50 The North Country Angler. 



top of the horn I make two holes on one side, to 

 put a small cord thro', which I sometimes hang 

 at a button ; and another hole, thro' which I put 

 another small cord, with a knot in the inside 

 of the horn, and the other end of it to go thro* 

 the cork : I sometimes put a little sand into the 

 horn, and put it in water with the creepers, 

 when I am not using them. Tho* the creeper 

 does hut continue a little while, five weeks at 

 most, yet for that time and a fortnight more, 

 while the wings are growing, there is no bait 

 whatever, with which the angler may do more 

 execution, or take larger fish. 



Your rod need be no other, than that you 

 use for fly or brandling : your line as long as the 

 rod, with two hairs next the hook, if you use 

 hairs, either open or gently plaited : but I would 

 rather recommend a fine Indian grass, or a clear 

 round silk worm gut, or a fine small swine's 

 bristle. Your hook must be long shanked, and 

 you may wrap it on thus: I begin to wrap on my 

 hook a little above where it begins to bend, 

 and when I have done the silk eight or nine 

 times round, I take a bit of fine bristle, or a 

 strong hair, cutting it a little sloping at the end, 

 like the splice of a rod, and put that end on the 

 back of the hook, and continue wrapping both 

 that and the line six times more round the hook ; 

 then I lift up the bristle or hair, and cut it off 

 slopewise, a strawbreadth or a little more from 

 the hook, and wrap on to within a very little of 

 the shank end, where I tie on a bit of dark red 

 dubbing, to keep the creeper from slipping up on 

 the line. I put the hook in at its mouth, and 



