ANGLING FOR TROUT. 69 



the shank, as being the best for holding a large fish." 

 A hook ought never to be chosen whose point stands 

 much outwards, as it often only scratches the fish 

 without laying hold. The celebrated Limerick hooks 

 made by O'Shaughnessy, by far the best tempered of 

 any in the market, being capable of holding a fish of 

 SOlbs., stand a very little outwards, which is certainly 

 an advantage. 



abed 



U U b b 



, Limerick hook ; b, Kendal hook j c, Sneck-bend ; d, Kirby-bend, 



The soft steel for making hooks is made by cement- 

 ing with charcoal good soft malleable iron, such as is 

 procured from the nails of old horse shoes, till it is con- 

 verted into steel. It is then formed into bars, or small 

 rods, of a thickness varying according to the size of the 

 hooks intended to be made. The bars for the fine 

 hooks are a little flattened; those for the larger sorts 

 are cut into lengths of from three to four inches, suf- 

 ficient for two hooks, and are then in the form of a 

 double-pointed spear. 



The artist requires a hammer, a knife, a pair of 

 pincers, an iron semi-cleam, two files, one finer than 

 the other, a wrest, a bender, long and short tongs, 

 and an anvil. Let the rod be heated in a charcoal 

 fire, when the barb or witter may be raised with the 

 knife, taking care not to cut too deep. The point 

 is then, after cooling, sharpened by filing it on a piece 



