On 06/01/2010 01:03 PM, Dave wrote: > OK.. then that makes more sense since I can't see how I could cast a > line out the tip of this rod as it would bind in the eye at the rod tip. > > Horsehair!! > > I had no idea... I thought they would have used cotton, flax or > something similar etc. > > So when you needed more line you had to find the horse... Interesting... > > Dave
By the mid to late 1800's they were starting to use silk to make their fly lines, and depending on when your rod was actually made, it may have been a hold-over to the rod making methods of an earlier time. Believe it or not, with the tip-top the way it is, and with the flip rings, you can still cast a line fairly decently. Remember, unlike a spinning rod, fly casting is done by the weight of the line, not the weight of the lure at the end of it. Once you got the line out and got it into the air, that fly rod would probably act like most other fly rods of today, albeit a lot slower action, and you couldn't "shoot" line like you can with the more modern rods. Horsehair was the line material of choice, because, back then, horses were a lot more plentiful. The hair was taken from the tail, and woven and then furled into a line. Mark ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _______________________________________________ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
