IDEAS ON FLY-FISHING. 213 



be imagined than taking the last look at eight or 

 ten yards of your line, perhaps more, rapidly dis- 

 appearing in the eddying stream Avith your cast- 

 ing line and flies acting as advance guard? The 

 thought of such a catastrophe is enough to make a 

 man's blood run cold. 



Casting lines should also taper, and, provided the 

 gut is good, can scarcely have too fine a termina- 

 tion. Although a great many disciples of the rod 

 always purchase these ready-made, every fislierman 

 should be able to knot one r,p himself. The process 

 is simple. Select your hairs — coarse ones for the 

 top, fine ones for the bottom — steep iliem for some 

 minutes in water, as warm as tlie hand can conven- 

 iently bear, then knot them together, increasing or 

 diminishing gradually in size accordhig to the end 

 you liave commenced at. Care must be taken 

 that such a knot be used as there is no slip to. 

 The safest I know of is formed thus: take the ends 

 to be joined and phice tliem alongside one another, 

 tlien take one end and make a single hitch hj doub- 

 ling it back and passing the end through the loop, 

 which pull tight. Do the same with the reverse end, 

 wlien by pulling on the line both will slip together, 

 the strain iiaving the tendency to tighten the knot. 



