72 ROD AND RIVER 



The following plan of making a gut casting- 

 line was shown to me some few years ago by a 

 friend and brother-fisherman. Having purchased 

 three gut casting-lines, each of three yards long 

 viz., one fine grilse cast, one medium cast, and 

 one fine cut each into three lengths of a yard. 

 By joining one coarse, one medium, and one 

 fine length together, three taper gut-casts are 

 obtained. To these I would further add one or 

 two lengths of the finest ' natural ' gut. Though 

 I am of opinion that it is unnecessary for a trout- 

 line to taper, I am equally so that it is absolutely 

 essential for clean, light casting that a gut 

 casting-line should do so. If it does not, it is 

 certain to fall in loose, untidy, fish-scaring folds 

 on the water, and is, moreover, very apt to tangle 

 in a wind ; nor can the fly be as lightly cast. Of 

 course, where more than one fly is used, a taper- 

 cast is useless, inasmuch as the upper part is too 

 coarse to attach the flies to ; and they, being tied 

 on fine gut, have every inducement to swing 

 round and catch in the coarser gut of the upper 

 portion of the casting-line. However, on streams 

 where more than one fly is used, the fish are 

 generally small, the water rapid and rough, and 

 long and delicate casting is unnecessary ; and 

 such rivers are frequently fished down, or across 

 and down stream, and unless the water is very 

 clear, the use of extra fine gut is needless. 



