HOOKS, LINES AND LEADERS. 55 



forms an eye ; it may be tapered and marked with little cuts ; 

 or it may be flattened out at the end. The marked hooks are 

 used for snelling with silkworm gut and for making flies 

 with snells. The gut is thoroughly softened by soaking in 

 water, and is laid along the shank of the hook and bound on 

 by winding tightly with fine silk thread. The winding is then 

 shellaced. 



Ringed hooks are used for what are called "eyed flies" 

 and are tied to the end of the leader by certain knots which 

 are described elsewhere. They are also used for common 

 fishing by tying direct to the line. The flatted end hooks 

 may be used either way, with gut or to the line itself. 



One style of hook is known as the Pennell. The eye or 

 ring of this hook is turned over towards the point and this 

 makes a fine shape and one of the very best of hooks. The 

 shanks are tapered, - the hooks finely tempered and finished 

 in bronze. Another very popular hook, especially for the 

 smaller kinds of rish, is the Sneck pattern, also called Ken- 

 dall-Sneck, or Sneck-Kendall. They are finely tempered and 

 blued. The O'Shaughnessy is also a favorite, especially for 

 sea-fishing. 



For tarpon, tuna and other very large and powerful fish 

 the Van Vleck hook is the kind most used. These hooks are 

 eyed and the eye is formed by flattening the end and punch- 

 ing. The point and barb also differs from the regulation 

 pattern. The Improved Van Vleck has a double barb and it 

 is set on the outside of the point instead of the inside. The 

 smallest of these hooks is numbered 8 and this one is about 

 the same size as the No. 1 or No. 1-0 of the other hooks. 

 Sizes 7 and 8 are for black bass. The Captiva is a tarpon 

 hook similar to the plain Van Vleck. 



There are several styles of hooks which have no barbs. 

 One is the Williams Barbless hook, which has a peculiar 

 bend to prevent the fish from shaking it out. This hook is 

 said to be a very good one and is liked because it does not 



