The Angler’s Page 
Which Will Contain, During the Summer Months, Suggestions 
on the Construction, Selection and Care of Tackle—Rods—Part I 
HE angler’s most prized posses- 
sion is invariably his rod, or, 
more properly speaking, his col- 
lection of rods, for most enthusiasts 
own as many rods as they can afford— 
oftentimes more than they need. The 
reason for this is quite apparent. A 
good rod has a personality not found 
in any other article used by anglers or 
sportsmen in general. Reels, lines, 
flies, even golf clubs and guns are 
purely mechanical in their function 
and practically always perform their 
work in the same manner, under all 
conditions. With a rod, however, it is 
different. By reason of its re- 
siliency and power, it responds 
to the angler’s every move. 
Should he desire to places his 
flies ten feet farther into the 
next riffle, he may do so without 
moving from his position, for 
the rod has that added power 
in reserve, merely awaiting the 
will of the angler. 
In a collection of a dozen rods 
of exactly the same length and 
weight, it is scarcely possible to 
find two having precisely the 
same action. One will have a 
stiff butt joint, another a par- 
ticularly powerful second joint 
and so on, again illustrating the 
personality element. 
Regardless of the kind of fish- 
ing an angler intends to engage 
in, he can find a rod to suit 
him in almost any modern 
tackle shop. This was not true 
two decades ago, when most of 
the rods used were made by hand and 
were very costly. Due to modern 
_ methods of manufacture, rods may now 
be purchased costing from half a dol- 
lar to half a hundred dollars and even 
more. 
eR more costly ones are still made 
by hand and in most cases are well 
worth the prices charged for them. It is 
only in the fine examples of hand-made 
rods, created by a mere handful of 
American and foreign workmen, that 
balance, action and other virtues, ap- 
proximating perfection, are found—yet 
it is entirely possible to take as many 
_ fish, in the course of a day or a season, 
, On a five dollar rod as it is on one of 
_ these works of art. 
The materials used in rods may be 
By W. J. SCHALDACH 
divided into three classes: solid woods, 
steel, and’ split cane, or split bamboo 
as it is usually called in this country. 
HE popularity of rods made of the 
various native and foreign woods 
has decreased gradually as better man- 
ufacturing methods have made possible 
good rods of split bamboo and steel at 
reasonable prices. However, there are 
still some fine rods made of bethabara, 
greenheart, washabra and other woods 
for those who prefer wood rods. 
Greenheart is probably the _ best 
material for a solid wood rod, although 
The curve is symbolic of life. 
contour typifies action and beauty. 
The rainbow, an evanescent thing limned 
against the sky for a few brief seconds, lends 
a motif for heroic design. 
expresses in the construction of bridges. 
Is it not probable that the inspiration for the 
violin scroll came from the fern frond, ten- 
derly unfolding to greet the semi-light of the 
bracken embracing some long forgotten tarn? 
The secret of the rod’s beauty,ethen, is its 
Plot the arc of a full bended rod and 
you will behold at once beauty .of a high 
curve. 
order, strength, suppleness and service. 
Equipped with so sympathetic an adjuvant, 
the angler may well fare forth a contented 
man. 

good greenheart is really rare. There 
are some excellent greenheart rods made 
in the British Isles, but when they are 
imported here, they seem to go to pieces, 
due to our drier climate. The worst 
feature of a wood rod is its tendency 
to warp out of shape. It is almost im- 
possible to keep the original straight- 
ness. Wood rods are heavier than split 
bamboo rods of equal length. Their 
action is somewhat slower, less power- 
ful, and their strength is not equal to 
the latter rods. 
] eae oD is inferior to green- 
heart, washabra or bethabara. It 
is soft and does not possess the tensile 
strength of any of the other rod woods. 
Quite recently I saw some beautiful rods 
Its subtle 
In the graceful arc 
of a shore line, man finds rhythm which he 
made of a comparatively new material 
known as Black Palm. It grows in 
South America, and the wood is fibrous 
and extremely dense. 
JERS rods I examined were very 
powerful though quite heavy. The 
chief objection to this material would 
be the weight and the difficulty of work- 
ing it, due to its hard stringy grain. It 
certainly has more strength than any 
other rod wood. There is very little to 
say concerning the merits of native 
woods when used for rod construction. 
Hickory, ash, ironwood, etc., all prove 
inefficient in the matter of 
strength, lightness and quick- 
ness of action. 
Steel rods are very popular 
with anglers who desire an in- 
expensive rod for all around 
work. Not much can be said in 
favor of steel fly rods. They are 
heavy, whippy and almost al- 
ways have a nasty “double 
kick” in the second joint. How- 
ever, very satisfactory bait and 
bait-casting rods, made of steel, 
can be obtained. They are a 
good deal heavier than rods 
made of other materials, but on 
the other hand, they will stand a 
lot of hard knocks and will not 
warp out of shape. 
When all other rod materials 
have been considered, split bam- 
boo still remains pre-eminent. 
Nothing has ever been dis- 
covered that combines lightness, 
resiliency, quick action and 
great strength to the degree inherent 
to this material. The cane from which 
split bamboo (as we know it) is made 
is a variety of grass that grows in the 
Orient. It is quite straight and does 
not have such large knobs as _ those 
found on ordinary bamboo. Years ago, 
most split bamboo rods were made of 
a variety of cane known as Calcutta. 
This material was always indicated by 
a series of charred markings at inter- 
vals of a few inches and showed in the 
finished rod. 
Wee the past fifteen years, how- 
ever, a kind of cane known as 
Tonkin has been found to have qualities 
that make it superior to Calcutta. 
Practically all present day rods are 
made of Tonkin cane, because of its 
271 
< 
