SALMON FISHING. l6l 



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

 of buffer to receive and distribute the strain. It is 

 moreover simpler, much neater, and nearly twice as 

 strong as the common double knot. Tied with the 

 latter a couple of feet of very strong Salmon-gut will 

 break — almost always at the knot — on a steady strain 

 of from 12 to 15 lb. ; tied on my method it will break 

 at any other part in preference. The gut-lapping has 

 also the advantage of being transparent, whilst silk is of 

 course opaque. 



All Salmon-flies should be dressed with gut-loops, not 

 only with the double object of strength and durability, but 

 for the purpose of making the fly swim straight when 

 attached to the casting-line. This last object, however, 

 is not accomplished with the ordinary mode of knotting 

 on the fly — viz., by forming a half-knot at the extremity 

 of the casting-line, and then " reeving" it in and out 

 through the loop. When thus attached the fly presents 

 a sort of broken-backed appearance, and must of neces- 

 sity swim head downwards instead of horizontally. 



The following method will be found entirely to obviate 

 this defect, whilst it is at the same time neater and 

 stronger and equally simple : — 

 Pass the end of the casting-line 

 through the fly-loop /r^;;^ above ; 

 then over the loop ; then up 

 again through it from below ; 

 and finally tie with it a half-knot round the main line, 



M 



