CHAPTER XIII. 

 HOOKS. 



RECENTLY the old " eyed " hook has been revived in Eng- 

 land for artificial flies, but with this difference : the old- 

 fashioned form had the eye either turned up, or vertical, 

 that is, on the same plane with the shank, while the im- 

 proved eye is turned down ; though some prefer it turned 

 up, the turned down eye is deemed the best form. Through 

 this eye the snell is passed and fastened by one of several 

 knots or hitches, each of which has its advocates. 



But the Black Bass fisher need not worry his brain as to 

 whether the eye should be turned up or down, nor fret his 

 soul as to the particular knot or hitch by which to attach 

 the snell ; for the plan of making the eye of gut or gimp 

 in Bass flies is really to be preferred to any form of eyed 

 hook, as the loop of the snell can be readily passed through 

 the small gut loop at the head of the fly, and over the lat- 

 ter, and then drawn tight, making a very neat and secure 

 attachment neater and more secure than by any form of 

 eyed hook with knotted snell ; but the eye of the new hook 

 is so small that, except in large sizes, a doubled gut can not 

 be passed through it, consequently it must be fastened by 

 a single gut with some sort of knot. It is best suited for 

 the very small hooks, on which the trout flies of England 

 are usually tied, and for the very finely drawn, or gossa- 

 mer gut, of which the snells are made. 



What with eyed hooks, brazed or unbrazed, turned up or 

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