Casting the fly is essentially the same sort of art, whether it is east for salmon or for trout, and is the highest development of the angler's skill. It is no more difficult, perhaps, than easting the bass bait; but the delicacy of rod, line and fly required, place it at the head of all kinds of angling. In salmon fishing a two-handed rod of some twenty ounces weight is used, with one hundred yards of line, a stout single gut leader, and a large fly. In trout fishing a single-handed rod of ten to fourteen ounces, a leader of the most delicate gut. ten feet long, and never over eleven, and three small flies, are the proper implements. But the motion and method of casting the fly are in both instances essentially the same; and the man who can wield the pliant trout rod deftly, will in a few hours' practice master the stouter and more powerful salmon rod.

There are all sorts of fly rods manufactured, and each sort has its advocates. There is the stiff elastic rod, made of cedar or bamboo; the double action, made of ironwood and greenheart, and the tough, slow rod, made of ash, spruce, or hickory. The first is suited to the man of quick eye and hand, impatient of the slower motions of the others; the second is adapted to the deliberate fisherman, who goes on the plan that fish hook themselves; and the third is suited to the careless man, who will never acquire the higher development of his art, but wants something strong, that will not smash up on the first pound fish that startles him with its unexpected rise, and which he strikes "with all his might," and endeavors to "yank," without more ado, out of its native element. We do not mean in making the above distinctions of material, to say that each kind of rod may not be manufactured out of the wood spoken of, as appropriate to the other; but we only mention the materials as they are usually applied.

We prefer the spongy elastic rod, that sends the fly straight out, even directly against the wind, and which controls the line to the very stretcher fly, under all circumstances, and on all occasions. But to use such an implement requires strength, often the entire muscular power of an unusually strong arm. Where two fishermen are equally skillful, the strongest will invariably cast his fly the farthest. Let there be no mistake about this; in fly fishing there is not merely an application of delicate manipulation, but often the violent exertion of the utmost strength. It is the combination of the two qualities that wins. A line seventy feet in length is heavy, and the wrist and arm must be vigorous that can lift it from the water and send it out extended to its full length behind the fisherman. The difficulty is not so much in the forward delivery of the line as in recovering it, and the man who can clear the line well behind him, can usually send it out over the water with the help of the wind, that must favor him always to enable him to make a very long cast. In casting against the wind, the same strength is necessary, but it is expended on a shorter cast, and in overcoming the opposition of the wind while the line is being delivered.

A limber double action rod casts a line neatly and easily. It is the king of rods for short casts in moderate weather, and with the wind; but for rough work it will not meet the highest demands. The man of moderate muscles and sinews should stick to it, and the lazy mediocre angler will prefer it; but the ambitious sportsman, who wants to be "head of the heap," and do the best that can be done, who must cast over a "break to windward," or reach a promising spot a long way off, or jerk his fly under an overhanging branch if there is a hope that a trout lies perdu near the bank on the other side, and who demands a tool that will respond to his efforts, will condemn it as not up to the mark. Mr. Thaddeus Norris made his rods, which were of. the double action, with a ridge on each side, so as to give them more stiffness if they were held edge forward, but we were never convinced that this remedied the difficulty.

The great point in selecting a rod is for the angler to adopt the kind that is suited to him; get one that gives play to his best powers, and then stick to it. This is not an easy matter, and our readers will be fortunate if they succeed without many trials and much disappointment. There is always one rod that suits one man, and possibly there may never be another. The endeavor is to bring these together, and once joined they should never be sundered till death doth them part. But it is no easy matter for the fisherman to tell just when he has the rod that fits his body and mind. He gets accustomed to one, and a new one comes "awkward " to him for a time. At present prices they are expensive playthings, and only the richest gentleman can go on testing results at a cost of twenty five to fifty dollars for each experiment. We can only assist in the process by making such suggestions as we have offered above.

In winning matches in fly casting, and in acquiring a great reputation for casting prodigious length of line, the rod is of essential importance. It must be backed by skill and strength; but if it is weak and faulty, its owner will never take first rank. The difference between rods is enormous, and there is not one in a hundred, we might say one in a thousand, that will do its work as that work should be done, no matter how admirably it is handled. The fault does not lie in the material, nor wholly in the taper, but there is a subtle something, like the lines of a fast yacht, which cannot be discovered or described, but which distinguish failure from success. Of all the rods, hundreds in number, that the authors of this book have owned, only one was suited to each, and one of those being lost, has never been replaced.

It is utterly impossible to select a rod in the shop where it is sold. It might as well not be handled at all as handled there. The only test is use on the stream. We do not know whether any of the makers will permit this test, common as it has become with guns, but it should always be demanded. A rod need not be injured or defaced in the least by a day's careful use; and it is as much to the interest of the manufacturer as to that of the fisherman, that the latter should be satisfied. Doubtless the suggestion should be complied with by our dealers as soon as its reasonableness is explained to them. In this way some idea of what is desired can be obtained, but the choice of a good rod is a matter of time or luck.

As to material of which the rod should be made, there is probably no preference among the higher classed woods. Bamboo, if split or inlaid on cedar, is the most expensive, and is now the favorite. Iron wood was the preference of the late Mr. Norris. Greenheart had a great run for a time, and in the hands of a careful man cedar, although brittle, is excellent; but ash will make a fairly good rod, and so will lancewood, although the latter is rather heavy. We speak of the second joints; the butt may be of anything, and the top should always be of split bamboo. We have a very nice little rod of spruce, which was made as an experiment by a friend, and presented to us. It will not cast far, but for light work it responds neatly and easily. It is doubtful whether the quality of the wood is wholly decisive as to the qualities of the rod, and should only be taken into consideration generally.

It is the fashion now to use trout rods, weighing not more than eight ounces. They are artistic and pretty little implements; and for streams or short casts on ponds, are very pleasant. They will not cast a hundred feet, however; no, nor much more than half that distance. But they do not tire the wrist; and where fish are as scarce as they have become in the more settled regions of our land, they will probably remain in vogue. Where long casts are imperative, and it is important to kill large fish in a reasonable time, they will not answer. They should never be carried to the wilds of Lake Superior, Maine, or Canada, but their use should be restricted to Long Island ponds, or the trout brooks of the Middle and some of the Eastern States. Although we have recommended fine tackle, we do not approve of what is too fine to be effective. The eight ounce rod in its place is very beautiful, but all places do not belong to it. It is far preferable, however, to a fly-rod that weighs a pound or over, and that is suitable to no place, being not heavy enough for salmon, nor light enough for trout. A trout fly-rod for all work should weigh from twelve to fifteen ounces, according to the physical strength of its owner.

Similar observations, varied to suit the varied cases, apply to salmon rods. We never use a salmon fly rod under eighteen feet in length. On the broad rivers of Canada and the British Provinces, the casts are often long, and sometimes extremely difficult. Frequently there will be a rocky precipice at the angles back, and only a narrow ledge for him to stand on. If, under such disadvantages, he shall find salmon breaking at the further extremity of the pool, which cannot be reached from the other side, he is apt, unless he has a long, powerful rod, to smash many of his hooks, miss many of his fish in consequence, and utter many thoughtless and incomplete observations. Trout can usually be approached, because the streams in which they lie are navigable by boat, or fordable by man; but with salmon this is different, and the fly must be sent where they are, whether at the foot of a fall or the head of a rapid, either of which would soon use up a man, or his frail boat, if exposed to its fury.

A salmon rod of twenty feet is in some waters preferable to one even of eighteen. Weight is not so objectionable in salmon as in trout fishing, for the reason that in the former both hands and arms are used, and there is not such wear and tear of the wrist. A dozen casts will usually determine whether salmon are in the humor for rising in any pool, and then it is as well to wait for a few moments till their humor changes, as to go on urging the fly on their notice. This gives a rest to the fisherman; and as his ground for fishing is always limited, he is not overworked by the handling of his rod. Killing his fish is what tires his muscles. With trout this is different, and the trout fisherman has no rest either while wading a stream for miles at any pool in which he may rise a fish, or while moving from spot to spot in a boat about a pond, where he can only fill his creel by persistent effort.

In our country a salmon stream is ordinarily a mighty river, dangerous, and at places impassable to the frail canoe, which alone can navigate it. It cannot be waded, and the fisherman must be careful not to get within the grasp of its powerful current. It abounds with cataracts, whirlpools, and rocky rapids, in which the canoe is as helpless as the man ; but in which the salmon, enjoying the rush and turmoil of waters, love to lie. Perched on some commanding rock, the angler must reach all portions of the stream, and cannot select his station or move from place to place. He must accept the opportunity that nature offers and make the most of it. When he has once been so situated, and found his fifteen foot rod unable to command the best pools or the best parts of them, he will register a solemn oath never again to be caught in such a foolish fix, and he will keep that oath better than he does some others. One lesson will be amply sufficient for his full enlightenment.