26 Bass, Pike, and Perch 



suitable for good casting. Neither can effective 

 casting be done with oil-dressed or enamelled 

 lines. 



Snelled hooks on single-gut snells, size No. i or 

 No. 2, Sproat preferred and O'Shaughnessy next, 

 are the best in any method of bait-fishing for black- 

 bass. There are several other styles of hooks 

 used, but, everything considered, those named are 

 the most faultless, and for shape, strength, and 

 general excellence cannot be excelled. 



No leader is used, as the minnow must be reeled 

 up to within a foot or two of the tip of the rod in 

 casting. The snell of the hook is attached to the 

 reel-line by the smallest brass box-swivel, or it may 

 be tied directly to the line. The casts are made 

 from right or left and underhand, not overhead 

 as in casting the fly. Casts of i6o feet have been 

 made in this way. The chief factor in this style 

 of casting is the proper control of the reel by the 

 thumb — by a gentle but constant and uniform 

 pressure on the revolving spool, to prevent over- 

 running of the line during the cast, and a stronger 

 pressure to stop the reel at the end of the cast. 

 The thumb must be thoroughly educated to this 

 work, and, once acquired, the rest is easy, as but 

 little muscular effort is required. The novice 



