Page 62 - The Ashley Book of Knots

OCCUPATIONAL KNOT~

324. The usual way to mount a tapered hook that has neither tad

nor ring is as follows: Wax a piece of fine silk about two feet long.

Hold the barb end of the hook in the left hand; lay the end of silk

against the shank at about half length, and wind it in several long

turns up to the end of the shank. Now lay the end of the gut over

. these turns and along the shank, and whip neatly and firmly back to

the bend of the hook. Finish off by sticking the end, as shown in

#322. A neater job is made if the tIp of the gut has been scraped to ..323 32.4

a taper. Large hooks may be whipped with fish line or sail twine.

325. If an eye is wanted on a flatted hook, it is made by doubling

a short piece of line, tapering the two ends by scraping, and whipping

them to the hook as shown.

326. Two hooks may be made up in this manner. The barbs may

be turned in opposite directions if preferred.

327. The usual "whipping" employed on tackle may be made in a

variety of ways. A convenient one is to make the last few turns

around a hairpin; after threading the end withdraw the hairpin, pull- 3ZS-

ing the end with it. A double string may be used instead of the hair-

pin. It is laid along the hook before the whipping is put on, and the 32.6

whipping is served over it.

328. Fish that snap at the line require special tackle. Shark and

barracuda hooks are usually mounted on chain. For smaller fish wire

may be used. If chain or wire is not at hand, :it hook may be attached

to the line by one of the methods already given and the snell served

with copper or flexible galvanized iron wire, or else it may be plaited

over with rawhide thongs. Either shoestrings or belting laces will

serve for the latter. Lacking these, use heavy fishline. If the fishline is 321

tarred, dipped in fine beach sand, and allowed to dry, it will serve

surprisingly well. Hold the hook in a vise and place the material

around the shank. Start as in the left diagram and continue as in the

right diagram. The top cord or thong is moved each time. Each cord,

after being laid, returns to the side from where it started, but into

the lower position. The cycle is always the same: move the top strand

to the rear, across the back, forward between the two opposite 32.8

strands, and back to its own side below its sister strand. This is FOUR-

STRAND SQUARE SINNET'll: 2999. When the proper length has been

made, tuck each end under a different strand of the fishline as in

slicing. If the line is a braided one, cut the thongs off diagonally at

'fferent lengths and whip them over.

328~. An elastic span is sometimes added near the end of a line,

in trap fishing and big-game fishing, to take up the shock of striking

and playing the fish. A large band may be made from a cross section

of a tire inner tube which is bale hitched at both ends. To tie the

second end it will be necessary to reeve the end of the fishline

through the knot. A MOUSE ('II: 3498) is desirable for each knot.

A single strand of rubber is sometimes spliced into the line

(~2828), but it is better to employ a seizing. Take a silk thread or

sail twine and lay a series of separated turns, place the end of the

rubber over these, and then serve tightly over.

I

3281.

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