The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1888-10-13
FISHING TACKLE.
The Manufacture of Rods, Hooks,
Lines and Flies.
implements of Destruction in
Use by PiScatorial Artists.

tfOCO-e IL tahCS 70 Inlhc SOOu JAM DOo
fishing rod. The bamboo is imported
in big cargoes from Calcutta, India.
The wood has to be we'll seasoned, and
for two weeks the bamb boo il dried by
steam. The rod is then split into six
lengths and ut'into three sections, and
again dried for two weeks. The spliced
pieces are glued together, and it stays
in the glue for a month, and is then
wrapped with silk.
1t is afterward jointcd with ferrules.
Then it goes through the vanishing
process and receives four coats, each
coat of varnish being given week to
dry. The pole is afterward given butt
or handle of ash, celuloii or pearl, and
ut the end of about three months and
when the pole has gone through the
hands of six workmen it is finished.
The rod must be plant as coach whip,
bending from butt to tip. Many poles
are ruined in the process Of manufacture.
The price of split bamboo poles runs
from Sc to $50, but poles have been
known to cost almos. $aCO where the
ferrules and mounting were silver.
The next best rod to the bamDo is
made Of Lakewood. The wood, which
is very heavy, is brought from South
America in spars. The rod maker has
the spar sawed up. Lakewood must
have good seasoning and frequently half
Of it is dead loss. When the rod has
been trimmed and turned by machinery,
it is sand papered and cut into three or
four sections and jointed; then it is
ferruled, wrapped with silk or linen
thread and vanished three times. The
lancewood rods cost from 81 to $40
The cheap rods are made of ash and
other common woods with three joints.
brass ferrules and can be bought Is low
as 81 dean.
Almost all til, hooks used in this
country come from England, although a
factory at New Haven, Conn, is turn
ing out big amount of hooks. But
they cannot compare with the English
hook. That the English fi.hhook is the
best is due to the finc!y-tempered steel
from which 1t is made. The English
hook won't snap off ike the American
hook. There is no steel equal to it
made in this country and it costs too
much to import the English Steel aad
make the hooks here for the American
market.
All the English hooks are made in
Redditch, dirty looking little town in
Worcestershire. just over The county
border from Birmingham. There is no
hotel in the town, which is almost hid
den in day by the smoke from the seven
fsh-hook factories of the place.
More than nine hundred people of little
Redditch are every day kept busy
n.aking fish hooks and needles. The
fnely-tempercd steel is rua out into long
wire. Different machinery cuts AID
>arns the wire into fish hooks of all
e,zes and thousand hooks are turned
out every working hour.
limerick hooks used to be popular
Sith fishermen, but the old town on
lrelands west coast is now making bu.
few fish hooks for tho world. The
price of some fish hooks is but % cents
a thousand, while SEA has been paid for
a thousand superb Eagiish hooks.
The man ufactu-e of fishing lines is no
small industry in tbs country. The
best line is male of silk, oiled and
wrapped linen line come next, aud
there are a hundred different grades of
both the silk and linen lines. Many of
the reels are costly, but reel can be
bought for any price between % cents
and $50.
All the silkworm gut used in making
leaders is imported from Sweden, and
tho cork floats are sent here from Eng.
land. The wooden floats are made in
this country and cost about half as much
as cork floats. The United States manu-
features all its own fishing flies, which
are madc from feathers, silk and wool,
and are shaped and hucd to represent
all kind o. flying insects; and there are
a dozen ether things used by anglers
that keep many hands busy making.
More fishing tackle is sold in the
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