for Fishing.
Year: 1885

page_text: for Fishing.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the saine is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to books for carrying artificial flies for use in angling.
Silk-worm gut, to which are attached the hooks on which artificial flies are tied,
becomes flexible when soaked. If it is then coiled or otherwise restrained, it will;
when dry, set in substantially the form in which it is restrained; and if coiled or
restrained when dry it will also set in substantially the form in which it is
restrained. It is desirable to have the gut straight when it is attached to the
leader, preparatory to fishing.
The object of this invention is to provide the pages of a fly-book with a device
for carrying artificial flies, to which lengths of gut are attached, in such a manner
that the gut shall be kept substantially straight, and the flies and gut attached
thereto shall be kept in position when the same are put in place on the fly
carrying page, so that the gut shall not become set except in substantially a
straight line.
The means by which this object is attained in the fly books in common use are
complicated, consisting of numerous separate parts, which are liable to become
detached from the fly-carrying page, or otherwise get out of order; and in many
of the books in use, the devices are constructed to accommodate themselves to
the varying lengths of gut. With this invention the separate parts are few in
number, are strongly attached to the carrying page, and are not required to be
constructed to accommodate themselves to the varying lengths of gut.
My said invention consists essentially in the use with a carrying page, provided
with a catch or catches to hold the hooks, fastened to, and extending across, the

page_text: page, of a coiled spring to receive and hold the gut between its coils also fastened
to the page parallel to the line of the catch or catches.
My device, as hereinafter described, has a raised catch to hold the hooks, which
catch serves also to keep the flies from close contact with the page, and therefore
is preferable to a catch or catches secured directly to, or formed in, the page; and
also two coiled springs supported by raised bands, whereby the springs are free to
move laterally, to readily admit the gut between their coils.
In the accompanying drawing.
Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a leaf of a fly-book, showing one page of
the leaf.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the same on the line xx showing the
springs, flies and gut in elevation..
L is the carrying leaf, of metal, pressed board, or other suitable material. I have
found water-proofed pressed board to be the best material.
B is the catch, placed near the top of the page and raised above the same to
allow the point of the hook to be caught under it, and to keep the fly from close
contact with the page, as shown. The catch B can be made of metal, pressed board,
or other suitable material. It is advisable to have this catch scalloped withi
scallops C, C corresponding in number to the number of flies to be placed on the
page. The catch B is raised above the page by means of washers W, W₁, W' and
is fastened to the page at R R R2; the fastenings shewn in the drawings are
eyelets, which pass through the catch at R, R1, R2, through the washers W W' W2,
and through the leaf L, and through the washers and catch on the reverse page of
the leaf, as shewn in Figure 2..
S and S¹ are coiled springs, placed as shewn, substantially parallel to the catch B,
to receive and hold the gut between their coils. These springs are supported by
bands T T which pass through the springs from end to end, and are raised on
washers W, W and W W. They are fastened to the page at each end, in the
same manner as the catch B is fastened, the entire springs being free to move
laterally between the fastenings of the bands.
The reverse page of the leaf to that shewn in Figure 1 is a counterpart of the
page described.
If it is desired, only one spring and its accompanying band can be used, but
I have found that it is better to use two springs.
The bands Tand T¹ can be omitted, and the springs fastened at each end directly
to the page but when so fastened the action of the springs is by no means as
satisfactory as when the raised bands are used.
If it is not desired to keep the flies from close contact with the page, the raised
catch B can be dispensed with, and a catch or catches fastened on the page, or
receptacles in, or holes through, the page can be substituted for the raised catch,
to hold the hooks. It is preferable, however, to use a raised catch or catches, in
order to keep the flies from close contact with the page to avoid, as far as possible
pressing the feathers and bodies of the flies, and because of the ease with which
the hook can be caught under such a catch and removed from it.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is
First. In a book for carrying artificial flies a page having a catch or catches
extending across it to hold the hooks, and provided with a coiled spring parallel to
the line of said catch or catches, to receive and hold the gut between its coils,
substantially as described.
Second. In a book for carrying artificial flies, a page provided with a raised
catch, or catches, extending across it to hold the hooks, and further provided with
a coiled spring, parallel to the line of said catch or catches, to receive and hold the
gut between its coils, substantially as described.

page_text: Third. In a book for carrying artificial flies, a page having a catch or catches
extending across it to hold the books, and provided with a coiled spring parallel
to the line of said catch or catches, to receive and hold the gut between its coils;
said spring being free to move laterally on a support passing through it, substan-
tially as described.
Fourth. In a book for carrying artificial flies, a page provided with a raised
catch or catches extending across it to hold the hooks, and further provided with a
coiled spring, parallel to the line of said catch or catches, to receive and hold the
gut between its coils; said spring being free to move laterally on a support passing
through it, substantially as described.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
For the Applicant.