94 SUMMER ANGLING 



between loops of string rather than on nails. A 

 barn makes a good place ; but, as it is apt to be 

 dusty, an unused attic is better. Wipe off the 

 superfluous dressing at the time of stretching with 

 a part of an old kid glove. When it is perfectly 

 hard and dry, a little French chalk will give it a 

 splendid polish, if applied between the folds of a 

 piece of chamois leather. 



The next operation for the fly-fisher to learn is 

 to make his own leaders. Now, to begin at the 

 beginning, a leader is a line made of silkworm gut, 

 generally three yards long ; and it is attached to 

 the silk or reel line, and to it is attached the snell 

 on which the fly is tied. As the silkworm gut 

 comes in lengths, according to price, from eight 

 inches to twenty inches in length, they must of 

 course be joined together until the three yards 

 is made up. Sometimes, as for bass fishing, six 

 feet is deemed sufficient, but I prefer my leader 

 to be within a foot of the length of the rod for 

 trout fishing ; so nine feet let it be at this time. 



The gut is cheapest if a good fair price is given 

 for it. You can trust yourself with Shipley to 

 send you a hank of good quality — for it comes in 

 hanks of a hundred fibres each — at a reasonable 



