42 SALMON AND TROUT. 



It is impossible to invent a better method of fastening gut together 

 than that which makes the fastening the strongest instead of the 

 weakest part of the casting line, and it is surprising to me that this 

 method has not been adopted.- [The italics are mine.] 



Though c I say it that should not say it,' Major Traherne's 

 frank testimony in favour of the absolute superiority of this 

 knot over all others for gut salmon casting lines (or for gut 

 traces in spinning) does not go one whit beyond the fact ; and 

 if salmon fishers, buying and reading this book, acquire nothing 

 in return but the knowledge of this one apparently trifling 

 piece of information, their time and money would have been 

 right well invested. 



The difference between my knot and the variation of it 

 described by Major Traherne is very trifling such as it is, 

 however, I am of opinion that as regards neatness and sim- 

 plicity of manipulation my original knot is distinctly prefer- 

 able, and I have lately had letters from Major Traherne saying 

 that he has come to the same conclusion. 



In the case of casting lines for any fish smaller than four 

 or five pounds weight no lapping of any sort is required in any 

 part of the casting line. As lapping is ordinarily applied to 

 such lines by tackle-makers no additional strength whatsoever 

 is imparted, whilst the effect is to make that which is already 

 an eyesore, though luckily a transparent one, into a still greater 

 disfigurement, and one which, being opaque and at regular 

 intervals of a foot or so, presents a most alarming appearance 

 to the fish. 



It has been pointed out that the single fisherman's knot 

 varied as I have described in the case of salmon lines is all 

 that is required for any description of gut knotting. I should, 

 perhaps, however, make an exception to this statement in the 

 case of drawn gut, and natural gut of unusual fineness. In 

 these cases the extreme ' limpness ' of the strands makes the 

 single half-hitch very liable to slip, or draw out, if the ends are 

 cut at all close, as they should be on the score of neatness. 

 It is, therefore, better in such cases to make the knot with two 



