17 



risk of breaking the rod's back ; while, if the gut is 

 too heavy for the line, it will pitch all in a heap, and, 

 of course, scare the fish. 



Flies are commonly made with a loop at the end 

 of the gut, to be passed through a corresponding 

 loop at the end of the casting line. A much neater 

 plan is to cut off the loops, or buy your flies without 

 them, and tie the two ends together as above 

 described. 



Flies tied on eyed hooks are a great improvement 

 on the old style. They are more easily packed, not 

 having that awkward coil of gut attached to them, 

 which is always so difficult to manage in a book, and 

 which is almost certain to result in the loss of some 

 flies on a windy day. They can be readily attached 

 and detached when necessary, and are lighter and 

 float better, and there is not that friction of the gut 

 at the most important point, as with flies tied on gut. 

 I have frequently found when fishing that the fly I 

 particularly wished to use on clear water was tied 

 on stout gut for rough water, and was larger than my 

 gut cast above it. This is wrong in principle, but 

 with eyed hooks gut to suit the water could easily be 

 tied on. 



Never go out without a landing-net. The most 

 convenient is that with a telescopic handle and folding 

 ring. Near the upper end of the outside part of the 

 handle should be a brass spring hook, to slip over 

 the strap which crosses your chest towards the left 

 side. When you hook a fish, you can, without 

 moving the right hand from the rod, lift the landing- 

 net off with the left hand and throw out the handle 

 ready for use. A pair of waterproof wading-boots 



c 



