SALMON-FISHING. 123 



scraped along the sharp edges of the stones. 

 But I do not consider even this tenable. Sup- 

 posing the gut to come often in contact Avith 

 these stones, which it does not, the very rough- 

 ness of twisted gut makes it more liable to 

 fray : how rarely does the gut ever come into 

 such contact ! 



Single, moderately thick, and perfect gut ^vill 

 not only raise morejish, but out-wear the twisted. 

 Most of the fishing-tackle sellers will tell you 

 the contrary ; for the simple reasons, that thick 

 and at the same time very perfect gut is diffi- 

 cult to procure, and that they can work up 

 almost any rubbish into twisted casting lines. 

 If you hooked a few yards of posts and rails, 

 or half a fathom of park-paling, I should wish 

 you to have twisted gut, merely to save the 

 single from such a degrading process. Any- 

 thing will serve the purpose of dragging out a 

 fish ; but for sjport, commend me to unsophisti- 

 cated gut, proportioned in thickness to the 

 state of the water, and to the size of the fish 

 you are striving to seduce. What is generally 

 known as thick Trout gut will kill Salmon of 



