2i8 FLY FISHING 



sure, however, that the gut really is undrawn, and 

 have some spare lengths of it with which to keep 

 the finer end of the cast in repair. 



It is a great pity that we cannot get undrawn 

 gut fine enough for difficult trout fishing. The 

 strength of new undrawn gut is, in proportion to 

 its thickness, quite amazing and it will stand a 

 great amount of wear and tear. It is when we 

 come to drawn gut that our difficulties are so 

 great. Like all gut it has an unruly curliness 

 when it is new and dry ; it begins to rot when it 

 is kept wet or exposed ; it frays and wears thin 

 when it is used. Even when sound one often 

 breaks it when testing it : if it is not tested, 

 one cannot be sure that it is not rotten. All an 

 angler can do is to keep a pretty fresh stock of 

 drawn gut of different thicknesses, and put on 

 the finest that he dares to use, and renew the fine 

 end of his cast, whenever he sees that it is getting 

 weak and worn. It is well to remember also that 

 the constitution of all gut, drawn and undrawn, 

 differs : some casts, which are strong enough 

 when new, rot much sooner than others. It 

 may be that the amount of sunshine, or the sort 

 of weather to which they are exposed, causes the 



