THE TARPON 105 



may safely rely upon the guide for instructions on this point 

 and upon the local market to furnish the kind to be used. 

 Sinkers should be tied on with very easily broken twine so 

 that they will be easily snapped off when the fish is struck or 

 when it first jumps. 



A few years ago, some inventive genius conceived the idea 

 of boring a hole near the bottom of the bank sinker as well 

 as at the top. As the sinker is now tied at both ends, it no 

 longer snarls with the leader or line when it is lowered. It 

 was a happy thought and is now universally practiced. 



Hooks — We now approach the controversial subject of 

 hooks. Good hooks sold by reputable dealers are strong 

 enough to withstand far more severe strains than the tackle 

 to which they are attached. It is the style and size which 

 occasion the controversies. Most anglers prefer Nos. 8/0 to 

 ll/o hooks for general fishing and the Van Vleck, vom Hofe, 

 Mills, Pflueger, and other tarpon hooks all have their ad- 

 herents. The O'Shaughnessy type hooks are the favorites. 

 Tarpon hooks are sometimes mounted on a link chain about 

 four or five inches long so as to give the hook free play on the 

 leader, but most anglers prefer to fasten the hook directly 

 to the leader. The point should be frequently inspected and 

 kept sharp by filing, for the mouth of the fish is hard and 

 difiicult to penetrate. The same size hooks should be used on 

 light as on standard tackle. 



H. P. Wells in his classic book, entitled Fly Rods and Fly 

 Tackle gives a very clear description of the old method of 

 making fish hooks, which may be described briefly as follows : 

 A cutter snips off parts of the coil of round steel wire in 

 uniform lengths. A length is placed on an iron block provided 

 with a stop and a workman with a chisel mounted on a handle, 

 hooked against a pin serving as a fulcrum, applies a cutter 

 which buries a proper distance in the wire thus forming a 

 portion of the barb. The wire is then annealed and under 

 one blow of a hammer the portion of the wire below the in- 



