18 ANGLING IN SALT WATER. 



shank. It answers its purpose well, and is, of course, 

 only used for those methods of fishing in which a portion 

 of the bait is pushed up the shank of the hook, and is 

 intended to remain there. 



The variation in hook scales is the hete noir of writers on 

 angling. Different towns have different scales, and different 

 makers in those towns number their hooks in different ways, and 

 sometimes vary their own nominal sizes. The only thing I can do 

 is to place before my readers a hook scale (Fig. 13), and let it be 

 an understood thing that when I refer to certain sizes of hooks 

 by a number, I refer to the lower numbers. The bend of 

 hook shown is a very good one. It is known as the Pennell- 

 Limerick, and is made by Messrs. Bartleet and Sons, of 

 Redditch. Hooks of that kind are numbered according to 

 the scale given. I forbear to enter into the turn-up or turn- 

 down eye discussion, as I am perfectly convinced that for 

 angling in salt water it matters little or nothing which are 

 used. My preference is for those turned down. 



On the subject of eyes there is, however, a good deal to 

 be said — and sung too, might be remarked, only I refer 

 solely to the eyes of hooks. The large majority of eyes are 

 unnecessarily large and clumsy, and I must say that the 

 only really satisfactory eyes I have seen are those on the 

 Pennell-Limerick hooks made by Messrs. Bartleet and Sons, 

 and on some hooks patented by Messrs. Warner and Sons. 

 In the former, the wire is filed down at the end of the shank, 

 and turned into a very small, neat eye. In the latter, the 

 eye is made of a separate piece of fine wire carefully brazed 

 on. These hooks are somewhat expensive, but the double 

 grilse hooks, with the brazed eye, are first-rate for large 

 bass flies. 



The Paternoster : Gut, Gimp, and Knots. — The pater- 

 noster is by far the most valuable piece of tackle used by the 

 angler in salt water. It consists of a length of gut, on the end 

 of which is a leaden weight, and from which project three or 

 more pieces of gut bearing the hooks. The weight of lead, thick- 

 ness of gat, or gimp — for that also is used — position and size 

 of the hooks, all vary according to circumstances, such as 



