181 



" Flies dressed on eyed-hooks float better and with less drying than those 

 constructed on the old system. . . . Another and, in my opinion, para- 

 mount benefit is, that at the very earliest symptom of weakness at the point of 

 uncture of the head of the fly and gut (the point at which the maximum wear 

 and tear takes place) it is only necessary in the case of the eyed fly to break it 

 off and tie on afresh, sacrificing at most a couple of inches* of the fine end of 

 the cast ; while in the case of the hook on gut, the fly has become absolutely 

 useless and beyond repair. It must also be remembered that with eyed hooks 

 the angler can use gut as coarse or as fine as he may fancy for the particular 

 day, while with flies on gut he would require to have each pattern dressed on 

 two or three different thicknesses." Idem, p. 2. 



" For nearly six weeks I rang the changes on the Sproat, Sneck, and Pen- 

 nell hook, in the endeavour to determine practically the relative value of each ; 

 and as far as such a trial justifies an opinion I believe the Pennell hook to be 

 all that its inventor claims for it." . . . " Whenever during the latter 

 part of my trip I wished to tie a new fly I invariably ignored the Sproat and 

 Sneck hooks, and selected the Pennell. " H. P. WELLS, Fly Rods and Fly 

 Tackle, p. 32. 



"The O'Shaughnessy, the Limerick, and the Sproat are the forms of 

 hooks most used in this country. . . . But a so-called modification of the 

 Limerick hook, the invention of Mr. Cholmondeley- Pennell, the well-known 

 angling author, has recently appeared in England, which I believe to be far 

 superior to any of these. I recommend this hook with the greater confidence, 

 since I have used Mr. Pennell's modification of the sneck bend for three or four 

 years under conditions designed to thoroughly test its efficiency and strength. 

 Gradually it superseded every other form of hook in my esteem, until last year 

 I used no other, except upon compulsion and with reluctance. It will be 

 noticed the point [of the Pennell-Limerick] is set in toward the shank so as to 

 secure all the certainty of penetration which the original form of Sproat 

 possessed or, indeed, which is possible in a hook ; that the point is long and 

 conical; that the wire is but little weakened in the formation of the barb ; that 

 it is deep on the shank side ; that the wire is of sufficient thickness to prevent 

 change of form ; and that the shank is straight, thus facilitating the tying of 

 the fly. ... Though its name and shape might lead a casual observer to 

 consider it really a modification of the hook from which it is named, careful 

 consideration of the following diagram of the three sizes most useful to the 

 salmon-fisherman in this country, will show that it is really nothing but the 

 Pennell sneck-bend hook, with the angle where the shank merges into the 

 bend softened to an easier curve. " H. P. WELLS, American Salmon Fisherman 

 (pp. 109-10). 



* With the Jam Knot half an inch. H.C.-P. 



