THE WET-FLY EQUIPMENT. 89 



it is reckoned in the west) would scarcely fill a third 

 of it, for its containing power is about 24.10. In a 

 small creel, however, the fish would make a brave 

 show, and they would not get nearly so much 

 shaken and bruised. On the score of the fitness of 

 things, therefore, I would advocate the addition of 

 a 1 5m. creel to the equipment. The shoulder 

 strap belonging to the big one will do for it, and 

 the cost need not be more than some 45. A new 

 French white creel is rather a glaring object from 

 the point of view of the fish, and I have once or 

 twice got over this difficulty by applying a coat or 

 two of olive-green varnish stain to the outside ; it 

 takes away the obnoxious appearance of newness, 

 and seems to last all right. 



Having acquired his tackle, the novice must now 

 learn to manage it. First, he should know how to 

 make up a " collar," as it is called, of cast and 

 flies. 



Most people fish with three flies at once, though 

 some use less and some even more. I generally 

 use three myself, except in very small and thickly 

 bushed streams. It must be remembered that gut 

 should always be soaked for at least twenty 

 minutes before it is made up into lines, otherwise 

 it is liable to crack ana break. Two knots are 

 essential in making up collars. The first (shown 



