o OUEKPKK FISHING. 



prefer fine gut at all times, unless in muddy water. 

 We may mention that horse-tail hair is a very good 

 substitute for fine gut when the latter cannot be had. 

 This is like taking a step backward, because gut 

 superseded hair; but now that much difficulty is 

 often experienced in procuring proper gut, the angler 

 will find hair both easily got and a capital substitute. 

 We often use it ourselves, and always single, and we 

 find no difficulty in landing trouts with it, saving 

 that it takes more time to land large trouts, and as 

 a whole, a little more caution when striking and land- 

 ing than gut. Hair when wet is very elastic, so that 

 a trout making a sudden bolt is not apt to break it; 

 and if it be good hair trouts up to about half-a-pound 

 may be lifted out of the water with it. If of a blae 

 colour, it is also nearly invisible in the water. Hair 

 from the tails of white or grey nags is best, horse- 

 hair being generally too coarse, and that of mares 

 too brittle. When we have gut to our taste, however, 

 we prefer it. It is more clever among taking trouts. 

 Some anglers, rather innocent ones we opine, make 

 up their lines of any sort of gut, and bait the creeper 

 upon a common worm hook passing it through im- 

 mediately below the head, and then back again 

 through the head's antipodes. This is a vague 

 way of makiug a line, and a clumsy style of baiting ; 



