Encyclopaedia Britannica > Volume 3, Anatomy-Astronomy

150
ANGLING.
Angling made use of. When the streams are brown with rain, an
orange-coloured fly is good ; in very clear weather a light-
coloured one ; and a dark fly is advisable for troubled wa¬
ters.
Though a great deal no doubt depends on a quick eye
and an active and delicate hand, we are no great advo¬
cates for what is called striking a fish. If a large trout
rises in a deep pool, it may be of advantage so to do; and
this will be sufficiently accomplished by inclining the rod
quickly aside, so as to draw out a few inches of the line;
for if the reel is not allowed to run, this operation is apt
to snap the gut, or otherwise injure the tackle. But if a
trout, whether great or small, rises in a current or rapid
stream, the sudden change in its position, immediately
after it has seized the fly, is generally quite sufficient to
fix the barb, without any exertion on the part of the
angler.
A variable state of the atmosphere is bad for angling;
but neither is a uniformly dull gloomy day the most fa¬
vourable. It is scarcely possible to lay down any general
rules on this branch of the subject. We have half filled
a pannier during an electric hail-storm, when “ sky low¬
ered and muttered thunder,” and the aspect of the day
was such as to deter more experienced though less zealous
sportsmen from leaving the shelter of their homes. If the
river is not too low, we always prefer what in ordinary
language might be called a fine cheerful day, more parti¬
cularly if there is a fresh breeze. And what we would
more particularly press upon the notice of the angler, as
soon as he becomes master of the line, is, that he should
cast his flies more frequently than is the usual practice,
and, generally speaking, fish rapidly. This should be
more especially attended to in streams where the trout
are numerous and not large.
Before enumerating and describing the different kinds
of artificial flies in greatest repute, we shall mention a
few of the principal materials used by the fly-fisher. The
articles which he employs in common with those who pro¬
secute the other branches of the trade, are of course rods,
hair and gut lines, reels and hooks, panniers and land-
ing-nets ; but in addition to these he must be provided
with a great variety of feathers, such as the slender
plumes called hackles, from the necks and backs of com¬
mon poultry, and the wings of a considerable number of
birds, such as woodcocks, snipes, rails, plovers, ducks,
grouse, partridges, and others. The furs of quadrupeds
are also indispensable; and of these the most useful are
hares, squirrels, moles, martens, mice, and water-rats.
The most esteemed hackles are the duns. The red,
striped down the centre with black, and the red with a
blackish root, are likewise useful, and more easily ob¬
tained. Since the introduction of Spanish poultry (by
which name are designated the black breed with white
tops), black hackles are now more common than for¬
merly. The proper time for plucking hackles is about
Christmas. The feathers of the ostrich and peacock are
of frequent service; and for salmon and sea-trout the
gaudy plumes of parrots and other brilliantly attired fo¬
reign species, however unlike the generality of our north¬
ern insects, ought to be collected by every fly-fisher.
The silks commonly used by the angler are of three
kinds :—lst, Barbers’ silk, used double, for splicino- the
top-pieces of rods ; 2dlg, a more delicate kind, for fasten¬
ing on the rings through which the reel-line runs; 3dlu,
fine netting silk for whipping hooks and dressing flies!
When we mention a pair of small pliers, fine-pointed scis¬
sors, needles, and wax, we have noted the principal mate¬
rials for the angler’s trade.
In regard to rods, their length and formation are so
much matters of individual taste, that few general rules
can be laid down upon the subject. According to Da- AMu,
niel, the wood should be cut about Christmas, and allowed'^v^,
to season for a twelvemonth. Hazel is very generally
used, especially that from the cob-nut, which grows to a
great length, and is for the most part very straight and
taper. The but-end should rather exceed an inch in dia¬
meter, and the shoots for stocks, middle pieces, and tops,
should be as free from knots as possible. The tops are
made from the best rush ground shoots. All these pieces
should be kept free from moisture till the ensuing autumn,
when such as are required to form a rod are selected;
and, after being warmed over a gentle fire, they are set
as straight as possible, and laid aside for several days.
They are then rubbed over, by means of a piece of flannel,
with linseed oil, which produces a polish, and brings oft' the
superfluous bark : they are then bound tight to a straight
pole, and kept till next spring, by which time they will be
seasoned for use. They are then matched together in due
proportions, in two, three, or more parts, according to the
desired length, or the opinion of the maker as to the num¬
ber of pieces of which a rod should be composed. A well-
constructed spliced rod of no more than two pieces casts a
line with fully as much force, neatness, and accuracy as
any other; but it is inconvenient to a traveller, or to any
one whose dwelling is not close upon a stream. If the
pieces are not ferruled, they must be spliced so as to join
each other with great exactness. The principal object
to be kept in view in the formation of rods in general is,
that they should taper gradually and bend regularly. A
frequent defect is their bending too much in the middle,
owing to that part not being sufficiently strong.
We have said that the length of a rod is rather a mat¬
ter of taste than of established rule. It must, however,
bear a relation to the size of the river and the nature of
the expected capture. A trouting rod is usually made
from 12 to 14 feet in length, though some prefer them of
greater extent, as giving more command over lakes and
spreading pools. It should be made as light as is con¬
sistent with strength and durability, as a heavy rod is
cumbersome, fatiguing, and unwieldy; and a light one
gives a more ready power in casting under hollow banks,
or among trees or bushes. For pike and barbel a proper
length is 16 feet; for perch, chub, bream, carp, eels,
and tench, a shorter rod may be used; and 8 or 10 feet
is sufficient for dace, gudgeon, ruff, bleak, &c. The port¬
ability of a rod depends of course on the number of
joints; but its excellence being almost in the inverse ra¬
tio, care must be taken not to sacrifice its goodness mere¬
ly for the sake of a convenient form.
According to Mr Bainbridge, the best rods are made
from ash, hickery, and lance-wood; ash for the bottom
piece, hickery for the middle, and lance-wood for the top-
joints. If real bamboo can be procured of good quality,
it is preferable to lance-wood. Ilose-wood and partridge-
wood ti om the Brazils may also be used for the top-pieces.
I he extreme length of the top-piece is usually composed
of a few inches of whalebone. The rings for the reel¬
line may be made by twisting a piece of soft brass-wire
lound a tobacco-pipe, and soldering the ends together.
ey ought to diminish in size as they are made to ap-
proach the top, and must form a straight and regular line
with each other when the rod is put up for use.
In finishing a rod the usual varnish is copal varnish, or
Indian rubber dissolved over a slow fire in linseed oil. It
may be stained by a dilution of nitric acid or oil of vitriol.
When rods are stored for the winter, after use, they ought
to be rubbed over with tallow or salad oil. As few anglers
require to make their own rods, we deem it unnecessary
0 entt’1 int° a Ml detail of a mechanical practice which
can only be sufficiently executed by an individual of pro-