THE SINGLE HOOK 



when taken, makes it an almost impossible thing 

 for the fish to escape. Holding him securely in 

 so many places, when the net lifts him from the 

 water, it becomes a difficult task to disentangle the 

 points of the hooks from the meshes, occasioning 

 delay and irritation. On the other hand, with the 

 simple, single hook, we gain in time saved, and on 

 good grounds obtain more fish. But, above all, use 

 of the single hook brings the intense satisfaction 

 caused by true sportsmanship, and the knowledge 

 that we have engaged in a contest in which skill 

 alone could triumph. 



Personally, I often prefer to use the single gut 

 hook, as with it the excitement of the sport is 

 greatly enhanced. The single hook, the small fly, 

 the light rod, reel, and line certainly accord with 

 the ethics of angling, and allow an opportunity 

 for fair fighting. Honest sportsmen care alone for 

 the excitement and exercise of skill. They never 

 kill more fish than they can make use of, and large 

 numbers taken by them are returned to the water. 

 Is it not a burning shame that sportsmen should 

 be obliged to see large catches of beautiful fish, 

 taken by any method, and landed hastily in a 

 simple trial of obtaining numbers, carelessly thrown 

 away, to lie and rot, depleting the waters from 

 whence taken, and reflecting no credit on the 

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