REELS, LINES AND LEADERS 75 



Gut smaller in caliber than Regular can be obtained 

 from most dealers and is known as Refina and Fina, 

 Refina being the thinnest. " Drawn " gut is the thin- 

 nest obtainable and is the result of stripping the natural 

 gut through diamonds or steel plates thus reducing 

 the caliber and paring away all inequalities. Drawn 

 gut is mostly used by English dry-fly fishers and, at 

 times, is useful to the American angler when fishing 

 extremely clear streams where the trout are highly 

 educated. Much annoyance may be avoided by always 

 having the leader and fly-snells of about the same size 

 gut; otherwise the cast will continually become tan- 

 gled; for if, for instance, you are using a fairly thick 

 leader and dropper-flies tied on fine gut, the fine snells 

 will not stand away from the leader but wrap them- 

 selves around it persistently. 



As a rule leaders may be had in three colors : natural 

 (white), mist color and tea color. As a bone of con- 

 tention among anglers the question of 

 the proper color for leaders is un- 

 equalled. When all is said the size of the leader, fine 

 leaders for clear streams and shy trout, is far more 

 important. Leaders of natural color are as good as 

 any. In this sort of thing it is necessary to be con- 

 sistent, and if you use a mist color leader your flies 

 should be tied on mist color snells. Almost without 

 exception flies are tied on natural gut. I know one 

 tackle maker, however, who is certainly consistent. 

 Wide experience has taught him, at least, that trout 



