68 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN RIVER ANGLING. 



bladder well oiled; and before using them let them 

 soak about half an hour in water ; if your grass is coarse 

 it will fall heavily in the water, and scare away the 

 fish ; on which account gut has the advantage. But 

 after all, if the grass be fine and round, it is the best 

 thing that can be used. 



Trouting Hooks. 



It must be obvious that it is of the highest import- 

 ance for the angler to have hooks well- tempered, that 

 is, which will not readily break or bend. The way to 

 prove this is, by taking the shank of the hook in one 

 hand, and putting the thumb-nail of the other under 

 the bend, when, if it has a spring and returns to the 

 same position, the temper is good. If it be too much 

 tempered, it will snap; and if too little, it will not 

 spring back, but remain in the position to which it has 

 been forced. 



It is reported, that the German Prince Rupert, well 

 known for his experimental skill, in the reign of our 

 Charles I., communicated to Charles Kirby a method 

 of tempering hooks, which remained from that time a 

 secret with Kirby's descendants, and even now the 

 Kirby hooks are esteemed. Neither the London, the 

 Birmingham, nor Dublin hooks are good, because they 

 are manufactured to sell cheap. Kendal hooks are in 

 considerable reputation as to temper, and hold well, 

 though they are not so readily fixed by the pull in the 

 mouth of the fish. " Many anglers/' says Carroll, " do 

 not approve of the Kirby bend, particularly in large 

 hooks ; they prefer the hook that is bent in a line with 



