62 The Atlantic Salmon 



of gut which is now six feet long, and a piece has 

 been broken from it ; it is large and strong ; it 

 was drawn from some big silkworms by a man 

 in New Jersey." What a boon it would be to 

 anglers if gut such as this were attainable. 

 Chitty says in " The Fly Fisher's Text-book," 

 " Each piece should be also to the teeth as hard 

 as wire and transparent as glass, which testifies 

 strength, freedom from unravelled fibres that are 

 attended with an inclination to split or peel ; 

 knotted roughness which shows almost actual 

 rottenness," etc. While very few anglers in this 

 country tie their own casting lines, it is desirable 

 for all to know how a broken leader can be mended, 

 how to make a proper knot for the loop in the 

 end, and how to fasten a casting line which has 

 no loop at the end to the loop or eye of a hook. 

 First, I should warn all to eschew, without 

 exception, any casting lines where silk whipping 

 or lapping is used. This is said to prevent the 

 knots from cutting where the strands of gut are 

 tied ; but the advantage is very questionable, and 

 is much more than neutralized by the silk whip- 

 ping growing white after a few days' use, which 

 wears off the varnish, and the invariable loosen- 

 ing of the ends, always resulting in the angler 



