218 SCIENCE OF FISHING. 



The way to make a leader is to soak the gut several 

 hours, usually over night, in clear water, then selecting a 

 number of the most perfect, clear, smooth and even-thick- 

 ness strands, tie them together, rejecting the bad ends, using 

 the heaviest strand and the heaviest end of it at the line end ; 

 the next heaviest by its thickest end to this, and so on until 

 it is long enough for your use. In the illustration of knots 

 the first one shows the way the loop is tied in the end, but 

 figure 2 shows a better one. Figure 3 shows a way of "tying 

 the gut strands together that was much used at one time, but 



Hook and Leader Tying. 



there are other methods that I think are better. Figure 4, 

 for instance, shows a fine knot for this purpose. You must 

 get the twists of even length at each end and then draw the 

 knot tight by a quick jerk on the two long ends. You can 

 make your leader in three-foot sections with loops at each 

 end and fasten them together as in figure 0. This makes a 

 convenient way of attaching a dropper fly, as shown. Or 

 you can make the leader in one length with a loop tied on as 

 shown in figure 5, for attaching the extra fly. The best way 

 of all, though, I think, for tying the strands together and 



