The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-04-21

them skillfully aud trailed them temptingly
over the big pool where you saw some
kindly three-pounders lying comfortably
near the bottom swishing their tails lazily
from right to left and left to right. Then
your rod hegins TO grow heavy and heavier
and when you went back to camp and Law
down 10 have smack and pipe, your arm
felt sore and your shoulder lame.
That is what a 16-ounce rod did. The
day of l6-ounce rods is happily past. The
first light rod that reached the west was
called the Leonard and it was made some-
where up in Vermont. 1t was made of
greenheart or ash and lance wood, in three
joints. 1t weighed Z ounces, and is was a
beauty. The only trouble about it was that
the first time you used it you were opt to
break it. Il was so light that you miscal-
culated your force when you were whip
ping lively pool. Or if you didn't break
1t that way you did when you tried to
check your first fish after its first fierce
run. Otherwise 1t was as near perfect, so
II seemed in those benighted days, as a
rod could be.
But they are making lighter rods now.
There are several makers Of bass rods from
"a to feet long that weigh ) TO ounces
and there is a trout rod that weighs only 434
ounces, or less than ounces with the reel
and line. To anglers, not fishermen, this
means something. The sngler fishes for
sport. the fisherman for fish. The angler
would rather land 2-pound trout with q
5sounce rod after an hours struggle than
catch a creel full with Bounce rod. In
the former case every plunge, every jump,
every sulk and every rush means danger to
the tackle and defeat. 1t requires general
ship, skill and patience TO land fish with
light tackle, and that is sport Of the right
sort.
The common run of bass rods, however,
are from to 1919 feet long, and weigh
from s to ~ ounces. The light rods are ex-
ceptional, because the men who can use
them TO advantage are exceptional.
One OF the novelties this year, in addition
to the $4-ounce rod, is the steel rod. 1t has
a celluloid-wound h0nd-grasp, and it costs
from 81 to SIS, depending on style and
finish. When the steel rods came out first,
two or three seasons ago, they were not
looked upon with much favor by anglers
although they were well enough received ty
fishermen. They we're too heavy and too
safe. They eliminated from the sport that
personal risk which a true angler loves, be-
cause it gives ii fish a chance for his lie.
But this year they are making lighter rod
with which lighter tackle is used and while
the rod may be safe, provided man doe
not hook a whale, the tackle 10 not, nor
either is the angler sure of landing his fish,
even if be saves his tackle,
We are promised before the season is over
an aluminium rod. Think Of it, An alum
inium coin the exact size of a silver dollar
does not weigh any more than a silver dime.
A small aluminium reel, 40 yards Of trout
line and all weighs less than 2 ounces. They
ought to make an aluminium rod that would
weigh less than ounces with reel and lice.
1t would be expensive, but it would be
worth 1t to use it one single day when the
wind is in the west, in the old mill creek up
in Sullivan county,
AS usual the favorite woods for rods are
lance, greenheart, ash and bethbera. Moth
ing has YET been discovered that eXcels
lancewood for tips in solid wood rods.
Several years ago some one, who was more
of a sportsman than a judge of wood
started cedar wood rod craze. 1t lasted
short time only. The difficulty was that
the rod always broke at the joint. The
ferrule prevented the perfect curve in the
rod and there the break was sure to occur.
If cedar rod could be made out of one
piece of wood from tip TO reel plate it
would be great sport to try it, but it would
require far more than ordinary skill to land
q big fish with it.
1t is difficult to suggest any improve
ments in the way of split bamboos, which
are the most satisfactory rods that have vet
been made for general use. This years i'm
provements consist chiefly in reel plates
guides, fsrrules and handgrasps. These are
made lighter aud stronger than ever be-
fore One of the greatest Innovations is a
reel plate that is so SIMPLE that you would
naturally think that the man who invented
reel plates must have been blind not to see
1t. 1t fits almost any kind of a reel and
holds it lmmovably in place.
1t is told down in Indiana that young
man lost the cashiership Of big bank be-
cause of defective reel plate on his back
bass rod. He was paying teller ia the bank
I'D no DC Ht
was July a with the president of the bank,
who was a man of hard and rigorous pietY.
He never swore out loud in all his life, aud
he baited his hook with prayer so they
said. The young man and the old man were
knee deep in the White river at Dennis
ford, as the sun YVES going down on rip
pie, that was alive with bass. little monthed,
red,eyed black bass. The young man tossed
out yellow club minnCw-they did use
flies in those days-aud a 5-pounder snapped
at i5. The young man let him run until he
stopped to turn it around in his mouth and
swallowed it; then he struck and the big
fellow was of in jiffy, lt was nip and
tuck for five minutes. The old man dropped
his work to give advice that was unheeded.
just as the bass made his second great leap
out of the water the young man checked
him and then the reel plate loosened and the
reel fell into the water
What the young man said the next two
minutes could not be printed in the Sunday
NelOS, but it lost him his prospective job.
It is true that he now owns a great -four
mill in Minneapolis and that he is mill
ionaire and that be owes IL all to that days
fishing, but nevertheless lie never used
defective reel plate since. He probably will
buy one of this new style as soon as they
make their way out west. He certainly
will if he cares as much about fishing as be
did tweuty-odd years ago.
You can buy split bamboos all the way
from IS upward. But you can't get first
class split bamboo for less than S25, and a
$50 rod is twice as good as S25 one. A
fine split bamboo will last lifetime with
proper care, and it will always be 10 condi-
ton provided the owner takes decent care
of it. They are making fly bamboos this
year that weigh 81 ounces, which, with
the aluminium reel, brings the total weight
to about 8 ounces Think Of it, II Izaak
Walton had had. an outfit like that he
rrohahIv would be fishing vet