Fish-hooks. 35 



Since it is almost identical with the knot described in 

 the chapters on leaders, for fastening the line to the 

 leader, it seems better for reader and writer " to make 

 but one bite of the cherry," and to do it there. 



Heretofore we have spoken of the eyed hook as 

 though used but in the tail-fly. It is, however, obvious 

 that if the leader be provided with projecting strands 

 of gut at the proper intervals, eyed flies may be as read- 

 ily tied to the free ends of these strands as to the end 

 of the leader, and that the eyed hooks are equally avail- 

 able for drop-flies. 



It should be distinctly understood that the preceding 

 remarks apply only to eyed hooks in which the eye is 

 bent at an angle with the shank of the hook, either up 

 or down down is the better so that the gut will draw 

 on a true line with the shank of the hook. Those 

 hooks, familiar to the bait-fisher from time immemorial, 

 in which the shank terminates in a ring in the plane of 

 the shank, are not available for fly-fishing, since, among 

 other reasons, the gut will not draw in true line with 

 the shank and the fly will not swim straight. 



When one speaks to another it is generally more sat- 

 isfactory if the hearer knows what the speaker is talk- 

 ing about. Therefore, since different manufacturers do 

 not always use the same number to indicate the same 

 size of hook, the author desires that the size shown as 

 corresponding with the number given in the following 

 scale be understood whenever a hook is mentioned by 

 number in this book. 



Though the hooks are figured on the following page 

 of actual size, it may be remarked that in the cut they 

 appear somewhat larger to the eye. 



