My brother at China Lake, CA, sent me the following, and I thought a lot of you in need of fine fishing equipment would find it...uh...awe inspiring. Or not! But here she be, anyway. Moose Streeter could probably provide at least a couple of the first edition, for your evaluation, and maybe a translation. C&R, Steve
"A retired China Laker friend here collects old fishing hardware and other articles. He related how he picked up an old book printed in England in the 1600s, from a box of garage sale books. I got to hold it and look at a few pages. Turns out it's an example of the earliest book known to relate the art of fishing with a rod. This and other things of the sport fishing pastime had to be made by the fisherman as related below. He sez he has computer-typed the whole text, here a part of it, I think in Middle English:"
Title of the book "The Compleat Angler". Check Amazon used books.
""Here is a sample of the book on how to make a fishing rod:
the subject-
How the Angler is to make his harnay or tackle and to provide a rod.
How ye shall make a rodde craftly, here I shall teche you.
Ye shall kytte between Myghelmas and Candylmas, a fayre staffe, of a fadom and an halfe longe, and arme-grete of haysll, willowe, or aspe; and bethe hym in an hote ouyn, and sette him euyn; thenne, let hym cole and drye a moneth. Take thenne and frette (tie it about) hym , fast wyth a cockeshote corde; and bynde hym to a fourme, or an euyn squere grete tree. Take, thenne a plummers wire, that is euen and streyte, and sharp at the one ende; and hete the sharpe ende in a charcole fyre till it be whyte, and brenne the staffe therewith through, eure streyte in the pythe at bothe endes, tyll they mete: and after that brenne hym in the nether ende with a byrde broche (A bird spit) and with other broches, eche gretter than other, and eure the grettest laste; so thatye make your hole, aye, taper were. Then lete hym lye styll, and kele two days; unfrette (untie) hym thenne , and lete hym drye in an hous roof in the smoke tyll he be thrugh drye. In the same season, take a fayre yerde of grene Hasyll, and bethe hym euen and streyght, and lete it drye with staffe; and whan they ben drye make the yerde mete unto the hole in the staffe, unto halfe the length of staffe; and to perfourme that other halfe of the croppe,- take a fyre shote of Blacke thornn, Crabbe tree, Medler or Jenypre, kytte in the same season, and well bethed and streyght, and frette theyme togyder fetely, soo that the croppe maye justly entre all into the sayd hole; thenne shave your staffe, make hym tapre were; then vyrell the staffe at bothe ends with long hopis of yren, or laton, in the clennest wise, wyth a Pyke at the nether ende, fastnyd with a rennyngevyce, to take in and out your croppe; thenne set your croppe an handful within the ouer ende of your staffe, in suche wise that it be as bigge there as one place about: Thenne arme your croppe at the eour ende, down to the frette, wythe a lyne of ujheeres, and dubbe thy lyne; and frette it faste in the toppe wythe a bowe to fasten on your lyne; and thus shall ye make you a rodde soo prevy, that ye may walke therewith; and there shall be noo man wyte where abowte ye goo.
1. From a Book of St Alban's with Caxtons letter compiled by a lady, Dame Julyans Berners, Bernes or Barns in 1486.
2. All this from The Complete Angler by I. Walton and C. Cotton 1653 and published in the forth edition in 1760 by Sir John Hawkins, Knt.
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