The Small but Important Hook 



I always like to hear from Mr. H. H. Brimley 

 of Raleigh, N. C. It is plain to me that he is a first 

 class fisherman and he writes in a way which gets 

 into your heart. He is curator of the North Caro- 

 lina Department of Agriculture. 



In packing for a hunting trip last December, after 

 deer, turkey and ducks, I slipped in a small assort- 

 ment of bass-casting tackle just to see how late in 

 the year I could catch a big-mouth on artificial bait. 



I always keep a spare casting rod at the club house 

 to which I was going, so I didn't pack an extra one, 

 but I was undecided about taking a landing net. I had 

 mine all ready to pack, but there was such a mass 

 of hunting clothes, as well as shot gun, rifle and ac- 

 cessories and other winter impedimenta, that at the 

 last moment I left the landing net out. 



My destination was the headquarters of the Ons- 

 low Rod and Gun Club, on New River, in eastern 

 North Carolina, from which we get both salt and 

 fresh-water fishing, the latter practically during every 

 month of the year. 



The time was about two weeks before Christmas, 

 and the weather was comparatively mild and open, 



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