ABOUT HOOKS. 245 



gles are the rule rather than the exception. Weight here 

 is no detriment but rather an advantage. In selecting 

 hooks, the weight they are required to bear should always 

 be taken into consideration, and the thickness of the 

 wire chosen accordingly. Treble hooks for salmon and 

 pike lishing in particular, are much too delicate, general- 

 ly speaking. We have seen several triangles broken at 

 the strike of a heavy fish. The temper of many triangles, 

 or brazed hooks sold, has been aifected during the brazing 

 operation. The plan generally adopted over-tempers 

 them, thus causing them to be hard and brittle ; and as 

 two or sometimes three and more hooks have frequently 

 to be driven home, the odds are that if the fish does not 

 break them the rodster often does. Breakages are so rife 

 in the case of brazed hooks, owing mainly to the causes 

 above named, that many anglers have been led to eschew 

 them altogether; but the fault lies. largely with the 

 angler who selects them too fine and delicate in the 

 metal. 



The hooks requisite for successful roach fishing should 

 be moderately long-shanked.. We prefer the "Sneck" 

 to the "round" or Carlisle bend, the latter being fre- 

 quently too short in the shank, and having much too 

 exaggerated a "span " in the bend to work with a short 

 shank properly. The remarks anent weak wire apply 

 equally to round bend roach hooks ; and if we combine 

 witb the above the usual fault of a turned-out, rakish- 

 looking point, no room is left for surprise at the many 

 disasters incurred by their use. The greater utility of a 

 well-proportioned hook may be easily ascertained by the 

 following simple experiment. Take two hooks a mod- 

 erately long-shanked one nicely tapered, with a straight 

 point, and a short-shanked hook with a turned-out point. 

 Attach gut to each. Now procure a small piece of parch- 

 ment or thin card-board, upon which take good hold with 

 both hooks and endeavor to penetrate this by applying 



