478 CHEAP HOOKS. 



I will illustrate the nuisance of bad hooks by two short 

 anecdotes. In the first instance the hooks were either 

 over-tempered or made of downright bad stuff. It is 

 immaterial from which cause they broke ; it is sufficient 

 that they were bad hooks. A friend of mine who owned 

 some fine trout fishing where the fish ran heavy, was a 

 little inclined to be economical in the purchase of his 

 tackle, and took it into his head one day, several years 

 ago, to buy some flies of a tackle-maker who was notorious 

 for selling cheap rubbish. I will not give his name, even 

 though he has long since retired from business, but will 

 call him Snooks. I am not aware that any- tackle-maker 

 of eminence can lay claim to the appellation, and, there- 

 fore, my words will offend no one. Coming to me one 

 day, rubbing his hands, my friend displayed some very 

 nice looking flies. 4 There, old fellow, look at that. 

 Eighteen pence a dozen. What do you think of that, 

 eh?' 



* Think ? ' quoth I. Cheap and nasty, for a certainty.' 



4 What fault can you find with them ? Aren't they well 

 tied ? ' 



4 Oh, they look well enough,' I answered. 



4 Look well enough ! Of course they do ; and they'll 

 stand well enough, for that matter ; and why should I pay 



or two shillings and sixpence a dozen when I 



can get the same flies of Snooks for one shilling and 

 sixpence ? ' 



4 Well, we shall see how they stand. I, for my sins, 

 once, in a hurry, bought a dozen black gnats of him, 

 and whipped them all to pieces in one morning for less 

 than half as many fish. I have never bought a fly there 

 since.' 



'Ah, that's just like you; you always run Snooks 

 down.' 



4 Not I. I care nothing about him personally ; I speak 



