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CHAPTER XIV. 
SPINNING. 
The rationale of spinning—Early mention. Spinning Flights—The 
Author’s patterns; directions for baiting ; details of construction. 
The trace—Best materials and knots; /eads. Rod, reel, and reel- 
line for spinning and Pike-fishing generally. Hoa to spin—Casting ; 
‘Nottingham method;’ striking; playing; landing. Spinning 
baits—Natural baits; Bleak, Dace, Gudgeon; the Eel-bait, tackle 
for ; setting of Eel-lines; sea-fish as baits. Artificial baits. When 
and where to spin—Pike-haunts and spawning time. Receipt for 
cooking Pike. 
THE only mode of snap-fishing with the dead-bait worth 
consideration is “ Spinning,”—a branch of trolling which 
in the majority of cases as much surpasses in deadliness 
all other methods as it is unquestionably superior to 
them in its attractiveness as a sport, and in the amount 
of skill required for its successful practice. It will occa- 
sionally happen, no doubt, that in particular waters, or 
states of water, the live bait will kill more fish, or that a 
river may be so overgrown with weed as to be impene- 
trable to anything except a gorge-hook ; but such con- 
tingencies are comparatively rare, and taking the 
average of waters and weathers throughout the year, 
it may be safely assumed that the spinning-bait will 
