SHAPE OF EYE FOR EYED HOOKS 91 



2. They do not fall quite as lightly on the 

 water as those tied on gut. 



As regards the eye of the hook, it depends 

 very much as to whether it is turned up or down. 

 In Mr. Hall's pattern it is turned up ; in xVIr. C. 

 Pennell's it is turned down. I prefer to use 

 Mr. Hall's pattern ; but, at the same time, I 

 believe Mr. Pennell's is more correct, both in 

 theory and practice, the chief drawback to the 

 latter being that the eye is so small that it is, 

 with very small flies, difficult to thread the gut 

 through it, especially at dusk. In his salmon- 

 hooks, it is so small as to be absolutely useless ; 

 only single gut, and that fine of its kind, can be 

 passed through, and it is utterly impossible to 

 double the gut back in the ordinary way. For 

 trout-flies, however, if I could but thread them as 

 quickly as those hooks of Mr. Hall's pattern, I 

 should always use them in preference, for I find 

 that fish will rise better at flies dressed on them. 

 Good as my sight has been, I do not think that 

 at any time of my life I could have seen to 

 thread them in a failing light (the best time in 

 all the twenty-four hours for fishing) without great 

 difficulty. 



All kinds of knots have been devised to facili- 

 tate the firm tying-on of eyed hooks, the best of 

 which is one shown me by a friend, Major 

 Turle. It is very simple, and is as follows : 



