6 SALMON AND TROUT. 



The preliminary stage of the knot, after the gut has been threaded 

 through the eye, and before it has been tightened and drawn to its 

 place, is shown in the engraving. 



FIG. 2. MODE OF ATTACHING GUT TO NEEDLE-EYED GRILSE HOOK. 



This makes, it will be observed (ride fig. i), an exceedingly 

 small knot, distinctly smaller, in fact, than the knot produced 



FIG. 3, TURNED-UP EYED SALMON HOOKS. 



by a loop of twisted gut. It is, however, only so long as the 

 gut remains moist and the knot perfectly tight that a correct 

 'set ' of the needle-eyed hook can be relied on, and in the 

 case of large -sized salmon hooks their weight is very apt to 

 overbear the 'clasping' tension of the knot, when, of course, 

 the proper horizontal position of the fly in regard to the line 

 would be lost. I am therefore inclined to think that for all 

 hooks for artificial flies the loop turned down which I origin- 

 ally introduced to public notice in the columns of the ' Fishing 

 Gazette' is entitled to preference over every other kind of 

 eye or fastening whatsoever ; and I should be disposed to em- 



