GUT AND CASTING LINES. 39 



Tin-; 'HKNRY' i-i.v BOX. (Farlow.) 



Intended for gut flies. Japanned black outside, white enamel inside, with 

 wires across for attaching flies, and at the end to hold the gut ; also piece 

 of spongio piline to keep the gut moist for attaching to the casting line. 

 Length, 9 inches ; width, 3^ inches ; depth, f inch ; weight 8 oz. 



A box with a similar object has been designed by Messrs. 

 F. T. Williams, of Great Queen Street, W.C., in which the 

 gut is kept moist by means of wetted felt. 



Next to the fly and its etceteras comes the Casting Line, 

 involving matters connected with the selection, knotting, twist- 

 ing, staining, &c. of gut. 1 The best gut is the longest and 

 roundest, and the most transparent ; an observation which 

 applies equally to salmon and trout gut natural and drawn. 

 For practical purposes these desiderata must be considered in 

 conjunction with, if not, indeed, made subordinate to, the 

 question of the fineness or strength of the gut in proportion to 

 the fishing for which it is to be used. To get salmon gut 

 which fulfils all the conditions pointed out is becoming yearly 

 a matter of greater difficulty, and, I might almost say, of favour. 

 A perfect hank of salmon gut can only be obtained, as a rule, 

 by picking the strands out of a number of other hanks, which, 

 of course, makes these considerably less valuable. Sixpence a 

 strand I have known a shilling a strand paid for picked 

 salmon gut is not at all an unusual or, indeed, unreasonable 



1 An account of the process of gut manufacture is given in the curlier 

 editions. 



