PENNELL HOOKS 89 



tend to militate against the success of the lure. 

 If anyone doubts the statement, let him make 

 experiment for himself by trailing his fly from 

 a bridge or any such-like place, and where he 

 is not visible to the fish beneath. They will 

 very probably take no notice of it. Let him 

 then break off both the hook and gut, and 

 drop the fly over the bridge. The chances are 

 that it will be speedily taken by a fish, though 

 doubtless as speedily rejected. Fish can see in 

 the water a great deal better than we can out of 

 it, and rest assured that the hook itself is by no 

 means invisible to them, and the larger and 

 heavier the metal, the less chance there is of 

 catching them. Moreover, for dry fly-fishing, 

 where it is absolutely essential that the fly should 

 float well on the top of the water, a hook must 

 be either very light, or else the amount of 

 hackling on the fly must be excessive in order to 

 support it. 



The best shaped hook with which I am ac- 

 quainted is what is termed the Cholmondeley 

 Pennell pattern. I consider that this pattern 

 of hook is difficult to improve upon, save in one 

 particular, to which I propose to refer a little 

 later on. The bend, point, barb, etc., are, to my 

 mind, just what they should be. 



And now comes a question regarding which 

 there is a great difference of opinion I mean* as 



