408 THE PRACTICAL FISHERMAN. 



pass of the line round, under, and through, as in the left hand knot (A) 

 of Fig. 22. The result is a harder and larger and possibly, but I am 

 not certain a surer knot. 



In making up a salmon or trout cast, when the joining knots are being 

 tied, it is often as well to include in one or more of them the droppers. 

 Fig. 22 shows how this may be done without the possibility of their 

 drawing. 



FIG. 22. FIXING DROPPER ON FLYCAST. 



A is a half of a double fisherman's knot, of which B is the other 

 drawn tight ; A is shown loose that its structure may be readily per- 

 ceived. C is the knot of the dropper. When A is drawn tightly up to 

 B, the dropper gut is enclosed between the two knots, and, if the gut 

 be properly tested, it will be found that C cannot escape. The entire 

 knot can be easily loosened, but not drawn. 



There is yet another knot which seems almost as useful as the fore- 

 going for attaching a dropper, and it consists of two half hitches passed 

 round the main line. The end of the dropper gut, of course, has a knot 

 tied as in Fig. 22. 



It has been sometimes found that a sudden strike will break the 

 most reliable of knots. This is because the gut, often getting dry, and 

 its constriction not having been loosened by the water, the sudden strain 

 is too much for it. To obviate this, the following represents a double 

 fisherman's knot, not drawn tight, except so far as each half knot is 

 concerned. Between the two half knobs waxed silk is whipped and 

 varnished. The remedy is a perfect one without question, but it renders 

 the gut line unsightly, and liable to be noticed by the fish, and is, there- 

 fore, objectionable on that score. The idea is to be seen in Fig. 23. 



FIG. 23. FISHERMAN'S KNOT WITH WHIPPED INTERSPACE. 



Of course the whipped interspace can be much more limited than is 

 shown in the engraving, as such limitation may be thought desirable. 



