MISCELLANEA. 55 



strength is really essential, as in the case of Salmon 

 casting - lines and gut -traces used for Pike - spinning, 

 a simple modification of the above knot will be found 

 useful. It is tied thus : — ^Join the strands of gut in an 

 ordinary single fisherman's knot, pulling each of the half 

 knots as tight as possible ; but instead of drawing them 

 together and lapping the ends down on the oittside, draw 

 them only to within about an eighth of an inch of each 

 other, and lap hctzvccn them with light-coloured silk, or, 

 still better, fine gut previously well soaked in water. 

 This lapping relieves the knot itself of half its duty, and 

 on any sudden jerk, such as striking, acts as a sort of 

 buffer to receive and distribute the strain. It is one of 

 the simplest possible forms of knot ; and from its being 

 much neater and nearly twice as strong, may be substi- 

 tuted with advantage for the ordinary whipped knot in 

 Salmon casting-lines. As commonly tied I find that 

 stout Salmon gut will break — at the knot — on a steady 

 strain of from 12 to 15 pounds : tied as suggested, it will 

 break at any other place in preference, no matter how 

 great the strain may be. Facsimiles of the two knots, 

 tied with the same strands of gut, are annexed. 



New knot. Ordinary knot. 



