CHAPTER XV. 



AETIFICIAL BAITS. 



"And therefore I have, which I will show to you, an artificial minnow that 

 will catch Trout as well as an artifleial fly ; and it was made by a handsome 

 woman that had a fine hand, and a live minnow lying by her."— Izaak 

 Walton. 



Trollixg-Baits — Spoon-Baits. 



The most commonly-used trolling-bait for Black Bass 

 is the spoon-bait or trolling-spoon. It is now made of 

 all shapes, and many sizes; but all are made upon the 

 same general principle, and are merely variations of the 

 original trolling-spoon, -which was fashioned like the 

 bowl of a spoon, a single hook being soldered to one end, 

 and a hole drilled in the other end for attaching the line. 



By trailing or trolling such a spoon at the end of a 

 line from a moving boat, it revolves gracefully beneath the 

 surface of the water, the burnished surfaces flashing at each 

 revolution, and proves quite an effective lure. 



Manufacturers vie w^ith each other in producing novel 

 shapes and so-called improvements, but there is nothing 

 better than the original spoon-bowl with a single hook. 

 The double and triple hooks, usually attached to the mod- 

 ern spoons, are liable to be crushed and broken by the 

 jaws of a large fish, if hooked in a position favorable to 

 this contingency. 



Trolling-spoons are all made with a concave and a con- 

 vex surface; the' latter surface being brightly polished or 



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