86 SALMON FISHING 



to width of bend. This varies very considerably, 

 there being no recognised standard, each maker 

 following his own ideas guided by the demands 

 of his customers, whose opinions differ in each 

 district. 



The usual proportion of bend to length in 

 Limerick hooks, when larger than 2/0, is we 

 think too great, and makes too heavy a hook. 

 Where in early spring very large flies are used, 

 it has been found necessary to reduce this 

 greatly, and thus we have what are called " Dee " 

 irons, i.e. hooks, say 5/0 bend, 7/0 length, and 

 so on, such as are used on the rivers Dee and 

 Spey. These hooks have proved quite wide 

 enough in the bend, and strengthen the opinion 

 that generally speaking, hooks of the usual 

 Limerick pattern are too wide in the bend for 

 their length. Special hooks of shallower bend, 

 such as the "oval," have been tested in salmon 

 fishing for some years, and are found to give 

 greater satisfaction in hooking, while they assist 

 greatly in forming a better-shaped fly. 



The introduction of the " oval " wire, as shown 

 in Figs 5 and 6 (Plate 18), at once exposes what 

 has been a glaring evil in round wire hooks. Most 

 anglers who have fished much for salmon will have 

 had experience of the breaking of a barb at a 

 critical moment, and consequent loss of the fish. 



The claim for improvement in the "oval" 



