300 ROD AND RIVER 



case may be. As in all other things, there is 

 a right and a wrong way of knotting the gut 

 on to the eye. Being a very simple operation, 

 I will endeavour to explain how it should be 

 done : 



Hold the fly, wing upwards, between the fore- 

 finger and thumb of the left hand, the head of the 

 fly being towards the right ; pass the end of the 

 gut, from the under-side, through the eye, then 

 round the neck of the latter, and again through 

 the eye from above. Knot the short end of the 

 gut, by means of a single knot, round the casting- 

 line, leaving the knot open and loose; draw the 

 casting-line steadily until the loop has passed 

 over the eye, then pull it tight, and cut off the 

 spare end. By this means the fly will swim 

 truly, whereas, if the gut is run through the eye 

 from above at first, when the rod is worked, the 

 head will be drawn upwards, and the fly will 

 not follow the line as it should. If, when the 

 knot is drawn tight, the position of the end of the 

 gut is carefully noted, the insertion of a strong 

 pin underneath will at once release the fly if it is 

 desired to remove it. 



I cannot too strongly impress on the reader the 

 necessity for making the most careful inspection 

 of his tackle before fishing, and thoroughly testing 

 his line and every strand of gut, the eye of the 

 fly he is going to use, etc., as also after landing a 



