114 Live Bait Fishing for Mahs Chapt, ix. 



hardly think that they would cut tin* freshly-tied gat in a single 

 fishing trip, provided care is taken, by thoroughly well soaking the 

 gut before tieing the knots, that there may be no crack at the knots. 

 I always use eyed trebles myself in spinning, and never found 

 this objection. Colonel Parsons writes: "Being, like yourself, 

 " frequently pressed for time, I have of late years almost discarded 

 " the use of silk and wax in mounting bait and spinning casts. On 

 " artificial minnows I use eyed strong double hooks, which are 

 " mounted in a ' twinkling ; ' and for spinning natural bait, or 

 " securing live bait, I use eyed single hooks." 



There is no doubt in my mind that, for spinning tackle in 

 India, eyed hooks are much to be preferred to bound hooks, as 

 there is much greater danger of losing a fish, from the hook 

 drawing or the binding being rotten, so rotten as to rip right up, 

 proclivities too common in India, than from the hook cutting 

 or rusting the gut. Besides, the danger with the binding is not 

 noticeable, till a big fish comes and finds it out for you; whereas, 

 any rusting of the gut is easily perceived, and as easily remedied. 

 .Many a man will not hesitate to snip off and re-knot a doubtful 

 piece of gut, when he would think twice of looking out silk and 

 wax and re-binding it. 



Those who prefer to use eyed hooks for other purposes also may 

 be glad to know that what are called "peculiar-eyed Limerick" 

 books, that is. Limerick hooks with the eye very neatly fined off, 

 are made of sizes corresponding to Nos. 10/0 to 1/0 in my Plate 

 VIII, and that more roughly-eyed Limerick hooks, having the wire 

 simply bent round for the eye, are made of all sizes from 10/0 

 to 16, and called "ringed," at least so I find them in Messrs. 

 Harrison Bartleet's Illustrated Price List, where also are "ringed" 

 Kirhy hooks from 10/0 to 10, and "ringed" sea hooks and eel 

 hooks. Messrs. P. Hutchinson and Son, of Kendal, also make very 

 neat eyed trout hooks, which they call the " Adlinulon hook," and 

 number 10, 0, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, '■'>, 2, 1, 0, 00; they are practically 

 K irl >y bend hooks, answering to Kirhy sizes, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 

 11, 12, 13, the last one, 00, being between 13 and 14 in size. 

 I pat in these remarks because 1 cannot forget that Indian anglers 

 have very little time as a rule lor binding hooks, and are between 

 7,01111 and 9,000 miles from English tackle slaps, and Long posts 

 from Indian tackle shops. 



