70 WAXING AND LOOPING. 



book on angling where you would find these 

 matters fully and sufficiently detailed. But now 

 let me overhaul your tackle. First and foremost 

 I observe that the loop on your reel line is too 

 long, so cut it off, and let us make another. If it 

 is sufficient to squeeze the fly through, head fore- 

 most, it will be all you want ; and why have the 

 line doubled, which at the loop it is, for a greater 

 length than absolutely necessary? An opening 

 of five-eighths of an inch is quite enough for a 

 salmon-line, and a smaller one for trout-fishing. 

 Also bear this in mind when making gut-lines, or 

 looping the gut of flies ; which last, if large enough 

 to admit the former through, requires no more. 

 Loops are in general made ridiculously long. 

 Now to make the loop, observe, that having bent 

 the line into the length of loop you wish it, over 

 the looping hook, I hold the line thus doubled, 

 between the fore- finger and thumb of my left 

 hand, having twisted the loose part of it round 

 my little finger of the same, in order to have a 

 more firm hold. I now, together with the line, 

 hold one end of the waxed silk so that the loose 

 end lies towards the looping-hook, and wind three 

 or four wide turns tightly over the double part of 

 the line, proceeding from my fingers towards the 

 hook, as far as that which I design to be the 

 opening of the loop ; then whip the silk back 

 again over that part already laid down, and 



