38 SALMON AND TROUT, 



from unravelled fibres, that are attended with an inclination to 

 split or peel ; knotted roughness, which shows almost actual 

 rottenness ; the spaces between the knots, when pulled lengthways 

 between the fingers, being soft and weak ; or flashing lights, when 

 seen in a slanting direction, indicating flatness, and consequent 

 weakness. It should possess stiffness, too, in bending, and with 

 this should be combined elasticity, so that after being doubled 

 upon itself (in the shape of a loop, for instance), if it assumes 

 anything like an angularity it will not do, for it surely possesses 

 unequal degrees of strength, even if it be not absolutely rotten. 



' Drawn gut,' as it is called, is simply gut that has been 

 artificially scraped or fined down by being ' drawn ' through a 

 hole of a certain gauge or measure. For this purpose a steel 

 plate is used having several holes or gauges diminishing gra- 

 dually in size, and the ' face edges ' of which are quite sharp. 

 The gut is put through the holes in succession beginning at 

 the largest, and ending with the smallest, when it has of course 

 become of the desired fineness. Messrs. Carswell inform me 

 that of late years they have introduced many great improve- 

 ments into the manufacture of drawn gut by which almost all 

 the transparent and durable qualities of the natural gut are 

 preserved or reproduced. The appearance of the gut after 

 undergoing this process is not, however, in my experience, so 

 clean and transparent as the undoctored material, and though 

 it looks beautifully fine and, indeed, is so it commonly frays 

 and wears out very rapidly when exposed to moisture or fric- 

 tion of any sort. Drawn gut is, however, extensively used for 

 many of the finer sorts of fishing, both with fly and bait. For 

 my own part I prefer to pay almost any price, so to speak, for 

 the natural gut whenever it can be obtained of the requisite 

 fineness. This, however, is not always. 



Knotting. Many sorts of knots have been recommended at 

 different times and are used by different fishermen and tackle- 

 makers for knotting gut into casting lines. Decidedly the best, 

 however, in my judgment, as well as the simplest, and one 

 which is equally applicable to the finest and the strongest gut, 

 is what is known as the single fisherman's knot (sometimes 



