Fish-hooks. 11 



Angler ! the term is to me a title of nobility, an order 

 of knighthood open to personal merit alone. Not to 

 every one who casts the fly is it given to belong to this 

 brotherhood. He who would claim admission must be 

 gentle, kindly, courteous, temperate, unselfish ; a lover 

 of nature, a pleasant companion, and a true friend and 

 let us be thankful there are many such. 



The relation of all this to fish-hooks is somewhat 

 obscure, so perhaps it would be well to return to the 

 point. 



Since the gratification of a capture is measured large- 

 ly by the degree of skill required to make it, it is desir- 

 able to eliminate as far as possible all chance from 

 affecting the result ; so, if it may be, that when the fly 

 is touched, no matter how lightly or from what direc- 

 tion, the hook will fasten if manipulated with skill. 



Ignorance of the mechanical principles which should 

 be embodied in a fish-hook, and which govern its effi- 

 ciency, is altogether too common. Many examine a fly, 

 and if it please in color, size, and neatness, little thought 

 is given to the form of the hook. 



The hooks ordinarily sold are none of them quite per- 

 fect, while many are very faulty in this respect. To 

 formulate, if it may be, some simple and readily applied 

 rule, guided by which the angler can justly criticise any 

 form of hook at a glance, is the purpose of the remainder 

 of this chapter. 



If it is desired to drive a nail into a board to the 

 greatest depth possible with a single blow of a hammer, 

 everybody knows the blow should be delivered fair and 

 straight upon its head, and by no means obliquely. And 

 thus with a fish-hook. Though the power is first applied 

 as a sudden pull, yet as it is transmitted through the 



