HOOKS. 55 



that the rings on the taper or light portion of the rod 

 will admit the passing through of the line in a looped 

 state, or even when a single knot occurs. 



HOOKS. I have tested, during a long course of prac- 

 tice, hooks of all sorts, shapes and sizes, and have come 

 to the conclusion, that there are few to be met with, in 

 the market, excelling those of Philips and Adlington 

 the former being a Dublin maker, and constructing his 

 wire, as to the bend and temper, on the Limerick or 

 Irish system, while the latter chiefly manufactures what 

 is well known under the name of the round-bend hook. 

 I may mention, however, that there are many other 

 makers, throughout the kingdom, who vie with them, to 

 a certain extent, in the fabrication of this article. For 

 instance, of Irish hook-makers, there are Martin Kelly 

 of Dublin, and the O'Shaughnessys in Limerick ; Ho- 

 ly oake and Bartleet also, needlemakers in Eedditch, 

 hold claim to public support. 



I like, however, Philips' hooks and those of Adlington 

 better than any in use ; the former as adapted for all 

 sorts of large flies, from those used in spring trouting, 

 up to the biggest salmon ones the latter, as suited for 

 the smaller kinds of trout-flies, also for bait-hooks and 

 minnow-tackles. 



The round-bends are assorted numerically, from 00, 

 the smallest midge, up to 20, the largest salmon size. 

 Philips' hooks are classed in a different way; the trout- 

 ing ones by letters, the salmon ones by figures : thus, 

 FE represents the smallest Irish trouting fly, F the 

 next, then FF, and next to it FFF ; after which follow 

 C, double C, B and double B, which letter, from C 

 upwards, have their half sizes. BB, the largest of the 

 lettered or trouting descriptions, being frequently used 

 as a grilse hook, is admitted also among those which 



