82 FISHING KITS AND EQUIPMENT 



clear of the cheap trout fly. They are commercially 

 tied by the million by people who do not in the least 

 know what they are to be used for. In consequence 

 they disintegrate with facility and, as long as they hold 

 together, are mere useless bunches of feathers not 

 at all resembling either in color or form the flies tied 

 by men who have " been there." A fly of good grade 

 will sometimes last for weeks of pretty steady fishing, 

 and have a good many trout to its credit, without be- 

 ing put out of commission. The cheap fly is a snare 

 and a delusion to the angler only. 



In the final analysis the question of what style of 

 hook is the most efficient is of great importance. In 

 fact, one could almost say that the choice 

 of the hook on which the fly is dressed 

 is the great question of tackle selection. For no mat- 

 ter how wisely and well the angler discriminates in 

 regard to rod, reel and line, after all it is the hook 

 which by its efficiency or the lack thereof produces re- 

 sults or the contrary. But, again in the final analysis, 

 we find experienced anglers using with success a good 

 many different sorts of hooks. It would seem then 

 that, with a few exceptions, the most popular hooks 

 are all about equally good, and that the angler who 

 fails to hook his fish should not " blame the gun." 

 Briefly, and theoretically, the most efficient hook is one 

 having a " direct draught " so that the point is im- 

 mediately sent home in the direction of the force ap- 

 plied. However, we will not here discuss angles of 



