TACKLE 67 



minutes in a cup of strong coffee or black tea. To 

 give it a pale slate color, mix water and black ink in 

 equal parts and put the hair or gut in it for a moment 

 only. For a grayish water color (mist) dissolve a 

 little alum and indigo in boiling water, let it stand 

 until it is cold and dip the hair or gut in it until it has 

 acquired the tint you wish." 



These worth-while directions might be added to in 

 order to secure a greenish tint for fishing in the weeds. 

 This can be done by using green writing fluid instead 

 of the black, recommended above for obtaining the 

 slate color. I do not believe in putting gut in hot 

 solutions. 



TYING LEADERS 



Before one attempts to tie gut into leaders the strands 

 should be soaked in luke-warm water to make it flexible. 



There are several knots to tie the short strands to- 

 gether; the best, in my opinion, being the single and 

 double water knots as they are known in this country 

 or the fishermen's knots as they are called abroad. 



The single knot (figure i) is made by laying the 



Figure I 



ends of two strands along side of one another and tying 

 a simple knot around each with the free end of the 

 other. When pulled tight these knots jam against 

 each other making what appears to be one knot. The 



