More important even than the line is the casting line or leader, as we usually call it, made of lengths of silk-worm gut. For the salmon fishing it should be of round, clear, transparent single strands, not too heavy, but tough and strong, and tapered, by choosing the heaviest for the upper portion. No double or twisted leader is ever necessary, for in a steady pull a single strand will break any rod. When the smash up occurs, it usually comes from striking too hard, and may be avoided by leaving the reel free except for the restraint of the click, and not holding the hand on the line. When a salmon is struck he often makes a plunge for the bottom, so that if the angler both holds fast the line and strikes too hard, he will part something - his leader, whether it be single ply or three ply, or in default of that, his rod. Salmon are as shy as trout, and the tackle to deceive them must be as little alarming as possible.

For ordinary trout fishing - we do not refer to Maine or Canada, which exact heavy tackle - the gut lengths can hardly be too fine. They should be tapered the same as the salmon casting line, but should be infinitely more delicate. The gut for the purpose is sometimes drawn down through a guage, but we fancy that taking off the outer skin weakens it, and we prefer to select the finest strands of the roundest and most transparent hanks. You can judge of its excellence by the wiry way in which it resists the teeth when it is bitten. All leaders should be at least two feet shorter than the rod, or otherwise in landing heavy fish, the upper knot will enter the tip ring, and cause much trouble, with possibly the loss of the fish.

We cannot too often repeat, or too strongly impress upon our readers, the necessity for the finest casting lines in fishing in clear, bright waters, where the trout have been taught to be shy, and comprehend the deception that surrounds the "cruel hook." There are moments, rare indeed, happily rare for the continuance of our sport, in which trout lay aside their suspicions, and submit to the most bungling attempts at betrayal; but let no novice put his faith in these. They are of rare occurrence, and short duration; ordinarily the willful creature must be beguiled and tempted in the most subtle manner to be won, and the less visible the "entangling alliances" about the line, the more probable the success. Ninety-nine flies in a hundred, dressed in the shops, are tied on gut nearly twice as stout as it should be; but the dealers, as an excuse, say they cannot sell them otherwise. It is to meet this assertion that we have dwelt so long and earnestly on the advisability of casting fine lines over fine waters. We have hundreds of trout in our ponds that were taken with a fly, and they know the fish rod for years. If you hold a rod over the pond they are out of sight as soon as they can find a place to hide.