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Contents

Introduction

1-OnHooks,Tackle,andFishingGearH.Cholmondeley-Pennell

2-SalmonFishingwiththeFly.AlsoaFewNotesonFlyFishingforSeaTroutMajorJohnP.Traherne

3-FlyFishingForTroutandGrayling;orFineandFarOffHenryRalphFrancis,M.A.

4-Chalk-StreamFishingwiththeDryFly,andMay-FlyFishingH.S.HallandFredericM.Halford

Introduction

Inconsequenceofthegrowingartfulnessofmanoroffish,orboth,anglinghascometobenearlyaswideafieldforthespecialistasdoctoring.

So begins Henry Cholmondeley-Pennell in his prefatory note to Fishing: Salmon andTrout.Thisisarevisededitionoftheoriginal1889text,initiallyreleasedwiththeobjectof producing a modern encyclopaedia to which the inexperienced man, who seeksguidance in the practice of the various British Sports and Pastimes, can turn forinformation.Containedwithinareaneclecticcollectionofessays,anecdotesandguideswrittenbysomeofthemostprominentflyfishersoftheday.

HenryCholmondeley-Pennell (1837-1915),whoseworkmakes up the bulk of thisrevised edition, was a renowned British naturalist, editor and occasional contributor toPunchknownforpublishingpoetryandmanyvolumesoncoarse-flyanddeep-seafishing.ThemostnotableamongsthistitlesBadmintonLibraryofSportsandPastimes:Fishing.With contributions from other authors and TheModern Practical Angler: a completeguidetoflyfishing,bottom-fishing&trolling.

MajorTraherne,widelyregardedasbeingoneof themost innovativefly tiers (andthus fishers)ofall time,providesaseminalessay thatdrawsheavilyonaccountsofhisown experience in salmon fishing; and is induced to do so in the hope that itmay beinstructive to gentlemen who are inexperienced in the art, and also to a certain extentinterestingtotheanglingpublic.Inhistime,MajorTraherneheldanumberofrecordsforsalmoncatchesinthelate1800safterfishingsomeofthebestriversinIreland,Scotland,andNorway.In1864hecaught165fishinfifteendaysontheNamsenRiverinNorway;arecordthatstillstandstodayand,itissaid,isunlikelyevertobebeaten.

HenryRalphFrancis (M.A.),whowaseducatedatBrentfordSchoolandSt.JohnsCollege,CambridgebeforebecomingJudgeoftheDistrictCourtsfortheNorthernDistrictofNewSouthWales,presentsaninspiringpersonalaccountofhisanglingexploitsinFlyfishingForTroutandGrayling;orFineandFarOff.SoonafterleavingBritainin1858,he took a prominent role in the promotion of the NationalMutual Life Association ofAustralia after its formation in 1869, at which he was later a director. Followingdeteriorationinhishealth,hewentonleaveofabsencewithoutsalaryfrom11December,recuperatinginTasmaniabeforereturningtoEnglandinherehemadehislivingwritingabouthishobbyofflyfishingandAustralia.

Elsewhere, the noted angler and fly fishing author Frederic Michael Halford(known also by the enigmatic pseudonym Detached Badger) writes with the Britishauthor and angling innovator on the relative merits and pitfalls of spinning and bait-Fishingforsalmonandtrout.

The Classic Guide to Fly fishing is a re-mastered edition of one of the first evermanualsofthesport,onceconsideredtobeabibleforcontemporarygamefishermen.

TheEditor

1

OnHooks,Tackle,andFishingGear

Arsestcelareartem

The sayinggoes Agoodworkmannever finds faultwithhis tools, but if by this it bemeant that he can work as well with bad tools as with good, or produce equallysatisfactoryresults,thenitsayslittleforthesagacityofthosewhomadetheproverb.Itisespecially in themore artistic descriptionsofwork that the importanceofgood tools isapparent.The fly-fisher is aworkman in ahighly artistic school, and, if he is todohisworkthoroughlywell,histools,thatis,histacklerods,hooks,lines,etc.mustbeoftheverybest.

TherearestillsomehappyhuntinggroundsscatteredthroughouttheBritishIslandson which the shadow of the rod or glitter of the bait has but seldom fallen, smallmountain lochs andmoorland streamswherein fish are so guileless and simple in theirhabitsthattheywillrisewithdelightfulconfidingnessatthemostrudimentaryspecimenoftheartificialfly,offeredtothemintheleastattractivemanner.SuchspotsIhavemetwithwhere it tookweeks to impress upon its trout themelancholy fact that menweredeceiversever,andwheredayafterdaytheveriestbunglermightfillhiscreel,and,forthatmatter,hispocketsandhiswadingboots,withtheunsuspectingfario,whichcameupgailytohisflies,threeorfouratatime,inblissfulignoranceandapparentlyundiminishednumbers. Such spots, however, are becoming rarer year by year. Even the mostsequestered waters are now sought after, and generally found out, by the indefatigabletouristor the lesseesof the sporting rights; and the inhabitantsof suchwaters,howeverunwillingtobetaught,arereceivingthebenefitsofasortofcompulsoryeducationthatisgraduallyopeningtheireyestoseverallittlethingsgoingoninthewickedworldaround,withwhichitistotheiradvantagetobeacquainted.

Thereare,ofcourse,andprobablyalwayswillbe,degreesofadvancementintroutknowledge.ThestreamsofScotlandandIrelandcannever,inourtimeatleast,befishedtothesameextentasthoseofEngland,andespeciallyofoursoutherncounties.Anditisvery fortunate that it should be so, formany amanwhose trout-fishing experience hasbeen attained principally amongst the Scotch and Irish lakes and rivers, and who, notunnaturally, perhaps, considers himself a highly artistic performer, would be literallynowhereifsuddenlytransferredwiththesametackleandmodeoffishingtothebanksoftheItchen,theTest,ortheDriffieldBeck.Insteadoffindingcomparativelyfewtroutandthoseunderfed,andpredisposedtoatleastregardhislurewithafriendlyeye,hewouldseeawaterliterallyteemingwithpamperedand,therefore,highlyfastidious,fish,whomhisfirstappearanceonthebanksentflyinginadozendifferentdirections,andwho,whenhis saturated nondescript did happen to pass over their noses, moved not a responsivemuscle,andbytheirattitudeconveyedthegeneralideaofwhatLordRandolphChurchillwouldcallineradicablesuperciliousness

Butthesearetheproductsofcenturiesofcivilisation,andtheultimateoutcomeofthetheoryofthesurvivalofthefittest.

Inregardtosalmonaswellastrouttheprincipleofthehighereducationalsoholdsgood, although not quite in the same degree as in the extreme cases above referred to,

inasmuchassuchabodesofbliss in regard tosalmonhaveunfortunately longceased toexistcitherintheBritishIslandsoranywhereelsewithincomfortabletravellingrangeofCharingCross.Everyyeartherentofasalmonrivergoesup;alreadyit isbut little lessthanthatofagrousemoor,andwhatitmayeventuallycometo,ifwearenotallruinedinthemeantime,dothnotyetappear.

Naturally,thosewhopaysodearlyfortheirmileorhalf-mileofsalmonwatermakeup their minds to get the utmost possible out of it in the way of sport. The pools areassiduously fishedwhenever thewater is in possible condition. Often they are fishedover two or three times a day, and sometimes by two or three different rods; and theconsequenceisthat,atanyrateafterhavingbeeninthefreshwaterforsomelittletime,andsuccessfullyresistedthefirstseductionsthrowninhisway,thesalmonbecomesmuchmoreshyandwary,andunlemptablebyflyorbaitunlesspresentedinthemostenticingfashion.

To thisend the refinementofeverypartof the fishinggear isoneof theprincipal,indeed, thechiefmeansLikehis star-stoledcousinof thechalkstreams,hescrutiniseswith a practised glance the object which is glittering before his eyes; and, howeverattractivemaybethelure,ifthelineofinvitation,assomeonecallsit,withwhichitispresentedbecoarseorclumsy,orofflattenedand,therefore,non-transparentgut,itistentoonethathewilldeclinewiththanks.Inshort,asfineandfaroffmightbetaken,inthecaseofthetroutfisher,asthepasswordtosuccess,soneatnessandstrengthshouldbetheshibbolethofthesalmonfisher.

Imakenoapology,therefore,fordwellinginsomedetailuponeachitemofthefly-fishersequipment,andmoreespeciallyonthatwhichconstitutesthealphaandomegaofthewholematter,namely,theHook.

HOOKSFish-hooks,astheyhavecomedowntousfromantiquity,andarerepresentedinboneorbronze in our museums and collections, appear to have been steadily improving fromcentury to century, until in our own day the art of hook-manufacture, per se,may beconsideredtohavereacheditsultimatepossibilities.

Apart,however,frommereexcellenceofmaterialandworkmanship,thetimeisnowapparently ripe fora sweepingchangeso far,at least,as regardshooksused in fresh-waterfishingachangenotofdetailbutofprinciple:theprinciplethatis,ofconstructingthehookwithametaleyeor loop,at theendof theshankbywhichtheline isattached(knotted on) direct to the hook itself instead of by the old-fashioned process of gutlappings or gut loops. Consequently hook-making maybe regarded to this extent as atpresentinatransitionstate;andtheanglingworldthetroutanglerespeciallyisequallypassingthroughasortofinterregnumbetweentheoldsystemandthenew.

Therealisationandcompletionoftheeyed-hookprinciplewassuretocomesooneror later, for an agewhich is nothing if notmechanical could not but in the end rebelagainstthecrudeandunscientificmethodofprocedurebequeathedtousbyourancestors,andadoptedwithscarcelyaprotestbygenerationaftergenerationofsucceedinganglers.Theeyed-hooksystemwas, in fact, theonegreatperfectionment in fly fishing thatyetremained in spiteofprevious incompleteorpartially successful attemptspractically

unaccomplished;andrecognisingthemagnitudeofthetask,aswellastheimportanceofitsachievement, ifachieved, Ihaveforsomeyearspast thrownallmyenergies into theattempt,withresultssofareminentlyencouraging.

Theideaitself,ofsomesortofplanofattachmentdirecttothelinebymeansofmetaleyes or loops forming part of the hook, is by no means new. Mr H. S. Hall, whosecharmingcontributionstothesepageswillbereadwithinterestbyalldryfly-fishers,wasmy immediate predecessor and pioneer on the somewhat thorny, though by no meansuntrodden,track;andlongbeforehim,bothduringthepresentcenturyandstillearlier,aperceptionoftheadvantagestobeattainedbyasystemofattachingthehookdirecttothelinehasbeenpresenttothemindsofseveralwritersonanglingandhookmanufacturers,amongstwhomMessrsWarner,ofRedditch,areentitledtomosthonourablemention.ButwhatImeanbysayingthattheperfectingoftheideayetremainedtobeaccomplishedis,that,howeveringeniousoradmirableinthemselves,theseattemptsandessayshavefailedintheoneall-importantrespectofactuallysolvingtheproblem;ofsolvingit,thatis,byproducing such a system of hook-eyes and attachments as would obviate the variousinherent difficulties and objections, and bring the invention into general practical useamongstanglers.SuccessasIthinkitisnowbeingperceiveddepended,infact,quiteasmuchontheperfectsimplicityandstrengthoftheknotbywhichtheattachmentistobemadeasonthemetaleyeorloopitself.

Thisloopmight,theoretically,beeitherturnedupwardsordownwards,orneedle-eyedthatis,drilledperpendicularlythroughtheendofthehook-shankliketheeyeofaneedle;andinthefirstissueofthesevolumeseachsystemwasfullydiscussed,withtheargumentsproandcon.Atpresent,however,itwouldappearsofar,atleast,asthetacklemakersmaybesupposedtofeelthepulseoftheanglingandflyfishingworldthatthearguments adduced in the earlier issues of this book, or other causes, have so farinfluencedpublicopinioninthematterthatfirstlyeyedhooksarerapidlycomingintomore general use, primarily amongst trout-fishers; and secondly that onlymy ownpatterns of hooks with the eyes turned down enjoy any considerable or increasingpopularity.Ishalltherefore,inthepresentrevisededition,omitasfarasmaybereferenceto argumentativeor controversialmatters, nowpossessing little beyond an academicalinterest, and limit the scope of the following pages to explaining my own Eyed-hooksysteminitsmostrecentdevelopment,asapplicablebothtosalmonandtroutflies.

TOBEGINWITHSALMONFLIESAlthoughinthecaseofthesalmonflywhendressed,thatis,inthemoreordinarywaywithagutlooptheparamountandself-evidentadvantagesfortheeyed-hookprinciplethatmaybeclaimed in thecaseof the trout flydonotpresent themselves,yet thereareseveral points, and those not unimportant ones, in which the metal-eyed salmon hookoffersadistinctadvanceoverlapped-onhooks.

Take, for instance,probably themostobviouspoint, thequestionofdurability.Thelifeof theold-fashionedsalmonfly,whether tiedonastrandofgutoronagut loop, ismeasuredbythatofthewaxedlappingthatbindsthegutorgutlooptothehook-shanktheperiod, inotherwords,duringwhich thewax retains itsadhesiveness;and this, it iswellknown,itdoesnotdoformorethanalimitedand,moreover,anuncertainlylimitedtime.Thehookandtherestofthefly,onthecontrary,whenpreservedfrommothand

rust,areforpracticalpurposesindestructible,andifeithershouldhappentogiveoutthefactiseasilydiscovered,anddoesnotinitsdiscoveryentaillosingthebestfish,perhaps,oftheseason.Thepleasureofpossessingandkeepingupagoodstockofsalmonfliesissadlyalloyedbythereflectionthatafterafewyearsprudencewouldcounseltheirbeingconsignedtothenearestdust-hole.

Again, as regards the comparative neatness of the two systems, the verdict wouldprobablybeinfavourofthemetaleye,althoughthedifferenceisbuttrifling.

There are no disadvantages of any kind that I am aware of as a set-off to theforegoingadvantages,andtherefore,weighingimpartiallythetwosystemsgutloopsv.metalloopsitwouldseemthatthebalanceinclinesinfavourofthelatter.Asobserved,however, the fact that loopsof somesortare inpracticealreadyverygeneral in salmonflies,makesthequestionoflessimmediatelycriticalimportancetothesalmon-fisherthantothetrout-fisher, inwhosecasethechangefromlapped-onflies tofliesattachedbyaneyedhookisnothinglessthanarevolutionButtofinishfirstwiththesubjectofsalmonhooks.

Intheoriginaldesignoftheturn-downeyedsalmonhook,itwasallegednodoubtwith some show of reason that, from imperfections almost necessarily incident tomanufacture on a large scale, the pointed ends of the taper forming the loop wereoccasionallyleftsosharp,orincompletelyclosedastofraythegutoftheattachingknotatthispoint;andinmynewestpatternsitwillbeseenthisiseffectuallyprovidedagainstbythetaperedendofthewire,formingtheeyeorloop,beingre-turneduptheshankforsomenotinconsiderabledistance.Thisgivesaperfectlysmoothandevensurfaceofmetaleyefortheguttoworkagainst,anditsshapeoffersatthesametimespecialconveniencestothefly-dresser.

Thepointof importance toberecollected indressingflieson thesehooks,whetherforsalmonortrout,isthattheneck,betweentheheadoftheflyandtheloop,shouldbeleftcleartoreceivethegut.

Ithasbeenobservedthatmyoldturn-downeyedpatternsofhooks,bothsalmonandtrout,appeartobesteadilypushingallotherformsofeyesandloopsoutofthefieldandthisnotwithstandingtwoverydecidedblemishes.Onedefect,sofarassalmonhooksareconcerned,hasjustbeendescribed,withitsremedy;theotherwasinherentintheprinciplenot only ofmy own turn-down eyed patterns, but in a still greater degree in the oldermodelsofhookswitheyesturnedup.Thedefectisorratherwasthatthelinedidnot,andcouldnot,occupyaplaneabsolutelylevelwiththatofthehook-shank.

In the turn-downeyedhook the inaccuracywasof course reversed.Thedeflectionwasconsiderablylessthanthataboveillustrated;stillitwasadecideddefectoneofitsresultsbeing(inthecaseofmyownhooks)toundulynarrowthegapeofthehook,and,in the turn up eyed hooks, to undulywiden it. That thismust inevitably be the case, aglanceatthelastdiagramwillshow.

Toovercomethedifficulty,Itriedmanyexperimentsindeed,Ibeganexperimentingon my own hooks almost as soon as the pages containing their original patterns werepublished 1885, I think. It was really, however, a new principle, rather than a newpattern,thatwaswanted;andIonlydiscoveredwhatIwasinsearchofafterawearisome

successionofmodifiedsuccesses,andanaccumulationofabortivenotions,takingforminallunimaginableshapesoftwistedandcontortedsteel.However,atlastIdiddiscoverit, and having committed the folly of publishing my old turndown eyed hook beforegetting it protected, I took the new one straight away to the Patent Office, andsubsequently put themodel into the hands ofMessrsWm. Bartleet& Sons, of AbbeyMills, Redditch, who soon turned out a sufficient quantity to try practical conclusionswith,theresultsofpracticefullybearingoutthedeductionsoftheory.

Theprincipleembodiedinthenewhooksis,ineffect,thebendingoftheshank-endfirstupandthendown,intosomethingliketwosides,sotospeak,ofatriangle,ofwhichonesideisformedbythehook-eye,andtheotherbytheturned-upendoftheextremityofthehook-shank.Theeffectofthisistobringthelineexactlyintoaplanewiththehook-shank, whilst at the same time retaining all the advantages, in neatness and facility ofattachment,etc.,of theoriginal turndowneye, togetherstick thefullnaturalgapeof thehookbendandnomore.

ThenewpatentIhaveonlyhithertohadappliedtomyownspecialbendsofhooksthe Pennell-Limerickand Pennell-Sneckbends (see illustrations);but it is,of course,equallyapplicabletoalltheotherhook-bendsofcommerce,severalofwhichareshowninthe engraving a page or twoon.Someor all of thesewill, I hope, be obtainable at thetackleshopsbeforethisvolumeisissued.Topreventfraudandtoensurethebonafidesofthe hooks sold as mine many spurious and defective imitations of my earlier hookhaving,Iamsorrytosay,beenmadebyunauthorisedfirmsIhavealsoobtainedatrade-mark, andarranged that everypacketof thehooks shall bear such trade-markwithmysignature,andsoaffixedtoeachpacketthat itcannotbeopenedwithoutthelabelbeingtornordestroyed.

NewPatentSalmonHookwithUp-TurnShankandDown-TurnedEye.

Oftheforegoinghooksallthelargersizes,intendedprimarilyforsalmonandgrilseflies, fromNo.8upwards, Newscale (No.7upwards, Oldscale),aremadewith thewireofthelooporeyere-turneduptheshank,asalreadyexplained.Sizes8to10newscale(7to5oldscale),inclusive,aremadebothwithandwithoutthere-turnedeyes,soas to suit either light or heavy fishing; and fromNo. 8 new scale (No. 7 old scale),inclusive,andupwards,thehooksaremadedoubleaswellassingle.

Eventually, no doubt, all the smaller sizes will be manufactured both single anddouble, as the increase in theuseof small doublehooks formanydescriptionsof flies,includingordinarytroutflies,wherenoonewouldformerlyhavethoughtofusingthem,isanother comparatively recent advance in the science of fish-hooks. I have no doubtwhatever that, especially for the smaller sizes of salmon hooks, the double pattern hasconsiderableadvantages,andIhearthatonsomerivers,theTweed,forexample,theyarecompletelydrivingthesinglehooksoffthewater.Itisobvious,indeed,thattheygreatlyincreasethechancebothofhookingandofholdingafish;andagainstthesmalladditionalweight,whichmaybeaslightinconvenience,perhaps,incasting,istobesetthefactthat

theextraweighthastheeffectofmakingtheflyswimsomewhatdeeper,whichinsalmon-fishingisagenerallydesirableresult.

Theonlycorrectmodeofattachingsalmonandgrilsehookswithre-turnedeyes,aswellasthedoublehooksinbothofwhichtheeyeismadeextralargeforthepurposeisbythein-and-outfastening,securedwithaslipknot,doubleorsingle,herereferredtoastheslip-knotattachment.

Pennell-LimerickHooks,NewPatternwithTurn-DownEyesandUp-TurnedShanks.

Although a single slip knot is all that will usually be found actually necessary,especiallywiththesmaller-sizedgrilsehooks,yeteveninthiscaseandstillmoreinthatof the larger-sized salmon hooks a double, instead of a single, slip knot makesassurancedoublysure.Indeed,Imyselfalmostinvariablyusethedoubleslipknot,andrecommend its adoption for all hooksof a size too large,orwith eyes too large for theJainKnotattachment (hereinafterdescribed)and forallhookswith re-turnedeyes.Thedoubleslip(figuredinthelastcut)makes,whenartisticallytiedonalargehook,afastening quite as neat as, if not, indeed, actually neater than, the single slip; and is inmanywayspreferable.The followingverbal instructionsmayperhapsassist the tyro, inattachinghiscastinglinetoaturn-downeyedsalmonhookforthefirsttime.

Takethehookbythebendbetweenthefingerandthumbof the lefthand,with theeyeturneddownwards(inthepositionshowninthediagrams; thenthegutbeingfirstthoroughlywellsoakedpushtheend,withacoupleofinches,downthroughtheeye,B,towardsthepointof thehook;thenpassitroundovertheshankofthehook,andagain,from theopposite side, downwards through the eye in adirection away from thehook-point.[Thegutendandthecentrallinkwillnowbelyingparallel]Makethedouble-(orsingle-)slipknot,A,roundthecentrallink,C,andpullthesaidknotitselfperfectlytight;thendrawtheloopbackuntiltheknot,A,pressestightlyintoandagainstthemetaleyeofthe hook, B,where hold it firmlywith the fore-finger and thumb-nail of the left hand,whilstwith the right hand and humouring the gut in the process, so as to clear thehackles,etcThecentrallinkisdrawntight,thustakingintheslackoftheknot.Whenfinished,cutthesuperfluousgutendoffnearlyclose.

Totieadoubleslipknot:firstmakeasingleslipknot,A,and,beforedrawingclose,passthegutend,B,asecondtimeroundthecentrallink,C,andthenagainthroughtheCloop,AwhentheknotwillbelikeAinthediagramofdoubleslipknot.Tocompleteit,pulltheendofthegut,Bgradually,andverytightlystraightaway:inaline,thatis,withthecentrallink,C.

Theslipknotisalsothebestforattachingthecastinglinetoflieswithgutloops,andshouldbetiedinthesamemannerasthatdescribedforaturn-downeyedhook.

Thesameknot,forbothgutormetalloops,mayalsobeproducedinanothermannerwhen the loop is largeenoughviz.,by tyingat theendof thecasting line (separatefrom the hook) a noose, with a slip knot (drawn tight), and afterwards passing fromabove, through the loopor eye, the apexof thenoose thus formed.Thenoose is thenopenedoutandpassedupwardsoverthewholesfly,lasso-wise;theknotisdrawntoitsplaceintheloopasalreadydescribed,andtheslacktakenin.

Turn-DownEyedSalmonFlyAttachedbySlipKnot.

Thereisamodeofattachingcastinglinestogut-loopedsalmonfliesverycommonlyemployedonaccountofitsfacilityofmanipulation,andthesavingoftroubleandtimeinchanging flies. In consists in tying a knot at the end of the gut, and then passing theknottedendfirstthroughtheloopfrombelow,and,aftergivingitoneturnroundundertheloop,finallypassingtheknottedendunderthecentrallink,anddrawingthelattertight.Itis in fact a jamknotplus theknotat theendof the line.Excellentlywell as thisknotanswers forhooksof thesmaller sizeswitheyes turneddown,ashereafterdescribed, itdoesnotandnevercanmakeathoroughlyship-shapeknotforasalmonfly,inasmuchasthelatterwhenthusattachedinvariablyhangsandtherefore,ofcourseswimsoutofthe horizontal: in other words, head downwards. If, on the contrary, the gut is passedthrough the loop from above and the turn taken over the loop, an opposite but equallyinelegant effect is produced; the fly cocksup, andmight swim in almost anypositionconceivable, except the horizontal. There are several variations of this fastening; but IcannotsaythatIevermetwithoneentirelysatisfactoryforsalmonflies.Thebestknotforgut-looped flies,or forplainhookswithgut loops, twistedor single, is, farandaway,thatalreadyrecommendedtheslipknot.

The Pennell-Limerick bend hooks, before figured, p. 11, are alsomade plain (asshownover leaf) for theconvenienceof thosewhomaystillprefer theold lapping-onsystem.

Thebendofallthesehooks,whichisavariationofexistingrecognisedbends,isonethatIthinkwillcommenditselftothepractisedeyewithoutmuchargument.Thebendhasbeendesignedtocombineinamechanicalformthethreegreatrequisitesofpenetration,holdingpower,andflotation.Thelast-named,whichsoundsratherIrish,isaquestionofthegeneralcontouroftheshank.Itwillbeseeninthediagramsthatthehookshankitselfor rather thatpartof itonwhich the fly is tied isverynearlystraight,whilst in the

Limerick bend the shank is commonly slightly more curved, or, as it is termed, hog-backed, which when exaggerated, as it frequently is in the so-called Limerick hooks,supplied by the fly-tiers, has the effect of preventing the fly swimming or floatingperfectlystraight,and,indeed,whenthestreamisstrong,anexcessivehog-backednesswillnotunfrequentlycauseitactuallytospin.

Itmaybeadded that, as thegreatest strain isalwaysborneby the topangleof thebend, such angle should be formed, not square, but in the strongest shape known tomechanics,viz.,acurve(orthesegmentofacircle)sharperormoregradualaccordingtotheotherconditionsdesiderated.

If itshouldappear that Iamattachingundue importance tominutedetails, let itbeborneinmindthatthewholeartandparaphernaliaofanglinghavefortheirobjects,first,to hook fish, and, secondly, to keep them hooked. The difference in the penetratingpowersaloneofdifferentbendsofhooksissomethingenormous;betweentheextremesofgoodnessandbadness(Iamnotspeakingnowofmonstrosities)itamountstocertainlynotlessthanahundredpercent.

Pennell-LimerickBend,TaperedShanks.

TROUTHOOKSEyedHooksfortroutflies,andthegeneralideaofattachingthemtotheendofthecastinglinedirect,arenot,asalreadypointedout,inanycorrectsenseofthetermnovelties,eyedhooks having been alluded to as early asHawkers edition of WaltonsAngler, temp.1760.Nogreatattention,however,appearstohavebeenpaidtothesubjectofEyedTrout-hooks until comparatively recent times,when the question confined, at the particularperiodtowhichIamreferring,toturn-upeyeswasventilatedatconsiderablelengthinthecolumnsof theFieldand theFishingGazettebyMrHall.Thiswas followed in thelatter journal by a lively controversy on needle-eyed hooks, initiated by myself; andfinallyI invented,andpublished, the turn-downeyedhook,ofwhichsomuchhassincebeenwritten,forandagainst,bypartisansoftheoldandthenewschools.

IhavealreadyexplainedwhyIfeelreleasedfromthenecessityofreprintingheretheargumentsproandcon thesevarious systemsviz., that to judgeby the successofmyownturn-downeyedhooks,andtheopinionsoffly-fishersandtacklemakers,sofarasI

amabletogatherthem,thatsystemisinrapidcourseofsupersedingallothers.Ifthisisthe casewith theoriginal imperfect patterns, howmuchmore likely is it to be sonow,when, by the introduction of the up-turned shank, the hook has been, so to speak,perfected

Toreturn,therefore,tomytext.

Theconsiderationsalreadyadduced in regard to theproper formofa large salmonhookholdgood,caerisparibus,andwithincreasedcogency,inthecaseofasmall trouthook, where of course the mechanical difficulties, first of hooking, and secondly ofkeepinghooked,areenormouslyincreased.Theyareincreased,infact,exactlyintheratioofthesizeofthehookascomparedwiththesizeofthefishsmouthanumber000isclearlymuchsmallerinproportiontothemouthofalargetroutthananumber17or18isto the mouth of a well-grown salmon. The exact calculation I leave to the curious infigures.Mysystemofeyedhooksis,however,applicabletoalltheordinaryhook-bendswithoutexception,sothatthosewhopreferoneortheotherofthemtominecanrejectthepatternadyetadopttheprinciple.

The fly-fisher who is sufficiently interested in the subject of hooks to read thischapteratallwill,Iassume,havereadtheprecedingpageswhichdeal,undertheheadofsalmon- hooks, with what I may call the natural theory of my system. I need not,therefore,goagainoverthesameground.Itmay,nevertheless,bewelltoillustrate,onasmaller scale, more appropriate to trout-flies, the very important question of over- andunder-draftinthesehooks.

Thegeneralhangesinconstructionbetweentheoldandnewformsofthehookwillperhaps be most readily understood by contrasting some of the smaller sizes of each,including the sneck-bend form in which the patent is also manufactured of the sizesshown.

Fig.1.OriginalTurn-DownEyedHook,withdraft-linebelowtrueplaneofhook-shank;Fig.2.Turn-EyedPattern,withdraft-lineaboveplane;Fig.3.NewBentUp-TurnShankandturn-downeyedhookcorrectdraft-line.

OldPatternofTurn-DownEyedPennell-SneckHooksandNewPatternDittowithUp-TurnShank.

OldPatternofTurn-DownEyedPennell-LimerickHooks.

NewPatternDittowithUp-TurnShank.

IhaveusedbothbendstheLimerickandtheSneckwithnearlyequalsuccess,butmyinclinationisrathertopreferthesneckpatternforsmallriverflies,andalsoforlakebrown-trout flies; and theLimerick for anything larger, including sea-trout flies, andofcoursesalmonflies.

Thefollowingdiagramsshowtheappearanceoftheupturnshankandturn-downeyeasappliedtofourofthemostordinarybendsofcommerce.

RoundBend,Kirby,LimerickSneckHooks.

Pennell-LimerickHookswithPlainShank.

Pennell-SneckHookswithPlainShank.

Itmay,perhaps,bewellforconvenienceofreferencetorepeatherethesmallersizesofLimerickhookswithplainshanks,un-eyed(upperfigures,oldorRedditchscale;lower figures, newscale),aswellas the tapered-shanksneck-bendhooks,which latteraremadewithpointsbothstraightandtwisted,orsnecked.

Thediagramsrepresent twolakeflies tiedonthetwodifferentbends,thatonthesneckbendtheHackleRedforbrowntrout,andthatontheLimericktheHackleClaretforsea-trout.Theformulasfordressingthese,withsomeotherpatternsofmyHacklefliesforsea-andbrown-trout,whichIhavefoundverysuccessful,aregivenfurtheron.

LakeFliesDressedonPatentEyedHookswithUp-TurnedShank.

Asmallstreamtroutfly(Furnacebrown)onasneck-bendisalsofigured.

Thegreatthingindressingallfliesontheseeyedhooksistoleavecleartheneck,asshowninthediagrams,toreceivethejamknot.Thelengthofthehook-shankisspeciallydesignedtoallowofthis.

ThegreatadvantageifImayventuresotospeakofmyownsystempossessedbytheturn-downeyedhookoverallotherformsofhookswhatsoeverwitheyesorloops,isthesupremesimplicityandrapidityofitsattachmentto,anddisengagementfromthelinebymeansoftheJamKnot.Infrom10to15secondsoneflycanbetakenoffandanothersubstituted; and that with unfailing certainty and malgre whatever the elements mayoperatetothecontrary.

Theengravingbelowenlargedforthesakeofreadierillustrationexemplifiestheprincipleof the JamKnot attachmentbefore the line is drawn tight the tightening, ofcourse,producingthejam.

FurnaceBrownDressedonaPatentSneck-BendUp-TurnShankEyedHook.

PrincipleoftheJamKnotonaBareHook,Magnified.

Inpracticethejamknotisproducedautomatically,andissoperfectlysimple,andquickinmanipulationthat,asIsay,Icantieitcompletein15seconds.Theveriesttyrooughttomasteritsprincipleatthefirstattempt,andafterafewessaystieitbythewater-sidealmostasrapidlyasIcanmyself.

The fly being held in the left handwith themetal eye (A) turned upwards, 3 or 4inchesofthegutlinearepushedthroughitfrombelow.Theflyisthenletgoandaslipknot (C)madewith thegut-end (C), round the line (D). [This is thepoint atwhich theprocessisseeninthecut.]Theslipknotisnotdrawnquitetight,butleftasshownjustopenenoughtopasscomfortablyoverthemetaleye.Theflyisnowtakenagainwiththeleft hand, and the line pulled steadily by the right, until aidedwhen need be by thethumbandfingerthenooseoftheslipknotpassesoverthemetaleyeofthehook,when,onthelinebeingpulledtight,thejamknotformsitself;andtheprocessiscompletedbycuttingoffthewastegut-end1towithinorofaninch,accordingtothesizeoftheflyandfinenessofthegut.Thefinerthegutthelongershouldbetheendleftover.

Thereisnoadvantagewiththejamknotincuttingofftheguttooclose,asthefreegut-end which should be left over mingles naturally with the hackles of the fly. Aftercuttingoffthewastegutitisconvenienttonipthefreeenddownwiththethumbnailinthe direction of the hook-bend.Thismaybe repeatedwhenever the flies are examined,which,ofcourseaswithordinarygut-fliestheyshouldbeatintervals,toseethattheguthasnotfrayedatallatthehead,andalsothatthefreeendhasnotbyanyaccidentbeendrawninorshortenedtotheunsafepoint.

Duringthelastfewyears,includingthepresentseason,1889,Ihavecaught,Ishouldsay,atleastathousandwhiteandbrowntrout,weighingfromafewouncesuptothreeorfour lbs., in both stream and loch,with flies dressed on the turn-down eyed hook, andattachedby the jamknot sometimeson traces fine even to the finenessof Bullmersgossamergut and I cannot call tominda single instance inwhich theknothasbeenprovedtohavefailed.Moreover(ahinttothenovice)fliesthusattachedveryrarelyflickoff.

Withsmallfliesthesimplestway,whenthegutbecomesfrayedattheheadbywearandtear,istocutorbreaktheflyoffclose,disengagethewasteendfromtheeyeofthehook, and re-knot.With larger flies and stoutgut the jamcangenerallybe loosenedbymerelypushingthegutbackwardsthroughtheeye,butthisisamatterofunimportance,asineithercasetheoperationisonlyoneofafewseconds.

Theperfectingof the jamknot for the trout-flywas the ingeniousdiscoveryofMrAlexanderJ.Campbell,andwithoutitIdonothesitatetosaythatthegeneralacceptanceof the system of turn-down eyed hookswhich I am now sanguine enough to hope for,could never have been anticipated. The inconvenience trifling though it was incomparisonwithpreviousmethodsofattachingeyedhooksoftyingthejamknotinthepresenceof the fly-wingsandhackles,wasoriginallyoneof the seriousobstacles tobeovercome. This knotting-on difficulty has, in fact, hitherto had a large share inpreventingtheadoptionoftheeyed-hookprinciple.

Now,however,thatthisdifficultyhasbeeneffectuallyovercome,andaperfectformofattachmentaswellasaperfecthookarewithinthereachoffly-fishers, theresultcanhardlybedoubtful.Indeed,theadvantagesofattachingtheflydirecttothecasting-lineareso obvious, and the disadvantages of the old lapped-on gut system so self-evident, thatonlyoneresultcouldwellfollow.Amongstthesedisadvantagesitmaybeinstanced:

Thatwhenoncetheguthookartificialflygetswornattheheadwhichinactualworkverysoonoccursitbecomesthenceforthworthless.

And when another fly is substituted, the gut must be soaked first (in practicegenerallyinthesalivaofthemouth)toenableittobeproperlyknottedon.Ifthissoaking,orsucking,benotthoroughlydonetheflywillmostlikelywhipoff.

Butevenafterproperlyknotting the twogut links together, it is ten toone that thelinkonwhichtheflyorhookislappeddoesnotcorrespondwiththatattheendoftheline:itistoothick,ortoothin;toodark,ortoolight.Fromthisresultsalineardisfigurement,oraninharmoniousnessoftint(orboth),attheverypointwhereaperfecttaperandcompleteuniformityofcolourareofvitalconsequence.

Thesearesomeofthemostsalientdefectsofthesystem,almostuniversallyadopteduntilthelastfewyears,oflappingonhooksandfliestoseparatestrandsofgut.Ofminor,butstillseriousdrawbacks,mustbereckonedthedifficultyofcarryingaboutasufficientsupply of gut hooks or stillmore of flies of all needful sizes, and the destructiveeffectsoftimeuponthecontentsofthestorebox.Apartfrommoth,thishappenspartlyowing to the rotting of the gut at the point of contactwith the steel hook shank, andpartly to the desiccation (drying up) of the wax on the lapping by which the gut isattached.

And all these defects defects inherent in the principle of lapped-on hooks, andwhichcannotbegainsaidareatonceovercomebytheneweyed-hooksystem.

Itistothatsystem,then,towhichIreferwhenIsaythatbyitallthedisadvantagesattaching either to the artificial fly or plain hook lapped on separate strands of gut areentirelygotridof.

Byknottingontheflyorhookdirecttothemainline(gut-trace,collar,casting-line,bottom-line,foot-line)theflyorhookthathasbecomewornat theheadcanberemoved,andinafewsecondsre-attachedtothesamealreadywell-soaked,well-tapered,andevenlytintedline;thereafterremainingasserviceableasever.

Theminordrawbacksalludedtoof theoldsystemarealsoobviatedbythenew,asthenecessaryselectionoffliesandhookscanbekeptinstockforyearswithoutanyfearofdeterioration.Theeconomyinthematterofspace,bothinthestock-boxandfly-book,is, moreover, considerable. As many flies or hooks as are required for a days fishingcouldbecarried,Imightalmostsay,inthewaistcoatpocket.

Published testimonies to the success of the eyed-hook principle generally are toonumeroustoattempteventogiveasummaryofthemallhere.MrH.S.Hall,oneofourverybestclear streamfly-fishers,whohas latelywrittenanably-practicalessayon theDry Fly, has, it is well known, given his entire adhesion to eyed hooks, with which,indeed,hisnamehasbeen long identified.MrFredericM.Halford, authorof the latelypublishedcharmingmonographonFloatingFliesandhowtodressthem,andalsoofasubsequentexhaustivetreatiseonDryFlyfishing,isanotherapostleofthenewcult.Hisfirstchapterisdevotedtoeyedhooks,andtheopeningsentencerunsthus:

But before many years are passed the old-fashioned fly, dressed on a hookattached to a length of gut,will be practically obsolete, the advantages of theeyedhookbeing somanifest that even themost conservativeadherentsof theoldschoolmust,intime,beimbuedwiththismostsalutaryreform.

After enumerating several of themore obvious advantages already noticed,MrHalfordcontinues:

Flies dressed on eyed hooks float better and with less drying than thoseconstructedontheoldsystemAnotherand,inmyopinion,paramountbenefitis,thatattheveryearliestsymptomofweaknessatthepointofjunctureoftheheadof the fly andgut (thepoint atwhich themaximumwear and tear takesplace)it isonlynecessaryinthecaseoftheeyedflytobreakitoffandtieonafresh,sacrificingatmostacoupleofinchesofthefineendofthecast;whileinthecaseofthehookongut, theflyhasbecomeabsolutelyuselessandbeyondrepair.Itmustalsoberememberedthatwitheyedhookstheanglercanusegutascoarseorasfineashemayfancyfor theparticularday,whilewithfliesongut he would require to have each pattern dressed on two or three differentthicknesses.

Of course books on fishing (I do not refer to catch-penny productions, or to tradecirculars)donotappeareveryday,oreveryyear,andthoseIhavequotedfromare,sofaras I know, the most recent, and therefore authoritative, on subjects the importance ofwhichhasonlylatelybeguntoberecognised.

CASTINGLINESNexttotheflyanditsetceterascomestheCastingLine,involvingmattersconnectedwiththe selection, knotting, twisting, staining, etc. of gut. The best gut is the longest androundest, and themost transparent; anobservationwhichappliesequally to salmonandtroutgutnaturalanddrawn.Forpracticalpurposesthesedesideratamustbeconsideredinconjunctionwith, ifnot, indeed,made subordinate to, thequestionof the finenessorstrengthofthegutinproportiontothefishingforwhichitistobeused.Togetsalmongutwhich fulfils all the conditions pointed out is becoming yearly a matter of greaterdifficulty,and,Imightalmostsay,offavour.

Aperfecthankofsalmongutcanonlybeobtained,asarule,bypickingthestrandsoutofanumberofotherhanks,which,ofcourse,makestheseconsiderablylessvaluable.SixpenceastrandIhaveknownashillingastrandpaidforpickedsalmongutisnotatallanunusualor,indeed,unreasonableprice,havingregardtothedifficultyofobtaininggutof really superiorquality, and theall-importantpart itplays ina sportwhich, ifnotquite so expensive as deer stalking or grouse driving, is certainly becoming rapidly aluxurythatonlyrichmencanhopetoenjoy.Astherentofasalmonriver,tosaynothingofincidentalexpenses,mayprobablybereckonedatseldomlessthanthreefigures, it isreallythesoundesteconomytobegrudgenoexpenseconnectedwiththetackle,rod,etc.,upon which the sport obtained for all this outlay depends.Moreover, as regards gut, Ibelieve that thebest,and,consequently, themostexpensive, is, in the longrun,actuallythemosteconomicalifpropercarebetakenofit.Athoroughlywell-madecastinglineofcarefullypickedsalmongutwilloutlastthreeorfourmadeofinferiorstrands,andduringall its lifetime will be a source of satisfaction. The breaking dead weight strain of astrandofthestoutestsalmongut,round,smooth,andperfectineveryrespect,oughtnottobelessthansomewherebetweenfifteenandeighteenpounds.

Whyinthecaseofsalmongut,asinthatofallothercommodities,thedemanddoesnotproducethesupply,itisdifficulttosee.Caterpillarsoughttobeeasilycultivatedonewouldsay.Thinkofthenumberofstrandswhichmightbeproducedbytheinhabitantsofasinglemulberrytree!

MillionsofspinningwormsThatintheirgreenshopsweavethesmooth-hairedsilk.

IstatedtobefrequentlypaidinMarseillesthisgutbeing,itappears,principallyexportedtoConstantinople.Somesamplesofthe1884crop,testedbymyfriendMrR.B.Marston,broke at a dead strain of seventeen pounds. A writer under the signature of Creel,mentionsthatsomethirtyyearsagotherecouldbefoundinthemarketasuperiorclassofsalmongutnowsaidtobeunprocurableowingtothetotalextinctionofthesilkwormthatproducedit.Sincethistime,hesays,wehavemorethanoncebeeninformedthatanewbreedofsilkwormhasbeenraisedandencouragedintheSouthofFrance,introducedfromJapan,possessingallthefeaturesoftheformerfineandstronggutwhichfromitsabsencehascausedthelamentofmanyaveteransalmonfisher.

In theselectionofgut,aimfirst,asChittysays, inhis FlyFishersText-book, atthatwhichisperfectlyround,towhichendthebestassistancetheeyecanreceiveisfromthe thumb and forefinger, between which the gut should be rolled quickly; if it is not

roundbut flat, thedefectby thisprocesswillbeatoncediscovered.Next to roundness,colourlessnessandtransparencyarethetwopointsofmostimportance;andlastthough,assomefishermenwillperhapssuggest,notleastcomesthequestionoflength.Chitty,abovenamed,givesforsalmongutthepartusedsixteentoeighteeninchesatleast.IcanonlysayIwishwemaygetit!Inthesedegeneratedaystentotwelveincheswouldbenearertheordinaryattainablemark,andfortroutgutaninchortwomore,saythirteentofourteen,or,inexceptionallygoodstrands,fifteeninches.

Drawngut,as it iscalled, is simplygut thathasbeenartificiallyscrapedor fineddownbybeingdrawnthroughaholeofacertaingaugeormeasure.Forthispurposeasteelplate isusedhavingseveralholesorgaugesdiminishinggradually insize,and theface edges of which are quite sharp. The gut is put through the holes in successionbeginningatthelargest,andendingwiththesmallest,whenithasofcoursebecomeofthedesiredfineness.Theappearanceofthegutafterundergoingthisprocessisnot,however,socleanandtransparentastheundoctoredmaterial,andthoughitlooksbeautifullyfineand, indeed, is so it commonly frays and wears out very rapidly when exposed tomoistureorfrictionofanysort.Drawngutis,however,extensivelyusedformanyofthefinersortsoffishing,bothwithflyandbait.FormyownpartIprefertopayalmostanyprice,sotospeak,forthenaturalgutwheneveritcanbeobtainedoftherequisitefineness.This,however,isnotalways.

KNOTTINGThere is a kind of endless knotwithwhich the casting lines prepared in some tackleshopsarejoinedthatseemsforordinarypurposestobeaboutperfection;buthowthisknotistiedisatradesecretwhichIhavefailedtofindout.Decidedlythebestaswellasthesimplestknotopentothepublicandonewhichisequallyapplicabletothefinestandthestrongest gut, iswhat is knownas the single (anddouble) fishermansknot (sometimescalled water knot), varied in the case of salmon gut, for heavy work, in the waydescribedpresently.

Fig.1.SingleFishermansKnot.

Theguthavingbeenthoroughlywellsoakedbeforehand(intepidwaterbest)whichis, of course, a sinequanon in all gut knottings the two ends of gut,A,A, are laidparalleltoeachother,beingheldinthatpositionbetweenthefirstfingerandthumbofthelefthand in theposition inwhich theyare tobe joined.Ahalf-hitchknot, it, is, is thenmade by the right handwith the end of each strand alternately round the strand of theother,andeachseparatelydrawn tight, the twoseparatehalvesof theknotbeing finallydrawncloselytogetherandtheendscutoff.

IthasbeenpointedoutthatthesinglefishermansknotvariedasIhavedescribedinthe case of salmon lines is all that is required for any description of gut knotting. Ishould,perhaps,however,makeanexceptiontothisstatement.Inthecaseofdrawngut,andalsoinnaturalgutofexceptionalfineness,theextremelimpnessofthestrandsmakesthe single fishermansknotvery liable to draw if the ends are cut at all close, as they

shouldbeonthescoreofneatness.Insuchcasesitis,therefore,bettertomaketheknotwithtwodouble,insteadoftwosingle,half-hitches;theend,thatis,withwhicheachhalf-knotistiedispassedtwiceinsteadofonceroundthecentrallinkandthroughtheloop,inthemannershownintheengraving.

Thisisthedoublefishermansknot.Withveryfineguttheincreaseinthesizeoftheknotissosmallasnottobeworthconsidering,whilsttheincreaseofstrengthobtainedisofimportance.

Fig.2.DoubleFishermansknot.

Exceptforsalmonfishing,ifadrop-flyisuseditisnotabadplantopasstheendofthe gut-link of the fly between the two strands of the joining gut and between the twohalvesoftheknotbeforedrawingthelatterclose.Thedrop-flywillthenstandoutatrightanglestothecastingline,aresultwhichitisdesirabletoattain.Asingleknottiedinthelinkofthedropflyattherequireddistanceoutsidetheknotinthecastingfinepreventsitsslipping.

Another and still simpler attachment for the drop-fly, which in practice I usuallyadoptasbeingmuchthequickest,is,withadoublehalf-hitch(koftheknotinfig.2),toknot on the drop-fly fly uppermost to the casting line (fig. 5). On this knot beingpulledtight,andslippeddownasfarasthenextjunctureontheline, itwillbefoundtoanswerexceedinglywell,althoughthepointofjunctionisonewhichwillalwayshavetobecarefullylookedatfromtimetotime,asthefrictionofthedrop-flyknotisapttofrayawaythelinktowhichitisattached.ForsalmonfishingInevermyselfuseasecondfly,unlessbyanychance theriveror lakeIamfishingbealso tenantedbywhite trout,andthen,ofcourse,theflyisacomparativelysmallone,forwhichthelast-namedattachment,fig.5,willanswereverypurpose;orslightlybetter,perhaps,theflymaybeattachedaboveone of the knots with a loop, as shown in fig. 6; or, stronger still, as in fig. 7, anattachmentwhichalsogivesthemaximumstand-out-at-right-angleinclinationtothefly,andtheprincipleofwhich,asappliedtocastinglineswiththeordinarysplice,fig.8.

Nothing canwell bemore clumsy than the knots usually employed in joining thestrandsofasalmoncastingline,andtheirinefficiencyinthematterofstrengthisonaparwiththeirunsightliness.IntheBookofthePike,1865,Igavediagramsandexplanationsofthebufferknotabovereferredto,inwhichtheobjectionablefeaturesoftheoldmethodofsplicingaregotridof,whilstaverygreatadditionalstrengthisobtained.Totieit:laythetwostrandssidebysideandproceedinexactlythesamemannerasalreadydescribedfortyingthesinglefishermansknot,withtheexceptionofthefinaldrawingtogetherofthetwoseparatehalf-hitches.Insteadofdrawingthesetwohalf-knotstogetherandlappingdowntheendsontheoutside,aswastheoldmanner,drawtheknotsonlytowithinaboutthree-sixteenthsorone-eighthofan inchofeachother,as shown in theengravingatA,andlapbetweenthemwithlightwaxedsilk,or,stillmoreartistic,withveryfine(soaked)gut.Thisbetweenlappingrelievestheknotitselfofhalfitsduty,andonanysuddenjerk,suchasstriking,actsasasortofbuffer toreceiveanddistributethestrain.Tiedintheold-fashionedwayIfindthat,onapplyingasteadypull,asalmongutcastinglinebreaksalmost invariablyat theknot.TiedinthemannerIsuggest itwillprobablybreakatany

otherpointinpreference.

DropFlyAttachmentsforTroutCastingLines.

Fig.6.;Fig.8.;Fig.7.

Fig.9.TheBufferKnotforSalmonGut.

MajorTraherne,whosealmostunequalledexperienceasasalmonfisherentitleshisopiniontotheutmostweight,wroteasfollowsonthebufferknotforsalmoncastinglines:

NotlongagoIfondlyimaginedIhadinventedaplanforuntyingthelinksofacastinglinewithoutknots,andwasonmywaytotheFishingGazetteofficetounfoldmysecret.MyfriendMrCholmondeley-Pennellhappenedtoaccompanymeonadifferentbusiness,andonmylettinghimknowwhatminewasturnedroundandsaid,Mydearfellow,Iamverysorryforyou,butIbroughtthatoutyears ago in theModern Practical Angler, and aswewere passing Farlowsshopatthetimehetookmeinandsoonconvincedmethathewasright,andthathisprincipleandminearethesame,althoughdifferentlycarriedout.Therefore,althoughIcanlaynoclaimtobetheinventorofthebufferknot,IcanhonestlysaythatIhadneverseenorheardofitbefore.Itisimpossibletoinventabettermethodoffasteningguttogetherthanthatwhich makes the fastening the strongest instead of the weakest part of thecastingline,anditissurprisingtomethatthismethodhasnotbeenadopted.

I am glad to see that this knot is at last being adopted, after being some twenty yearsbefore theanglingpublic; and though I say it that shouldnot say it,MajorTrahernesfranktestimonyinfavourofitssuperiorityasappliedtoextrastoutsalmoncastinglines(orforgutspinningtraceswhereextrastrengthisrequired)doesnotgoatallbeyondthefact.Ifsalmonfishersreadingthischapteracquirenothinginreturnbuttheknowledgeofthisoneapparentlytriflingpieceofinformation,theirtimewillnothavebeenwasted.

Thedifferencebetweenmyoriginalknot,asabovedescribed,andthevariationofitalludedtobyMajorTraherneisverytrifling;suchasitis,however,Iamofopinionthatasregards neatness and simplicity ofmanipulationmy knot is distinctly preferable, and Ihave lately had letters from Major Traherne saying that he has come to the sameconclusion.

Except for salmon,and thennotwhen they rundecidedlysmall,no lappingofanysortisrequiredinanypartofthecastingline.Thelappingthatusedtobeappliedatthetackleshopsgivesnoadditionalstrengthwhatsoever,whilsttheeffectistoexaggeratethatwhichmustalwaysbeadisfigurement.

Forcastinglinesofallkindssinglegut,tapered,istheonlymaterialthatIeverthinkofemploying,andIfinditquitestrongenoughwhenobtainedofthebestquality.Betweenthetopofthecastinglineandbottomofthereel-line,however,itwillgenerallybefoundconvenientalways in thecaseof salmon lines to interposeacoupleof feetor soofsomethickermedium,andforthispurposetwistedtaperedgutpoints,astheyarecalled,with the lengths neatly spliced (not knotted) together, can now be obtained. The old-fashioned pointsmade in separate lengths, and joinedwith a huge unsightly knot, aredistinctlyobjectionable.

This twisted intermediarymaterially increases, I think, the ease andnicetyof thecastinthecaseofbothtroutandsalmonlines..Thethickendofthetwistedpointshouldbeneatlylappedontotheendofthereel-line,andismostconvenientlyterminatedbyaknot,assmallasmaybe,whichisattachedtotheloopofthegutcastinglinebyasortofmodifiedjam,readilyadmittingofdetachment.Forverylighttroutorgraylingfishing,afew strands of stout salmon gut, tapered, may be substituted for the twisted point, thecastinglinebeingknottedonbytheordinaryfishermansknot,andcutapartattheendoftheday,orwhereanextrafinelytaperedreel-lineisemployedbothgutandtwistmaybedispensedwith.

STAININGAll sorts of stains are recorded by different authors and adopted by different fishermenaccordingto individual tasteandfancy.Iusedpersonally tofancywhat isknownas theredwater stain for riverswhere thewater took a darkish or porter-coloured tint after afresh, and for white waters a light bluish or cloud colour. I am by no means clear,however,thatinthecaseofthefly-fisherthereisanysufficientwarrantyforthisnicetyofrefinement,if,indeed,itbearefinementatallinthepropersenseoftheword.Whenweseeaporter-colouredwaterweforgetthatwearelookingdownfromabove,whilstthefishwewish to catch is, in all probability, looking up from below, and that our line beingflotant is but a few inches below the surface of thewater. The result is thatwhen hecomesup to take the fly thestratumofwater interposedbetween thegutand thesky isreally,whenviewedby the human eye at any rate, almost colourless. It is the depth ofwater which produces the depth of colour. The same thing again applies to the clearstreamswhichafterafloodbecomemerelyslightlythickenedwithmudandnevertaketheredorbog-waterstainunderanycircumstances.

Inorderasfarasmightbetosatisfymyownmindastowhatpracticallywasthebeststain,Iarrangedanexperimentinwhichtheactualconditionsofthefloatinglinewereas

nearlyaspossiblereproducedsubstitutingmyowneyeforthatofthefish.Aglasstankwasobtainedwithaglassbottom,andIfoundthatwithaboutthreeinchesofwaterinitthedifferencebetweenwaterstainedwithteaorcoffeetoaboutthesameextentastheredwater of a river, or slightly clouded to represent thewaters of a chalk stream,was, forpractical purposes, nil, and, after trying various experiments, the general conclusionappeared to be that the stain which wasmost like the colour of the sky was the leastvisible;also,thattheverylighteststainwasbetterthanadarkone,andthatinthecaseofperfectlysoundcleargutnostainatallseemedpracticallytoberequired,asthenegativecolour, or rather approximate colourlessness, of thegutharmonised, on thewhole, verywellwithmostkindsofskytint.

Probablyalightink-and-water,orslate,stainisasgoodasany,takingonedaywithanother.Toproduceit,mixboilingwaterandblackink,andsoakthegutinitrinsingitthoroughly when it has attained the desired colour. This, indeed, is a precaution thatshouldneverbeomitted in staininggut,which isotherwise apt to lose its transparency.Whentoodarkastainhasbeengivenitmayreadilybereducedinintensitybysoakingthegutincleanboilingwater.

For the common red water stain an infusion of tea leaves, boiled down until ateacupfulofblack tea inaquartofwaterbecomesapint,givesaniceclean transparenttint;or coffee thathasbeenpreviouslycharred ina frying-panandground,will answerinsteadoftea.

Whenthegutisnotentirelyroundandclear,or,inotherwords,isstringyitisveryapt tohavea sortofgloss, and,when the sun is shiningupon it,glitteringeffect in thewater, which is highly undesirable. In such a case I have tried, with apparently goodeffects,slightlyrubbingdownthegutwithdryishcobblerswax.Thisalsohastheeffectofmakingthegutflotantahintforthedry-fly.

IonceatLochLevenmetwiththefriendofafly-fisherwhoneverusedtostaingut,but tookoff theglitterbysimplypulling itonce throughapieceof fineemerypaperThisisdrawngutwiththechilloff.

For dressing flies,where gut is used in the bodies, Judsons aniline dyes, kept bymost chemists,will produce any sort of stain required. The directions are given on thebottles, but I recommend theuseofonlyone-half theproportionofwater.Someof thestainsproducedbytheanilinedyes,however,destroythetextureofthegut.

Hair,which I cannot recommend for any sort of fly fishing, andwhichwhenusedshouldbetakenfromthetailofastallion,isseldomstained,beinggenerallypreferredofthenaturalbrownishtint.If,however,itisrequiredtostainitforthepurposeoffly-tyingorotherwise,theanimalgreasinessmustbefirstremovedbyslightlyboilingthehairinamordantobtainedfromanounceofalumdissolvedinapintofwater.Thisisalsoagoodpreparatorymordantforfeathersbeforetheyaredyed.

The length for the casting line itself, shown by general experience to be themostconvenient, isaboutthreeyards.Inthecaseofsalmonfishingwithasecondfly,orlaketroutfishingwiththreefliesandadouble-handedrod,anextrafootmaking,say,tenfeetinall is sometimesadded,but itmaybe safely said that fifty3-yardcasting linesaremade for one over that length. Where eyed flies are used, which have of course no

separatelinkofgutbelongingtothem,thecastinglinebecomespracticallyalinkshorter.

I rarely myself use more than two flies in trout or any other fishing exceptoccasionallywhenexperimentingonthebestfliesforanewwaterandtherefore threeyardsisanampleallowance.Notthat,asBoxandCoxexpressesit,Ihaveanyviolentanimosity or rooted antipathy to three flies, but that for ordinary purposes I find twopreferable.Twofliescanbecastbetter than three; twofliescanbeworkedbetter thanthree;twofliesarenotsoliabletoentanglementsasthree;andwhentheydogetmixedthe tangle is less inextricable.By workingbetter,what Imean is thatwhilst theupperdropper,which,asecondortwoafterthecast,hangsorshouldhangclearoftheline,and,barring the fly,nearlyclearof thewateralso,andwhilst the tail fly isof coursealwaysswimmingclear,thelowerorseconddropper,bytheactionofdrawingintheflies,getsofnecessitymoreorlessmuddledupwiththecastingline(whichthenoseofarisingfish is very likely to strike), and cannot be worked, like the top dropper, cross-line orotterfashion,dribblingalong,thatis,amongsttheripples.

Theargumentappliesalsotoriverfishing,thoughperhapsinasomewhatlessdegreeinasmuchastheactionofacurrentoftennearlysmoothdoesnotlenditselfsoreadilyto the artistic working of the dropper as the streamless and generally wind-wrinkledsurfaceofalake.

Allthis,however,isfairlyaquestionofpracticeaswellastheory,and,asIsay,manyexcellent fly-fishersperhapsamajorityprefer three flies to two.Theircontention isthatitgivesagreaterchanceofthefliesbeingseen,andagreaterchoicetothefishwhenhedoesseethem.

Passingfromtheguttothereel,orrunningline,IfindsowideafieldopenbeforemethatIdespairofbeingabletodojusticetothenumberlessdifferentdescriptionsoflines,dressedandundressed,silk,hemp,hair,andwhatnot,whichcompeteforthefly-fishersfavour.When I served my apprenticeship to the craft almost everybody used a linecomposed of a mixture of silk and hair, and this has still some votaries left, amongstwhom,however,Iamdecidedlynotone.Ithad,infact,onlyonegoodquality,lightness;perhapsIshouldsayhalfagoodquality,becausethelightnesswhichisofadvantageinthewater isagreatdisadvantage incastingagainst thewind.For the rest, this silk-and-hairlinepossessesprettynearlyeverydrawbackthatcanwellbecombined.Themomentitisnot-tightly stretched, in otherwords, that it has a chance of kinking, or crinkling up, itpromptlydoessotheprotuberantpointsofhairimpartadisinclination,almostamountingsometimestoapositiverefusaltoallowitselftopassthroughtherodrings,whilst,evenunder the most careful treatment, it gets rotten, or so much weakened as to beuntrustworthy,aftertheshortesttermofservice.Somuchforsilkandhair.

Hair by itselfmay be dismissed in a very fewwords. As contrastedwith the silkmixture,itpossessesitsvirtuesinagreateranditsfaultsinaminordegree.Itisstillmoreflotantinthewater,wherealsoitismuchlessvisible,anditnevergetsrotten.Butasaset-offthedifficultyofcastingagainstthewindandthefrictionintherod-ringsare,ofcourse,exaggerated. On the whole, although I have used reel-lines entirely made of brownhorsehair for trout fishing in calm and bright weather with considerable satisfaction, Idecidedly prefer a dressed i.e. waterproofed line, whether silk or hemp, which issuitableforwindyaswellascalmweather,andwhichwithpropercarewilllastquitelong

enoughforallpracticalpurposes.

Forsalmonfishing,ofcourse,linesmadeofhairorofsilkandhair,wouldbeputoutofcourtononegroundalone,namely,awantofsufficientstrength.

With regard to thequestionofhempor silk, Imust say thatwhen the ManchesterTwineCottonSpinningCompanyfirststartedtheysentmesomelines,bothdressedandundressed, which were exceedingly perfect, and which I believe, after fourteen yearsoccasionalservice, tobestillasstrongasever in fact, sostrong thaton tryingoneofthemjustnowwithbothhandsafriendofminefailedtobreakit.Thisline,however, iswhat is termedcable-laid twisted, that is, in thesamemannerasashipscable theprincipleofwhichisthatwhilstthecableitselfistwistedfromrighttoleft,theseparateropesofwhichitiscomposedaretwistedfromlefttoright.Theresultofthisisthatthetwotwistscounteracteachotherintheirmutualinclinationtokink,andwhenwetted,thecable,insteadofswelling,hardensandcontracts.OftheplaitedhemplinesissuedbythesamecompanyIhavenothinggoodtosay,neitherdidanyofthedressingsofthosethatIhaveseenproperlyaffecttheirobject,andiftheydidsotemporarily,myexperienceisthattheywouldnotstand.

InthecaseoftheparticularlinetowhichIrefer,nosemblanceofdressingofanysortnowremains,ordidremainafterthefirstfewmonths,or,perhaps,weeks,ofrealservicein the field, on any part of the line which had come into actual use. The strength,however,wasandis,Ithink,bulkforbulk,unequalledbyanylinesthatIhavemetwithmadeofsilk.The latter,however,possess thegreatadvantageof taking thedressing,orwaterproofing, perfectly, and admitting afterwards of a smoothness and polish whichfacilitateverygreatlytherunningoutandthereelinginoftheline.

Thesedressedsilklinesalso,ifnotabsolutelysostrongasthosemadeofhemp(andthey have improved of late years), can be made quite strong enough for all practicalpurposes. I say advisedly can be made, because I have found the most unexpecteddifferencesinthestrengthofdifferentso-calledsilklinesofthesamethickness,andwheretheyhavebeensaidtobeofthesamemanufacture.Thebestroughandreadymethodoftestingistotakeafootortwoofthelinebetweenthehandsandascertain,bybreakingortryingtobreakit,whatisitsactualstrength.

Itappears,then,thatonacomputationofadvantagesanddisadvantagesoursupportshould be given to dressed silk lines for fly fishing; and as these are made of everythickness, from thatofanordinarypieceof stout sewingcottonalmost to thatofabellrope,everyonecan,withoutdifficulty,suithisparticularobjectsand tastes.Dressedsilkhas in rough weather a driving power which cannot be obtained with any undressedmaterial,andnothingbutsilkappearstobecapableoftakingthedressingproperly.

Then comes the question: Shall the dressed silk line be level that is, of equalsubstance throughout or tapered, which means in ordinary parlance, getting finertowardstheendatwhichthecastinglineistobeattached?Thelatterissometimeswhatis called double tapered, that is, the line is taperedatbothendsor itmaybeonlyasingle taper,when,ofcourse, the taper ismadeatoneendonly.Asbetween levelandtapered lines, eachhave itsadvantagesand itsdisadvantages,but,on thewhole, I thinknine fly-fishers out of ten prefer, in practice, a line more or less tapered towards the

castingend.

Sofarastheactualcastingisconcerned,apartfromfinefishing,thesedetailsareoflittle importanceonquietdays,but in stormyweather,when thewind isblowinghalfagale,perhapsrightinthefly-fishersteeth,thecaseisradicallyaltered,andthemanwhoselineisproperlytaperedandbalancedandinweightexactlysuitedtohisrodwillbeabletogooncastingwithcomparativeefficiency,whilehisneighbour, lessperfectlyequipped,willfindhisfliesblownbackinhisfaceeveryothercast.

The importance, to the salmon fisher especially, of a line which will cut its waythrough a fierceMarch squall has been sowell recognised that in order to give greatercuttingpowerline-makershaveevengonetotheextentofmanufacturingreel-lineswithwirecentres.MyfriendMrSeniornowinformsmethatsomehetried,madebyFoster,ofAshbourne, answered exceedingly well. I have used them myself also, and in squallyweathertheycertainlypossessgreatcuttingpoweragainstoracrossthewind.

The salmon line that seems to command thegreatest number of suffrages amongstconnoisseursiswhatisknownastheswelledline.Thislineisgraduallytaperedthickerfromtheenduptoapointwhichitiscalculatedwillgenerallycomenearaboutthetopofthe rod in making a cast. Thus the average length of the taper from the finest to thethickestpartisusually,forasalmonline,15to20yards,thentaperingoffbackwardsuntilitreachesitsfinestpointagainatanother15or20yardsi.e.30or40yardsinall,whereit is attached to the back line. This is the line recommended byMajor Traherne (seearticleonsalmonfishing).

IfindIgetcapitalcastingwiththeswelledline,bothasappliedtotroutandsalmonfishing in theformercase theswellor thickestpointshouldbereachedproportionallyquicker,say,forasingle-handedrodinabout9or10yardsfromtheend.Thequantityofline,clearoftherod-point,thatcanbecontinuouslyusedwiththemaximumofeffectinlaketroutfishingwithaten-footrodis,Ifind,about18or20feetornearlytwicethelengthoftherodplusthecastingline:i.e.9or10yardsaltogether.Deducting3yardsforthecasting line, thiswould leave6or7yardsas thepoint in the reel-lineatwhich, forordinary lakework, the thickest point of the taper or swell should be reached; but aslongercastsareoftenrequired,andas,moreover,thesamelinewillprobablydodutyforriver fishing as well, probably from 8 to 10 yards of taper will be found the mostconvenientlength.Foradouble-handedtroutrod,somethingbetweentheproportionsofasalmon lineand those last-namedareapplicable. Ifa level (untapered) linebeused, theinterjectionof2or3feetoftwistedgutpointanadvantageinalmostallcaseswillbefoundhighlydesirable,breakingasitdoestheotherwiseabrupttransitionfromreellinetogut.

Dry-fly fishers,who generally use stiffer rods than common, have canons of theirown on these questions, and the latest science of reel-lines for the floating fly will befoundinMrF.M.Halfordsablearticle.

Letme, in quitting the subject, emphasise one parting caution:The thickness (andswell)ofthelinemustabsolutelybeproportionedtothecapacitiesoftherodifthemostartistic results are to be obtained.A heavy line demands a stiff rod (and top), and viceversd, and a light whippy rod with a fine top a line of corresponding lightness. A

transpositionoftheseconditionseitherwaywillproducefailure.

Oneother hint if a reel-line is not absolutely smooth, reject it unhesitatingly, nomatterwhat its other qualificationsmaybe. I knowof lines admirably strong, capitallytapered,longwearingconscientiouslinesinfactineverywaybutofwhichIwouldhavenoneatanyprice.Withsuch,everytimeyouwanttolengthenorshortenyourcastthereisfrictionontherod-rings,andanimpedimentmoreorlesstofreepassage;ingivinglinetoafishditto(oftenthecauseoflosingit);whilstbothincastingthroughtheairandliftingoutofthewater,suchalineentailsateverycastofeveryday,fromitscradletoitsgrave, a certain small comparative disability, which to willingly subject oneself to isstupid,becausewhollyunnecessary.

Thisnaturallyappliestoanykindofline,dressedorundressed.

REELSANDREELFASTENINGSThe Fisheries Exhibition of 1883was prolific in new reels,many ofwhich, itmust beconfessed, were not only highly ingenious as inventions, but really excellent in theiradaptation to different sorts of fishing. Indeed, if reels have not in the matter ofimprovementquitekeptpacewiththeimprovementsinrods,theyareyetprodigiouslyinadvanceoftheunmechanicalwindlasseswithwhichourforbears,inthenotverydistantpast,werecontenttoreelinthevictimsoftheirprowess.ButIwillnotslaytheslaintwiceover,orevoke,merelyforthepurposeofexorcisingthem,theghostsofPirns,winch-winders, multipliers (horrescoreferens!) and other similar abominations,which if notactuallyasextinctasthedodo,soonwillbe

Ofmodernisedimprovedreelsorwinchesthatwhichpresents,perhaps,thegreatestactualnoveltyisSlatersCombinationReel,socalledbecauseunitingthequalificationsofaNottinghamreelandanordinaryplainorcheckreel.Thisitdoeswithout,sofarasIcanjudge,diminishingtheefficiencyofeither.Furtherspeakingwithduediffidenceofaspeciality of fishing which I have had very little opportunity, or perhaps taste, foracquiring itwouldappear tobevastly superior to theold-fashionedopenNottinghamreel,inthat,beingconfinedtothebarrelbytransversebars,thelinecannotbeperpetuallywindingofforIshouldsaytwistingoffthereelwhennotwanted,andhitchingitsloosecoilsroundthereelitselfandeverythingelseinitsvicinity.

Nottinghamfishingapart,however,thereelisofverygeneralapplicability,andbeingexceptionally light, as well as simple in construction, presents advantages in manydirections.

Forallkindsoffishing,forexample,inwhichthebaitiscommonly,oroccasionallycastfromthereel,itisexcellent.Soalsoitisinsomebranchesofflyfishing,suchas(tomentiononeinwhichIhaveuseditwithmuchsatisfaction)inlakefishingwithadouble-handedrod.Indeed,evenforlightsalmonfishing,Ihavebothuseditmyselfandseenitused successfully by others.No doubt the speciality of the reel is for pike spinning, inwhichconnectionitisfiguredanddescribedinVol.II,butfortheconvenienceoftroutandsalmonfisherstheillustrationishererepeated.

InorderfullytoadapttheCombinationReeltotherequirementsoftheordinaryfly-andfloat-fisher,aswellastothetroller,thewinderandaxle,insteadofbeingentirelyof

wood,asformerlynecessitating,ofcourse,alargediameterarenowalsomade,intheformshowninthewoodcuts,ofwoodandmetalcombined,bywhichthediameteroftheaxle is reduced,and thereelsofar inall respectsassimilated to theordinarypatternsofbrass and bronze, its speciality in regard to theNottingham style of casting being ofcourse retained. The insides of the barrel plates on both sides are, in this later pattern,composed almost wholly of metal, rotating freely on a fixed steel pivot or centre-pin.Attached to the non-revolving (left-hand) plate is a brass frame or cage supporting thehorizontalbars,betweenwhich,ofcourse,asinordinaryreels,thelinepasses,whilstthisimmovableframeworkisrecessedintoagrooveintherevolvingbarrel.Theobjectoftherevolutionofthewholeright-handside-platemadeexteriorlyofwoodistoenableadrag to be placed upon the running-out of the line, without which, as a means ofregulating the length and direction of the cast, casting from the reel in theNottinghamstyle would be practically impossible. The two portions of the reel readily come apartwhenitisdesiredtooilorcleanthem;anditwaswheninthisseparatedconditionthattheupperfiguresinthecutweretaken,thelowerfigureshowingthereelwhenputtogether.Byshiftingwiththefingerabuttonorcatchtheactioncanbechangedtoacheck.

Thediameter of the reel fromwhich the engravingwasmade is 2 inches; insidewidthbetweenbarrelplates,inch;weight,6oz.Thissizeandpatternissuitedforanykindoffishing,butforlaketroutfishingIprefera4-inchreeloftheoriginalwoodenpattern,the increased diameter of the axle, unaccompanied by any increase ofweight, giving amore rapidandpowerfulwinding-inpower.For light salmon fishinga4 inchSlaterswoodenreelwillbefoundaboutthemostconvenientsize.Aftercontinuouswetting,thesereelsshouldbetakenapartandcarefullydriedandoiledallover,otherwisetheyareapttoswellandstick.

Another comparatively recent introduction isMrHeatons Strike from theWinchReel,whichhas itsadvocatesfor troutandevenforsalmonfishing; though,Iconfess, Ishouldnotbeinclinedtoputanygreatfaithinitorratherintheprincipleitembodiesasappliedtothelatterpurpose.Theobjectofthereelisprimarilytosoftenorrelievethejar of the stroke by keeping the hand clear of the line and allowing the reel (theresistance ofwhich can bemadeweaker or stronger) to do thework instead. It has nocheck,inthetechnicalsense,ofanysort,andthegraduatedpressureisobtainedbytheapplicationofascrewworkingover,andagainst,theendoftheaxle.Itisimportantthattheendofthisregulatorshouldbekeptcarefullyoiled.

For Salmon reels proper we have, if not an embarras de choix, at least severalexcellentvarietiestoselectfrom.

First there is FarlowsLeverReela solidbrass (bronzed) reel. It ismade inallsizes,butitisdistinctlyasasalmonreelthatitfindsitsmostnaturalplace.

Itsspecialityisthemechanisminwhichalozenge-shapedpiecerepresentsaconvexspringplate,whichbymeansofascrew-nutcanbeloosenedortightenedatpleasure,soastoofferexactlytheresistancetotherunningoutof thelinethatmaybedesired.Thistakestheplaceoftheordinarycheck,whichis,however,attachedtoasecondvarietyofthereelforthosewhomaypreferit.Inthislattermodeltheregulator-springistransferredto the left-hand, or opposite, plate, and replaced on the right-hand plate by the checkmachinery.

Thereisalsoalittlesupplementaryplateforlubricatingpurposes.

ChevalierandBownessmanufactureaverysimilarreel,inwhichthepressurenutisturnedonandoffbythefingers,insteadofbyaknife-bladeorscrewdriver.

Thesearebothstrongandthoroughlyserviceablereels;andforsalmonfishing,whereitseemsorIshouldperhapsrathersay,seemedtillrecentlytobethegeneraltheoryor,atanyrate,practicethatweightissubsidiarytostrengthanddurability,canbesafelyreliedon.Aleverreelof4inches,withapropercomplementofline,weighs2lbs.1oz.

Another capital reel, which I have found excellent for all sorts of boat work, isMallochsSunandPlanetReel.Thisisacheckreel,anditspeculiarityisthatunless,anduntil,thehandleistakenholdof,thelinerunsoutwithoutanymovementofthesideplate(or,ofcourse,ofthehandle),sothat,whentrailing,forinstance,therodcansafelybeleftwiththereelrestingonthebottomoftheboat,andincaseofarunthereisnodangerofacontactbetweenthereel-handleandboat-gearcausingoneofthosesuddenchecksonthelinewhichareapttoproduceinopportuneresults.

In the reelwhich Ihaveof thispattern the right-handplate ismadeof somewhitemetal lightlybronzed,or rather greyed,and the left-handplateofebonite.Theeboniteplate,inmyopinion,rendersitlesssuitableforbankfishing,whereaknockonastoneisverylikelytohappen,entailingveryprobablyafractureoftheebonite.

Tothosewhodesirelightreelsmadeentirelyofmetal,whereveryroughworkisnottobeexpected,HardyBrothersRevolvingPlateReelwillcommenditself.

The4 -inch reelwill take comfortably tooyards of finehempbacking and fortyyardsofmediumdressedsilktapersuitedforasalmonroduptosixteenfeetinlength.

The lightest reel in the world is probably that made entirely of aluminium. Analuminiumreel2inchesindiameterweighslessthan3oz.,butthepriceisalarmingatleast1lperoz.

This,ofcourse,iscarryingthingstoanextreme;butclearlythequestionofweightinreels is of the utmost importance if the rod is to be properly balanced which is onlyanotherwordforsaying,ifthemaximumandperfectionofworkaretobegotoutofit.

There can be no question, however, that, whether with the idea of balancing orotherwise, the weight of reels ordinarily used, especially in salmon fishing, is greatlyoverdone.The reelhasalways tobe supported atarms length, so to say,whereeveryouncetellsitstaleduringadaysfishing.Anothervitallyimportantpointinasalmonreelforgenuinehardworkisthewinding-inleverage,aseverysalmonfisherknowswhohashad theexperienceof reelingupor trying to reeluphalfadozenheavy fish inasmanyhalfhours.Again,theidealsalmonreelmustbestrongenoughtorunnoriskfromchancecollisionswithrocksorotherjeopardyofwar;and,further,thecheckmachineryshouldbeassimpleaspossible,andreadilyaccessibleincaseofaccidentsorforpurposesoflubrication.Anarrowbarrelorwinderand(ofcourse)acorrespondingnarrowgroovearedesideratawhich,happily, it isnowhardlynecessaryto insistupon.Insalmonreels,however(thoughhardlyintroutreels),thislastpointmaybeoverdone,havingregardtotheconvenienceincarryinglineinthemostcompactform.

AsIcouldnotfindanysalmonreelcompletelyfulfillingtheseseveralconditions,Isetaboutconstructingone,andindoingsounhesitatinglypressedintomyservicethebestpointsIcouldfindinanyexistingreels,well-knownorotherwise.Theoutcomeisshownin the reel figured below, in which I believe it will be seen that the desideratedrequirementsarecombinedButletme,inthefirstplace,acknowledgemyindebtednesstotheotherinventorsofwhoseseveralsystemsIhavetakenadvantage.

Theformofthesideplatesofmyreel,witharimallinonesolidpieceofmetal,isduetoGeneralSirDanielLysons,G.C.B.Thisrimnotonlyenablestheexteriorendofthehandle to be guarded, or counter-sunk, so as both to protect it and prevent the linehitchingroundit,butatthesametimemakesitpracticabletodispensealtogetherwiththesecondorexteriorsideplate.

PennellReel,Fig.1.

ThehandleoftheLysonsreelterminatesinsidetherim,sothattheleverageisonlyaboutthesameasthatofahandleattachedintheordinarywaytoarevolvingsideplate;and togain themaximumofpossible leverage(point two)Ihaveadopted inamodifiedform thehandlewhich is said tobe the inventionofColonelLatourorwhich, at anyrate, isknownasColonelLatourshandle.This, ina4-inchreel,givesan increasedleverage, orwinding-in power, of half an inch in actualmeasurement, or,mechanicallyspeaking,some-whereaboutdoublesit(?).Thedoubledleveragewill tell,fromthefirstputting togetherof the roduntil thegaffingof the last fishof thedaygives theweariedmusclesoftherightarmandbackanotunwelcomerespite.

Thelastpointisthecheckmechanism,shownindrawing,fig.2,whichoughttobesimple,andatthesametimeeasilyaccessibleaccessible,thatis,withoutanytakingtopieces of the reel. Inmy combined reel the checkmachinery ismerely covered by ahinged lid (A, B, C), sufficiently close- fitting to be practically water-tight, whileadmittingofbeingopenedatoncebygivingthecatch,c,aturnwiththepointofaknife-blade.

In all the foregoing reels thehandles are so attached as, in onewayor another, topreventthelinegettingcaughtroundthem.

PennellReel,Fig.2.Outsideoflefthandplate,showingcheckmechanismandlid.

There is still, however, something left to be desired in thismatter of reel and linehitching. The snake is scotched, not killed. In whatever manner the handle may beattached, the line still is left free to hitch round behind the back of the reel itself afreedomofwhich,itisalmostneedlesstosay,itseemstohaveaprovokingdeterminationtoavailitselftotheutmost.Itappeared,therefore,thatastopmightbeput,onceforall,onthisnever-endingworry,bypartlycoveringoverthespaceat thebackofthereelwithaprotector or guard of some sort. Themechanical realisation of the ideawas easy; theprotectorspringsfromthemiddlebaroftheposteriorcurve,overwhich(bar)itclasps,theexteriorendpressingcloseontoandagainsttherod,whilsttheinteriorendisfixedtothemetalsupportofthefootplate.

MessrsBernard,ofChurchPlace,Piccadilly,havealsorecentlymadeaprotectoronthe same principle, but differently applied: as it is attached always, of course, by themiddle bar with a separate spring, forming an equally effectual prevention of line-hitching. Indeed, in one respect, it is even more absolutely undefeatable than myoriginal device, as it occupies the whole width of the reel-barrel. Per contra it addsappreciably to theweight,which the original pattern does not. The annexed cut showsBernardsmodificationasappliedtooneoftheirexcellentlyproportionedsilver-bronzedtrout-reels.

Toshowhowreallyseriousanannoyancethishitchingof the lineroundthereel isrecognised to be, Messrs Foster, of Ashbourne, have actually gone to the trouble ofconstructingareelinanenlargementoftherod-buttitself,aplanwhich,whatevermaybeitsmeritsinotherrespects,itisneedlesstosayeffectuallyovercomesthedifficulty.

SomebeautifulreelsarenowmadeinAmerica,foraspecimenofthemostperfectofwhich I am indebted to the courtesyof the inventor,MrChas.F.Orvis, ofManchester,Vermont, U.S.A. This reel, with its extraordinarily narrow barrel, and side platesperforatedthroughoutforlightness,seemstometocomprisetheoreticallyallthepointsofaperfecttroutreel,andIfindinpracticeitsperformanceisequaltoitspromise,itsgreatdiameterenablingafishthatrunsintobewoundupsofastthattheevilsofaslacklineneedseldombefelt.

Besideslightness,theperforationofthesideplates,allowingtheairtogettotheline,areintendedtopreventthelatterrottingifleftdamp,andImustsaythatthoughthelinehasbeendayafterday,andinfactsinceIbegantouseitsomemonthsagoleftwet,itdoesnotseemsofartohavesufferedanydeteriorationwhateverinconsequence.Theonlyimperfection in the reelwas that owing to theold-fashioned crank formofhandle the

linenotunfrequentlygothitchedroundit,andtoremedythisIhavehadahandlefittedtomine, as shown in the engraving, which effectually overcomes the hitching tendency,whilstatthesametimeincreasingtheleverage.Thedoublehandleisalsoofconsiderableadvantageinrealwork,asthehandleismorerapidlyfound,andconsequentlylesstimeislostinwindinginthisisanadvantagepossessedbytheSlaterreelalso;andithassavedmemanyafish,moreespecially inboatwork,whentheboathasbeendriftingbeforeawind,andthehookedfish,asbeforepointedout,runsin.

The reels described in the foregoing pages represent the latest advances that havebeenmade,andamongstthemneitherthesalmonnortroutfisherneed,Ithink,findanydifficulty in selecting a reel suited to his taste, observing again that the question ofweightisonedemandingmostseriousconsideration,especiallyonthepartoffly-fisherswhoarenot burdenedwith superfluousmuscular development. If the lower (untapered)portion of the reel-line otherwise the back line which is not used in casting, andwhich undergoes comparatively little wear and tear, is made to consist of either fineundressed silk or (better) hemp, the totalweightmay be sensibly reducedwithout losseitherofefficiencyorcompass.

Allowing,say, fortyyardseitherof theordinary taper,orof theswelled taper,asalreadydescribed,forcastingpurposes,sixtyorseventyyardsofhemplinestrongenoughtoholdanythingthatswimscanbegotcomfortablyuponathreeandthree-quarterorfour-inch reel (according to the width of the barrel), and this length will usually be foundsufficient for all ordinary purposes. In big rivers, however, this length may beadvantageouslyincreasedto120oreven150yards,inwhichcasethesizeofthereelwill,ofcourse,have tobe increasedalso.On toa four-inch reelofmypattern Icanget100yardsofbackline,consistingofveryfine,solidplaited,superficiallydressed,hemp,andfortyyardsofmedium-sizedswelleddressedsilktaper,asthickasissuitableforcastingwithanyroduptofifteenorsixteenfeet.Thehempbackingisaboutasfineasafinetroutreel-line,andIfoundoneyardofitdrewoutthesteelyardtotwenty-threepoundsbeforeitbroke.Thishemplinewillalsolastrightwell.Thebacklineandthetapered,orcasting,partofthelineshouldbeverycarefullyandneatlylappedtogetherwithfinewaxedsilkattheplaceofjunction,soastoobviateanydangerofthelinegettingstuckintheringsatthatpointwhenrunningoutwithafish.Ifsmallstiffsteelrings,suchasIusemyselfandadvocate foreverydescriptionof rod,areadopted, thechanceofa hitchat thecriticalmomentwillbereducedtoaminimum.

In the foregoing observations on reels generally I have assumed that all practicalfishermenwillusea reelwhich iseithernormallya check,or thatcanbemade intoacheck at pleasure.The old-fashioned plain reel, as it is called, possessed certainly themeritofbeingplainveryplain,indeed,weshouldthinknowadays!andsimple,inthesenseofnotbeing likely togetoutoforder.But there itsmerits end.When there isnochecktointerferewiththerapidrotatorymotionofthewheelsetgoingbyaheavyfish,thereisnothinginthemechanismtopreventthelineover-running,theresultofwhichisusuallyacompletestoppageatthecriticalmoment.

Multiplying reels are at least equally objectionable upon another ground, namely,that,whenwindinginafish,theoldmechanicalaxiomofwhatisgainedinspeedislostinpowerisapttocomeintooperationwithdisastrousresults.Noonecanfairlywind-ina

heavy fishwithamultiplying reelof theold type,andnow that reelswithdeepnarrowbarrels,givingincreasedspeedandpower,arealmostuniversallymanufacturedinsteadoftheantiquatedshallow,broad-groovedpattern, there isnopracticaladvantagegainedbyfurtherrapidityofaction.

RODSWithregardtoflyrodsIshallsaybutlittle.Quothominestotsentetitiae.Someflyfisherslike hickory, others prefer green-heart, or lancewood. Some like a rodmade all of onewood,othersgive thepreference toa rodwith thebuttofonesortofwoodand the topjoints of another, and a greatmany of themodern school, especially thosewithwhompriceisnotamatterofimportance,havegivenintheiradhesiontothespliced-canerods,whicharesupposedtoowetheirorigintoourenterprisingcousinsontheothersideoftheHerringPond.

In the form of the rod again, as in regard to the wood of which it may beconstructed, it is rare to find two fishermenof the sameopinion.Manystillhold to theold-fashionedstraight-buttedrod,whichtaperedawaywithalmostmathematicalprecisionfrom the reel to the point, alleging, amongst other advantages claimed, that with thisshapedrodasparetopcanalwaysbecarriedincaseofaccidentwithouttheinconvenienceofaseparatetopcase.Oflateyears,however,manypracticalflyfishersindeed,IthinkImaysay themajority favoursomemodificationorotherof theformof therodwhichoweditsbirth,or,atanyrate,itschristening,tothehabituesofCastleConnellpreferringtheswishyplayobtainedbyfiningortaperingawaythebuttrapidlyfromabovethereel

Onallthesesubjects,wereItogointothemindetail,Imighteasilydoublethelengthof this chapter, without carrying conviction, or probably amusement, to anybody butmyself. I, therefore, refrain from doing more than touching thus lightly on the meresuperficialaspectofthequestion,leavingeverymantoremain,as,indeed,heoughttobe,andwouldbeforanythingIcouldwritetothecontrary,hisowncounsel,judge,andjury.

With regard, however, to the now fashionable split-cane rods, a fewwords on themethod of their construction, and on their two principal varieties,may possibly not beuninteresting to thosewhoarenotalready initiated into themysteriesof this interestingbranchofrod-making.

In theArt of Fly-Making published byMr Blacker about thirty years ago, secondedition,occurs,Ibelieve,thefirstnoticeofsplitcanerods.MrBlackersays:

Thebeautiful rentandglued-upbamboo-canefly rods,whichI turnout to thegreatestperfection,areveryvaluable,as theyareboth lightandpowerful,andthrow the linewithgreat facility.Thecane for these rodsmustbeof theverybestdescription,ortheywillnotlastanytime.Theywilllastforyears,however,ifreallywellmade,and,takencareof.

The wood employed in their manufacture is the male bamboo, procured from India;greatcareandexperiencebeingrequiredinselectingonlysuchcanesasareofthefinestqualityandhavebeencutattheproperseason.

This is a matter of great delicacy and difficulty, as will be understood when it isborne inmind how troublesome it is to properly balance a rod constructed of even the

ordinarysolidwoodswhere theplanecanbeusedafter the jointsarefixed.Eitherfromwantofknowledgeorpropermachinery,manyso-calledcanerodsareputtogethersothattheyhavetobesubsequentlyfiledorplanedtogettherequisitespring,thusremovingthemostessentialpartofthecane.Theseinferiorrodsarethenpainted,orburntoveragaintoimitate the natural colour of the original skin, from which, however, they are easilydistinguishedbyexperts.

Probablyoneofthereasonswhyithasbeensupposedbyflyfishersthattheserodswillnotstandtheheavyworkbroughttobearupontheminsalmonfishingistheuseofinferiorcementintheprocess,andthegluesubsequentlyoozingoutof thejoints inwetweather,thustendingtomakethemcomelooseafterwards.InMrKelsonsreportonthecollection of salmon rods in the Fisheries Exhibition (Field, October 27, 1883), heobserves that this is always the case sooner or later with these hand-made rods forsalmon;but ifelevenyearsexperiencewith thembeadmittedsufficient, Imaysay thattherodsmadewiththemachineryusedbyMessrsHardy,whoobtainedthefirstprizeforthesesplit-canerodsattheFisheriesExhibition,forcuttingthecaneperfectlytrue,obviatethedifficultysatisfactorily.

Theordinarybuttsofsplit-canerods,aswellastheupperjoints,arehexagonal,andare simplymade of sixV-shaped strips, glued together in themanner described. In thehighestclassofrods,however,thebuttisbuiltdouble,boththecentreandexternalwallbeingconstructedof separate layersof thehardestpart of the cane.Thecentre ismadefirstintheusualway,andafterithasdriedthesecond,orexternal,layerorwallisbuiltuproundit.MessrsHardyinformmethatalthoughthelabourandexpenseinvolvedinthisdoubleconstructionare,ofcourse,infinitelygreater,thestrengthgainedbytheprocessisenhanced tosuchan importantdegree that theymakeall their split-canesalmonrods inthisfashionastothethickerparts.

Complaintshaveoftenbeenmadetomethattheordinarysplit-canerodisdeficientincastingpowerasagainstawind,andImustsaythatmyexperiencetendstoconfirmthetruth of the statement. In order to meet this objection, however, the above-namedmanufacturersandothershaveendeavouredtomakethesplit-canerodswithasteelcentreto each joint, so as to increase their stiff springiness, so to speak. The spring is firsttaperedandthentemperedinthesamemannerthatthemainspringofawatchwouldbe.Afterthisitiscoatedwithawaterproofandfinallybuiltupintothecentreoftherod.

IhavealightsalmonrodmadeformeonthisprinciplebyMessrsHardywithwhichI find I can get plenty of power, whether thewind is high or low, and fromwhateverdirectionitblows.Inthecaseofastrongheadwindespecially,IamdisposedtothinkIcanmakebetter castingwith this rod thanwith any I everused, and it iswithal averyhandyandfairlylightweapon,butquitestiffenoughforanyordinaryfishing.Itslengthisfourteen feet. I find that on a calm day I can cast,with heavy salmon line, over thirtymeasuredyardsonthelevelgrass,andthis,inmyopinion,representsasmuchasisoftenwantedtobedoneinpractice;infact,mostcastswiththesalmonflywill,ifmeasured,befound,Iamsatisfied,nearertwentythanthirtyyards.Ofcourse,Iamawarethattherearesome rivers and, perhaps, some casts here and there onmost salmon rivers, inwhich alonger rod would enable the fisherman to reach some favourable point otherwiseinaccessible,butwhenthiscannotbedonebywadingIamcontenttoputupwiththeloss

ofanoccasionalgoodcastinexchangefortheconstantcomfortandconveniencewhichIfindinarodoftheproportionsindicated.

Itisallverywelltotalklightlyofcastingfortyyards,andsoforth,withatwenty-footCastleConnell,butthemanwhowishestodoit,andtogoondoingitallday,mustbeofstrongermouldorgreaterheightthantheordinaryrunofmortals.Inmyopinionatwenty-footrodrequiresaseven-footfishermantowielditwithcomfort,andIamquitesatisfiedthatforallordinarypurposesthesalmonfisherwouldgetmorecomfortandmoresport,too,witha rodsuchas that Ihavedescribed thanwitha longerandmore fatiguingandunwieldyweapon

Itshouldbeborneinmindasamechanicalaxiominthismatterofthelengthofrod,thatexactlyinproportionasyougainincastingpowerbytheincreasedleverage,so(themotiveforcebeingequal)doyouloseinthepropellingpowerbywhichonlytheleveragecanbeutilised thepracticaldeductionfromwhichpropositionis thateverymanhasalengthofrodexactlyproportionedtohisphysicalstrengtharodoutofwhich,thatis,hecangetthemaximumofcastingforcecompatiblewithsustainedmusculareffortandthatit shouldbehis object to ascertainwhat that length is.Bearing inmind themechanicalargument, I am disposed to think that a shorter andmore powerful rodmight inmanycasesbesubstitutedwithadvantageforalongerandlighterweapon,andthisprinciplehasbeencarriedoutwithsuccessbyFarlowina13ft.6in.green-heartsalmonrodtheymakeaccordingtomyinstructions.WiththisrodIgetplentyofpowerandexcellentcasting;infactthereislittlereallyappreciabledifferenceintheserespectsbetweenthisandthesteel-centresplicedbamboobuiltformebyHardy,exceptwhencastingagainstastrongheadwind.

However,asIhavesaid,thesearemattersofindividualtaste,andmustbelefttotheappreciationofindividualsalmonfishers.Tillwehaveourfly-rodsmadeentirelyofsteelanimprovementwhichItakeitisonlyaquestionoftime(unless,indeed,asareviewersuggests,anobjectionbemadeonthescoreofcarryingaboutalightningconductor)one or other of the salmon rods above described will probably be found as perfect aweaponasanyfly-fisherneeddesire.Withaslightlyshortertopeithermakesanexcellentrodforheavylaketrolling,spinningforsalmon,etc

Thesplitcanewithsteelcoremakesahandypowerfultroutingrodforheavywork.Thelengthofmineistenfeetsevenincheswhenputtogether,andtheweighttenounces.Ithasthreejointsandfe