GUT LOOPS, ETC., TAGS, AND TAILS. 33 



tying silk, a few inches below the hook, and leave 

 them hanging, they will prevent the silk untwist- 

 ing, and keep it tight. This is a very useful plan 

 when tying on eyed hooks, as the fly can be left 

 at any stage without fear of any part becoming 



Fig. ii. 



loose ; of course the heavier the pliers are in 

 reason, the better. When tying' flies on hooks 

 with gut loops, fly-tyers generally wedge the silk 

 between the hook shank and gut loop. I don't 

 like this method, as it tends to loosen and displace 

 the tying silk there, especially if done several 

 times. Another way is to wind on a few turns of 

 tying silk roughly, and then a few turns back over 

 them. 



Take a piece of gold or silver twist, about three 

 inches long : holding it tightly between the nails 

 of the forefinger and thumb of the left hand, so 

 that about one-eighth of an inch is projecting to 

 the right, pull off with the nails of right hand the 

 twist, from the projecting end, when the inside 

 silk or core will be exposed. With the thumb of 

 the left hand hold the twist against the side of 



