REPAIRS, KNOTS, LOOPS, AND RECEIPTS. 407 



Loops. — In tying on hooks for bait-fishing, an excellent 

 plan is to whip the hook to a gut-loop, as shown by the left- 

 hand portion of figure 3. The right-hand portion of the 

 same figure represents a loop on the end of a gut-leader, and 

 shows how a hook may be attached to the leader or taken 

 off; it is convenient in changing one's hooks ; the loops draw 

 together closely when the gut becomes soft in the water, 

 and present a neat appearance. 



To carry out the same idea of neatness and convenience, a 

 line should also have a gut-loop at the end of it, for the pur- 

 pose of fastening on or taking off a leader, and to dispense 

 with knots. The loop can be fastened to the line securely 

 and neatly in the following manner : — Taper the end of the 

 line for three quarters of an inch with a sharp knife, and after 

 holding a piece of shoemaker's wax in a candle or gas-light, 

 draw so much of the line through the soft wax ; then hold 

 the ends of the gut-loop in the gas-light to blunt them and 

 form little knobs on them, and indenting the gut between 

 your fore teeth, lay it on the waxed end of the line, and 

 beginning at the ends of the loop (figure 4), wrap with fine 

 waxed silk as far as B, and fasten off with the invisible knot, 

 as already described in tying on a hook. 



To Splice a Line. — When the angler breaks his line and 

 is not willing to dispense with the part broken off, if it is 

 joined by a knot, it will not pass through the rings of the 

 rod, and splicing becomes a necessity. This is done by taper- 

 ing the two ends for three quarters of an inch, waxing them 

 well, and laying them together, and wrapping with fine well- 

 waxed silk. Fastening off with the invisible knot in this 

 instance is different from the manner before described. It is 

 done thus : after wrapping from A to B (figure 5), drop the 

 silk into a loop D, and commencing at C, pass the end four 

 times around the line towards towards B, then taking up the 



