The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1917-06-29
sPLIT-BAMBoo BAIT-cAsTiNo ROD

My Dear Buck:
Without doubt, old-timer, the one
piece rod Is the ideal bait caster, but
when 1t comes to totipg it around, 1t
Is the unhandiest article one could
find in years travel. You simply
cannot tote 1t along on trip without
the haunting fear that someone will
assist you to break it, but once on the
water with little old one-piece split
bamboo rod, it shows up like four-of-a-
kind after lean run. For the perma-
nent fishing camp or the chap that is
lucky enough to live right close to
good fishing waters, there Is no bet
ter rod than the one-piece.
For the two-piece rod there Is but
one style of construction that should
be considered, and that Is the short
butt and long tip. A rod Of this kind
comes the nearest to having the same
amount Of action and strength as the
one-piece rod as the ferrule Is set well
down below the center, allowing the
strain to be distributed equally and
giving the bamboo chance to spring
without being stiffened by ferrule,
and the action killed. This short butt,
long-tip construction gives you a snap
by rod that shoots out the cast without
unnecessary strain on the wrists and
arm. In selecting a rod Of two-piece
construction, side-step the rod with
the ferrule directly In the middle, the
point of greatest strain In landing a
fish.
Three-Pieee Handy to Garry.
The main thing In favor of the
three-plece rod Is the fact that you can
stick 1t in suitcase and carry 1t with
out any bother. Every place you put
ferrule on a rod kills that much
more resiliency In the bamboo. The
| ferrule Is unbendable and at that point
comes the break when the load on the
bamboo is too severe, this Is hun
dred to one shot and you can play 1t
clean across the board and never take
chance on your money. Although
serrated ferrules are used In the more
expensive rods, they cannot eliminate
the severe strain which generally
causes the rod to break either right
above or below the ferrule. Even at
that, the three-piece rod Is stronger
than the two-piece rod when the fer
rule on the latter Is In the middle.
Early In the bait-casting game the
rods were generally made either four
or four and q half feet in length, but
as the sport grew In popularity, they
stretched them up to six and half
feet, making all stops between. 1t Is
matter of personal choice as to length,
probably the most popular size being
the five footer. This makes q rod that
has a good swing to 1t and still car
ries enough backbone to hold the big
ones, and at the same time Is long
enough to give fine play In landing the
fish. For overhead casting while sit
ting In boat, the five-footer makes an
ideal size, and is about right for dis
lance casts. Split-bamboo rods aver
age about an ounce to the foot, and
at that rate q five-footer would only
tax your wrists to the tune Of five
ounces, which isn't such a great old
load to toss around during the days
fishing.
Fittings for the Rod.
The fittings of the rod are an impor-
tant feature-they not only add to the
life of the rod but also IL of the right
kind. add to casting qualities, and ev-
cry little help to lessen the effort and
work of casting makes quite a differ
ence In a few hours fishing. The fer
rules should be Of German silver
they are stronger and better made
than the brass ferrules which are gen.
orally nickel-plated, and many de-
feet CON be hidden under a coating Of
nickel.
The selection of the hand grip, as
to style, lies between the single and
the double grip. After a days cast
ing with the double grip you will won
der how you ever got along without 1t.
1t is far more comfortable to fish
with, the upper grip giving you
firmer and easier hold on the rod In
reeling in the line, and at the same
time eliminating the cramped position
of the left hand. If you have never
used the double grip, old man, treat
yourself to a good thing and select
that style In your next rod. In the
way of material the solid cork grip,
which Is really made of a series of
cork washers, makes the finest grip In
the game and 1t sure has soft feel to
the hand.
OF course you will want a locking
reel seat, the majority of rods have
them anyway and who wants to throw
his reel into the drink right at the
time when he has a chance to hook the
big one. Finger-pulls are going q lit
tie into the discard, but 1t is no dis
grace to have one on your rod, and
ut that Ii assists the short-hngered
caster to maintain better control over
his casts. II you feel that you will
have better control over your rod
with the finger pull, get it-you're the
fellow IN suit not the innocent by