The Tackle. 223 



the day ; nor is there any difference in the length 

 of line employed. Nothing is gained by using 

 very fine gut at night. A stronger quality will be 

 equally invisible to the fish, and of greater service 

 to the angler. For it will not only save him many 

 perplexing difficulties of the twists and tangles 

 peculiar to fine gut, to the solution of which the 

 darkness of night is never eminently favourable, 

 but it will also enable him to make short work 

 with even heavy fish, and so to take full advantage 

 of the " rise " when it comes on. 



Mr Francis recommends the night-fisher " never 

 to use more than two flies in any circumstances," 

 and assures him that he will find " one better than 

 two, as the slightest hitch becomes fatal in the 

 dark." Now there might be exceptional cases 

 even in day-fishing, when there would be more 

 than humour in the remark of the facetious author 

 of ' Maxims and Hints,' " I am humbly of opinion 

 that your chance of hooking fish is much increased 

 by your using two flies ; but I think that, by using 

 only one, you increase your chance of landing the 

 fish." And it is readily acknowledged that there 

 is greater risk of mishap or disaster attending the 

 angler's operations in the night than in the day 

 and I have just hinted how it may be to some 

 extent reduced ; but what if, in his anxiety to 

 avoid such risk altogether, he deprive himself of 



