February, 1918 
FOR E S T A N D STREAM 
91 
A HOME-MADE ROD UNDER TWO OUNCES 
LIGHTER TACKLE DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN FEWER FISH, BUT IT DOES 
MEAN THAT THE ANGLER MUST SUBSTITUTE FINESSE FOR MUSCLE IN THE GAME 
By EDWIN T. WHIFFEN 
The reel is inserted in the forward slot and held in place by thrusting in the key 
T HE demand for lighter and ever 
lighter tackle is a hopeful sign in 
the angling horizon. Contrary to 
common opinion, this tendency does not 
necessarily mean fewer fish; it does mean 
greater skill in their capture, however. It 
means that the angler approaches more 
nearly to an equality of conditions with his 
prey, and must substitute finesse for 
muscle in the game. Any such tendency is 
welcome, as it indicates refinement and 
civilization in sport. 
With such an idea in mind, although I 
have a split bamboo, which I made twenty- 
three years ago and which is still as good 
as ever, I subjoin a description of two 
rods recently made, the one fly, the other 
bait-casting. 
The fly rod is seven feet, three inches 
in length over all; its weight, with handle, 
one and one-half ounces. It is practically 
unbreakable by the antics of any ordinary 
fish. I have run the line through the 
guides, had my son play fish, and struck 
and yanked, until the rod bent to the 
handle; and, when the strain was released, 
the rod came back, straight as ever. 
The material con¬ 
sists of six strips of — • —- 
Japanese bamboo, 
taken from an old 
porch screen—weath¬ 
ered and weather¬ 
beaten, until hard as 
bone. Each strip was 
carefully tested at 
one end. If it broke 
with difficulty, and 
with a long splinter¬ 
ing fracture, it was 
taken; any, not com¬ 
ing up to this stand¬ 
ard, was rejected. 
The strips are 
slightly over six feet 
long. The diameter 
measurements are: at 
the butt, where fitted 
into handle, 5-32 of 
an inch; half-way up, 
3-32 of an inch; at 
the extreme tip, 2-32 
of an inch. The taper 
is true from butt to 
tip, following quite 
closely the grain of 
the bamboo. It is 
practically an eight 
or an eight and a 
half foot rod, with 
the butt eliminated; length is decreased, 
but action is not lost, as ill most rods 
there is a foot, or a foot and a half, of 
the lower part of the butt which is too 
heavy and stiff to have much pliancy. 
The guides are what I pride myself on 
especially—aluminum, with crystal agate 
centers. They are extremely light, cheap, 
easily made, equal to agate in action, 
handsome, and, unlike German silver, non- 
tarnishable. Herewith I subjoin, the 
method of making them, feeling that many 
another angler likes to experiment, and 
make as much of his outfit as possible. 
For ten cents, at the toy shop, you can 
buy a box of “kindergarten beads,” hun¬ 
dreds of them, in all sizes. One variety is 
dark agate in color, with white center, the 
kind to use. With a file, or on a grind¬ 
stone, reduce them to the desired thinness, 
and round off the outer sharp edges. Some 
pieces of aluminum, wire and sheet, are 
the material for encircling and protecting 
the bead center. Select your beads of de¬ 
creasing sizes for the successively smaller 
standing guides toward the tip. Most rod 
makers think they have done something 
■~1 
x—Flat portion of aluminum; 2—edges rolled to receive bead 
ready for boring; 4—shanks split, ready to bend; 5—finished 
in making tip guide; 7—tip guide, ready for boring; 8- 
wonderful, if the rods have a first and tip 
agate guide. This method enables you to 
equip your rod entirely in this manner, to 
its increased beauty and efficiency, at a 
cost not to exceed twenty cents. And 
then you have almost an unlimited supply 
for more, whenever you need them. 
W E begin with the tip guide. Take a 
piece of aluminum wire, two inches 
long, and having a diameter of, say, 
four or five thirty-seconds of an inch. 
Hammer one end, until you have a flat¬ 
tened round portion, about the thickness 
of heavy cardboard for a visiting card, as 
shown in the picture. 
On this lay the bead which you have 
prepared for the center of the guide. With 
sharp scissors, carefully trim the edges of 
the flattened portion, leaving plenty of 
room for folding the edge over on the 
bead center. 
Remove the bead, and, with a pair of 
small, light pincers carefully 'work the 
edges of the flattened part up until the 
bead will just nicely slip inside and fit. 
Now carefully work the edge, which you 
have just raised, 
down over the bead, 
until it is securely in 
place, with a solid 
back of aluminum on 
one side, and a ring 
of aluminum on the 
other. This is most 
delicate; but, if you 
work carefully, it can 
be done without 
cracking the bead. 
Now turn the pros¬ 
pective guide with the 
aluminum back up¬ 
permost. With a 
small, sharp - pointed 
knife blade, carefully 
drill a hole through 
the aluminum right 
over the hole in the 
bead, and cut the 
aluminum away on 
both sides till you 
have a neat ring sur¬ 
rounding the bead. 
With a small file 
shape and smooth the 
entire guide, giving a 
taper to the shank; 
Do not take off too 
much metal; you will 
(see page 123) 
; 3—bead enfolded, 
guide; 6—first step 
-finished tip guide 
