THE CASTING LINE 233 



casting, and what a bad style of casting is fostered by want of 

 attention to this point. Rod and line should match each 

 other, and a line either too light or too heavy is a nuisance 

 and an evil. 



The casting-line or gut bottom is the next point of considera- 

 tion. For my own part, I always like about three lengths of 

 treble twisted gut, and two of good double gut, and then the 

 single gut in all close upon four yards. Let it be good sound, 

 round, reliable gut, not mere makeshift rubbish.* The gut 

 should be stained either amber or green for peat or limestone 

 waters. Coffee lees give the first, boiled green baize or walnut 

 shucks steeped, the second. No other colour is admissible. 

 Some, as I have already said, use ink ; this might do if one 

 rented pools on the Styx, but elsewhere it is a bad and un- 

 natural dye, and shows plainly in any water. Better no dye 

 at all than this, for though a pool may look dark and black to 

 the eye it is usually only the result of the rocky bed, the depth, 

 or overshadowing rocks ; it does not look so to the fish from 

 below. Whether the angler uses one, or two, or even three 

 flies on his cast, must be decided by the water he is going to 

 fish. In some waters more than one fly is dangerous, in others 

 it answers well enough. In lake-fishing, for example, two 

 and even three flies may often be used with advantage ; and 

 on the Tay and such broad heavy waters also, three flies are 

 used habitually. The salmon fly should always be tied upon a 

 hook with a loop eye at the head. Whether this loop be formed 

 as part of the hook itself, or be lashed on, matters not here. 

 Supposing it to exist, pick out a nice round, lengthy strand of 

 gut, if the fly be used as a single fly or as a stretcher ; if a 

 dropper, it may be shorter, say of four or five inches when 

 attached. Tie a sound loop in the upper end wherewith to loop 

 it to the casting-line, then put the other point through the 

 eye, take a turn of the gut round the eye until the point is on 



* Various substitutes for . ut have been introduced of late years, and per- 

 sonally I have quite abandoned gut in spring salmon-fishing, using only the 

 material sold as " Demos." Its strength is much greater than that of the 

 best gut it costs about sixpence a yard and is supplied in 40 yard lengths. 

 But it requires care in handling. A figure-of-eight knot at the head of the 

 fly is quite safe ; but if, as often happens in windy weather, a knot forms 

 accidentally in the cast, a very slight jerk will snap it. That is the only draw- 

 back I know to Demos. Its merits are that it has no glitter, the casting line 

 is in one piece, it is of extraordinary strength and absurdly cheap. Fishing 

 with a friend in the Spey one March, he had the misfortune to lose his casting 

 line through the reel line breaking. It was a new' cast for which he gave 

 fifteen shillings. A similar accident to myself would have cost me just one 

 shilling ! ED. 



