GUT KNOTS. 



43 



that is required for any description of gut knotting. I should, 

 perhaps, however, make an exception to this statement. In the 

 case of drawn gut, and also in natural gut of exceptional 

 fineness, the extreme limpness of the strands makes the single 

 fisherman's knot very liable to ' draw ' if the ends are cut 

 at all close, as they should be on the score of neatness. In 

 such cases it is, therefore, better to make the knot with two 

 double, instead of two single, half-hitches ; the end, that is, with 

 which each half-knot is tied is passed twice instead of once 

 round the central link and through the loop, in the manner 

 shown in the engraving. This is the ' double ' fisherman's 



FIG. 2. — DOUBLE FISHERMAN'S KNOT. 



knot. With very fine gut the increase in the size of the knot 

 is so small as not to be worth considering, whilst the increase 

 of strength obtained is of importance. 



Except for salmon fishing, if a drop-fly is used it is not a 

 bad plan to pass the end of the gut-link of the fly between the 

 two strands of the joining gut and between the two halves of 

 the knot before drawing the latter close. The drop-fly will 



FIG. 3. FIG. 5. FIG. 4. 



DROP FLY ATTACHMENTS FOR TROUT CASTING LINES. 



then stand out at right angles to the casting line, a result which 

 it is desirable to attain. A single knot tied in the link of the 

 drop fly at the required distance outside the knot in the casting 

 line prevents its slipping. 



