SILK- WORM GUT. Ill 



selecting those that are the finest, roundest, and most per- 

 fect, remembering, meanwhile, that a sight of the angler 

 himself is more fatal to successful fishing than a display of 

 the coarsest leader, or of the most outre in color. 



Leaders are now mostly made with loops for attaching 

 the dropper flies, and is by far the most preferable way. An 

 excellent mode of making the loop is as follows : and if 

 the reader will refer to Fig. 11, on page 278, and its ex- 

 planation on page 281 ("The Book of the Black Bass"), 

 the matter will be made much clearer In forming the usual 

 knot for tying the gut lengths together in making a leader, 

 the two ends are lapped about two inches in forming that 

 knot; but to make the loop, lap about four- inches, and 

 double one strand back on itself, so that there will be then 

 three strands (instead of two), presented for tying, each 

 about two inches long two of the strands forming the loop ; 

 now tie the knot in the manner as shown in the illustration 

 referred to, and draw tight. This will leave two short ends 

 on one side of the knot, and a loop on the other ; the former 

 are to be clipped oft short. This loop should point toward 

 the reel end of the leader, or away from the stretcher fly, in 

 order that the drop fly when attached may stand at a right 

 angle to the leader, and thus prevent it becoming curled 

 around it, when wet. 



A very good plan of making leaders is that used by some 

 anglers, who tie the gut strands together in lengths of three 

 feet, with loops at each end. Two of these lengths can be 

 looped together for a six-foot leader, or three for one of 

 nine feet. The flies can also be attached to these looped 

 ends very easily. In this way a number of casts can be 

 prepared, which may be used as found necessary. If the 

 angler is using, say, a leader of six feet made in this way, 



