436 BOOK OF THE BLACK BASS. 



■with single hooks for impaling the minnow ; these contriv- 

 ances are intended for Pike-fishing, and should never be 

 used for the Black Bass. A single hook is sufficient for 

 all purposes. The minnow may be booked through the 

 lips; or, perhaps, the best way for trolling, is to pass the 

 hook through the mouth and out at the gill-opening, then 

 carry it back and insert it just behind the doi'sal fin — a 

 needle, armed with a strong thread, is then passed through 

 the lips of the minnow, and ^tightly tied to the snell, this 

 obviates the use of the lip-hook; a minnow will spin as 

 well hooked in this way, as with the most approved spin- 

 ning-tackle. 



The angler, with his boatman, in trolling with the rod, 

 proceeds in a boat over the fishing-grounds, with from 

 thirty to fitly yards of line out. The rod must be held 

 with the tip elevated, so as to kee]) the rod constantly 

 curved, and -the thumb should be aj)]ilied to the spool of 

 the reel, so as to be ready at any moment for the violent 

 rush of the Bass, for he bites very wickedly at the moving 

 bait. The fish must l)e hooked at once, though he often 

 fastens himself. If the angler has a long line out, he 

 must reel in his fish as soon as possible, until he has him 

 within proper bounds, when he can kill him at his leisure. 

 The manipulation of the Bass after he is hooked is just 

 the same as described in the chapter on casting the min- 

 now, to which the reader is referred. 



It is useless to troll in deep water, far from shore; it 

 should only be practiced in water from three to ten feet 

 deep, following the trend of the shore, as far as possible, 

 Avhere the proper conditions exist, which are given iu a 

 previous chapter. 



