United States. More rods 
of this sort are used in fly- and bait-casting for 
fish and in tournaments than all other materials 
combined. They are even replacing solid wood 
to a certain extent in salt water fishing. Many 
great factories have been working steadily to 
their full capacity for several years, turning out 
split bamboo rods for the markets of the world, 
and the best of them have been for a long time 
and are now far behind with their orders. It is 
a good trade, that of a first class fishing rod 
maker; one in which steady employment is certain. 
While our British friends are still experiment¬ 
ing with rod materials, using cane and wood and 
steel in combination, our makers are plodding 
along with their work, turning out the best hand 
made split bamboo rods the world has ever 
known, and satisfying their patrons. In years 
they have not added to their rods any features 
of startling importance, but they have instead 
constantly endeavored to produce perfect rods, 
until to-day the best hand made rods are indeed 
works of art, yet powerful and durable withal. 
Only one change from the regulation six and 
eight-strip rods is prominent. This is a method 
patented several years ago by the late Fred D. 
Divine, consisting in twisting the six strips 
slightly while the glue is still fresh, so that the 
joints are spiral, the theory being that a rod so 
treated is stiffened and that the work does not 
fall on the upper and lower strips alone, but on 
each one of the six. The method is highly spoken 
FIG. 10. FIG. II. 
of by anglers, and I myself have used such a 
rod with pleasure and success. At one time I 
tested two fly-rods that were exactly alike in 
length, caliber and weight, one spiral, the other 
plain six-strip. They were held on a table side 
by side while a half-ounce weight was suspended 
from each tip. The spiral rod sagged very little, 
whereas the other drooped four inches lower. 
The steel rod, that has become so popular in 
the Middle West and South for hard use, is now 
popular for bait-casting. 
On salt water bethabara, ash-and-lancewood. 
dagama, lancewood and greenheart are the 
favorite materials, although, as stated above, 
split bamboo is coming into more general use. 
In fly-casting there has been very little change 
in types of rods during the past decade, but in 
bait-casting a complete change has taken place, 
and to-day the bait-caster’s methods are more 
nearly like those of the fly-caster’s than ever 
before, in that both use artificial lures in prefer¬ 
ence to live bait wherever success is at all pos¬ 
sible. Both are working toward finer tackle and 
are following more sportsmanlike methods in 
fishing as a pastime. 
Until quite recently angling for game fish in 
fresh waters consisted in casting the fly; in cast¬ 
ing with medium weight rods and minnows or 
other live bait, sometimes attached to a spoon 
or spinner; in still-fishing with minnows, worms, 
grubs or other insects; in trolling with live or 
artificial lures. There were other forms, but 
these will suffice for the present. Nearly all 
rods were long and heavy. In order to make 
one of these, skill of no mean order was required, 
and amateurs who made attempts were more 
often disappointed than satisfied. 
Then came the change in the methods of using 
the bait-casting rod. Extremists went from rods 
of eight and nine feet to those of six, five, four, 
even less than four feet in length, but as time 
passed and experience has been gained, many of 
them have settled on five or six feet as a very 
satisfactory length for the superb little rods with 
which they cast a long line and some form of 
artificial lure, using a free-running multiplying 
reel. 
It is possible to make these new rods as light 
and almost as graceful as the trout fly-rods. 
Angle worms and live minnows and doodlebugs 
are no longer considered necessary by way of 
lure, and the methods of the bait-caster may be 
made as cleanly and as skillful as those of his 
brother of the fly-rod. 
Fishing Rod Materials. 
There are many anglers who are fond of doing 
things themselves, and to such of them as fancy 
bait-casting, the idea of making their own rods 
appeals strongly. And while it is beyond most 
of them to make a passable rod nine feet in 
length, such as was used years ago, there are 
very few persons possessed of ordinary skill who 
cannot make a short rod of the type that is popu¬ 
lar to-day. 
To give assistance to those who would like to 
try this fascinating pastime is the purpose of this 
book. I disclaim any scientific knowledge in the 
art. Rather, I have simply plugged along at the 
work, making mistakes and correcting them, 
doing things topside down, perhaps, as a pro¬ 
fessional rodmaker might say, but attaining the 
end sought, after a fashion, in time. 
During the past decade I have made almost 
every tvpe of rod, and have worked snlit bam¬ 
boo. dagama, lancewood. hickory, ash. green- 
heart, washaba (bethabara), jucara prieto and 
other materials, but in no part of mv rodmaking 
have I had anv better facilities for working 
rapidly and easily than the average busy man 
commands, hence I feel easy in my mind in tell¬ 
ing the beginner how he can do this and that 
part of the work, for I am giving the results of 
my own experience, backed by the sage advice 
of some of the best known professional and 
amateur rodmakers and anglers, to many of 
whom I am greatly indebted for friendly criti- 
c : sm in my efforts to assist beginners. 
One thing which this slow and methodical 
hand work has taught me is this: To take ad¬ 
vantage of everything which will simplify the 
work of rodmaking and finishing. I would have 
you bear this in mind in reading the chapters 
that are to come. Some of my methods may 
seem clumsy to those of you who have access 
