DACE AND CHUB^ 313 



I may summarise these points as follows : 



1. The flies never "flick" off. 



2. They can be changed — attached and detached7-in less than 

 half the time. 



3. They are stronger ; because whenever the gut gets at all 

 frayed at the head it can be at once shifted (re-knotted on) whereas 

 with flies lapped on gut the weakening at the head commences very 

 soon, especially after catching a few fish, and any chan,ge involves 

 sacrificing the fly , consequently the fly is,in many cases, used long 

 after it has become weak. ... I have not met with an instance of 

 the knot slipping. 



4. The turned-down eyed hooks appear to me to hook more fish 

 in proportion to rises, and to lose fewer fish after being hooked.' 



These hooks have lately been adopted for float- and sea-, as 

 well as fly-fishing ; and I have used them myself for Gudgeon; 

 Rudd, Chub, Perch, Mackerel, Whiting, and Flat-fish, with 

 perfect success. The following is the knot for attaching the 

 line to the bare hook : 



KNOT FOE ATTACHMENT TO BARE HOOK. 



Push the end of the gut -line through the eye, in the direction of 

 the hook-point, and run the hook up the line, to be out of the way ; 

 then make a noose — the common running noose, with a slip-knot, 

 fig. I — at the end of the gut, and passing it over the hook, ' lasso- 

 wise,'" fig. 2, draw in the slack of the noose and pull tight, fig. 3. 



Of baits to be used with the float the dace prefers, in most 

 cases, a small red-worm ; gentles, paste, caddis-worms, &c., 

 are, however, not uncommonly taken. The tackle should be 

 of the lightest : very fine gut line. No. i hook, and light float, 

 say No. i or No. 2, according, to the strength and depth of 

 the stream. 



