50 DRY-FLY FISHING 



to have it only faintly stained, a kind of misty 

 shade, and think more of it after it has been in use 

 for a few hours. After alternate exposures to 

 the water and sun, the stain disappears, and the gut, 

 we imagine, acquires invisibility and consequently 

 greater deadliness. When we settle down to attempt 

 the downfall of some particularly good fish, we 

 never put on a new cast, but one that has already 

 several victories to its credit. 



Hooks 



There is no part of the apparatus deserving of 

 more attention than the hook on which the fly 

 is dressed. If the angler wishes to catch trout, 

 and refuses to be content with merely raising 

 them to his fly, then he must give his careful atten- 

 tion to his hooks. 



A dry-fly hook should be light and strong, tem- 

 pered so that it will not break readily or bend 

 to the weight of a heavy trout ; it should have 

 a wide gape so that it will hook and not only scrape 

 the mouth of a fish ; it should be long and very 

 sharp in the point, and have great penetrating 

 power ; it should be straight and unsnecked in 

 the wire so that it floats on an even keel ; it must 

 be eyed. 



This question of hooks has received of late much 

 consideration from tackle-makers, and now most 

 of them stock a special type of hook for dry-fly 

 work. The result is that the angler is now able 

 to procure hooks which have many, if not all, 

 the requirements mentioned above, and he should 

 take care that he gets them. 



The correct size of hook for each particular 



