Although, perhaps, scarcely necessary, I may state that the hair line has a joining loop at the small end of it; the tail line a similar loop at each end, and the fly a similar loop at the other end of the gut to which it is attached. To attach the hair line to the tail line, insert the loop of the hair line, then bring the other end of the tail line through the loop of the hair line, and continue drawing it through that loop until both loops meet and interlace each other. The fly is attached to the tail line by interlacing the loops in the same way. By reversing the operation, the lines and fly may be readily detached and separated.
TO TIE ON A HOOK.
Take a sufficiency of strong silk, well waxed with shoemaker’s wax. Flatten the gut to which you intend to fasten the hook; that is, about as much of it as, when the gut is placed on the hook, will reach half way down the shank. This may be done with the teeth or a pair of pliers, and is designed to prevent the gut from all chance of slipping. Never omit this. Lay the gut on the inside of the hook, and hold it between the thumb and finger of the left hand. Begin by wrapping the silk twice round the bare hook close to the end of the shank, then pass the silk over both gut and hook, winding it tightly on till you come near the bend; then fasten as follows:—When you come to within three turns of the distance to which you mean the silk to extend, lay the silk along the hook at b (figure below), leaving the end hanging down, take hold of the part of the silk a, and continue to wind it on in the same way, but making it pass over the silk at b, as well as over the gut and hook for three turns. Then take hold of the end of silk c, and pull all tight; cut off the end of silk c, and it is done. This is called the “invisible tie,” and is the neatest I know, and the most secure.
If you break a part of your rod, and have to splice it, fasten the splicing by the invisible tie. The splicing should be done with strong silk, well waxed with shoemaker’s wax.
CHAPTER VI.
BOB-FLIES.
I never fish with more than one fly. Some fishermen use two, and even three, in addition to the end fly or stretcher. Those additional flies are called bob-flies. My opinion is, that one fly is sufficient, and that more are inconvenient, more difficult to manage, and cause a greater disturbance of the water, without any countervailing advantage. With bob-flies you may sometimes hook two fish at once, but they are generally very small under such circumstances. The luck of hooking two good fish at the same time rarely happens; and if it should happen, you would probably lose one or both of them, and some of your tackle into the bargain. Still, if you prefer fishing with two or more flies, the first bob-fly should be about three feet from the stretcher, and the second about five feet. More than two bob-flies I consider ridiculous, as well as prejudicial. The bob-fly may be attached, either by bending the tail line into a loop, thus