70 The Atlantic Salmon 



Hooks and Flies 



When a salmon rises and takes a fly, closing 

 his mouth tightly on it and turning to the bottom 

 with the hook sometimes well down toward the 

 root of his tongue, he is pretty certain to drive 

 the barb of it far enough into him to make his 

 capture moderately certain. In such cases a 

 slight difference in the angle of the penetrating 

 line is not important ; but there are many in- 

 stances where the fly is very slightly nipped or 

 touched by the fish, and for such, the hook with 

 the most acute angle of penetration will fasten 

 the most fish, other things being equal. Mr. 

 Cholmondeley Pennell, in his " Modern Practi- 

 cal Angler," has treated the subject of hooks most 

 ably and exhaustively, and any one interested in 

 the subject should not fail to read what he has 

 written. The treatise on " Fish-hooks " in Mr. 

 Wells's " Fly Rods and Fly Tackle " is also enter- 

 taining and instructive. Mr. Cholmondeley Pen- 

 nell states that the objects to be aimed at in a 

 perfect hook are, (i) penetration, (2) holding 

 power, (3) strength, (4) lightness and neatness, 

 and thinks the best combination of these virtues 

 is found in the hook called the Pennell. I should 



