34 Fly-rods and Fly-tackle. 



ally credited with recognizing a good thing when we 

 see it. 



The reason usually assigned is that it is too hard to 

 knot the leader to the eye an exemplification, perhaps, 

 of the rule that the unknown is the portentous. It cer- 

 tainly takes no more time than to join the loop on the 

 end of a leader to that on the fly-gut, while the fly is 

 saved the rough-and-tumble experience of being dragged 

 through the loop a very rough-and-tumble experience 

 in some hands. Think, too, how clean and fair the 

 leader runs to the tail-fly, with nothing to attract atten- 

 tion except the indispensable and inconspicuous knots 

 which unite the strands, as imperceptible as possible. 

 No two loops, meshed together a few inches above the 

 fly, imprison a glittering film of air shining almost like 

 a mirror. 



But let us assume, contrary to the fact, that the knot 

 is quite beyond the capability of the average angler. 

 Even then, why is not the eyed hook entitled to prefer- 

 ence ? The fly can be tied without the gut to the con- 

 venience of the fly-maker, and a looped gut strand be 

 knotted to the eye by him at any time before delivery 

 to the consumer, who then has just what he has been 

 accustomed to use. When he begins to mistrust the 

 gut strand for any reason, instead of buying a new 

 stock of flies, he simply sends his suspects to the maker 

 to replace the old gut with new. Ignoring the obvious 

 resulting economy, this course would go far to remove 

 the cause of much perturbation of the angling mind over 

 the disposition of accumulations of old materials which 

 it dares not use, yet which seem too good to destroy. 



But, in point of fact, the knot is really of the easiest 

 to learn and practise far easier than to tie a shoe. 



