24 SALMON AND TROUT. 



EYED-HOOK ATTACHMENT. 



In earlier essays on the eyed-hook problem I recommended 

 primarily on account of its simplicity an attachment known 

 as the 'Jam Knot' ; but subsequently an automatic method was 

 found of tying an equally simple and more efficient knot, which 

 I christened the * Half-hitch Jam] and as this latter knot is 

 decidedly stronger, and even more * un-slippable,' than the plain 

 ' Jam,' whilst being applicable to a bare hook, as well as to a 

 fly, I never now recommend anything else. 



This subject is ably handled by an American author. 



'PERFECTED HALF-HITCH JAM KNOT. 



'The eyed hook is an English invention. First, we had 

 Hall's " turned-up eyed hook," followed by a decided 

 improvement in Cholmondeley-Pennell's "turn-down eyed 

 hook." Improvement because the direction of the point of 

 hook more nearly coincides with the direction of the pull of 

 the line attached to the hook, giving greater penetrating power, 

 or, in other words, it gets more fish. Of the invention of the 

 eyed hook Mr. Frederic M. Halford, author of "Floating 

 Flies and How to Dress them," says : "Before many years are 

 passed the old-fashioned fly, dressed on a hook attached to a 

 length of gut, will be practically obsolete, the advantage of the 

 eyed hook being so manifest that even the most conservative 

 adherents of the old school must, in time, be imbued with 

 this most salutary reform." 



' The eyed hook is a boon to the angler, if for no other 

 reason than that of economy. The weak point of a fly tied 

 on a gut length, is that part of the gut just above the shank of 

 the hook. Scores and hundreds of flies are retired from 

 service because of weakness at the point we have indicated. 

 The fly may be perfect in body, wing, hackle and tail, and the 

 hook as sound as when it left the shop of the maker, but when 

 the gut is weakened at the end of the hook's shank the fly is 



