BAITS. 373 



" 1 must lit're inform tin- mt\icr in trollin^:, that little .sport 

 can 1)1' expecteil without a tt)lfral)ly clrar watrr. 



'* Xobbs, the fatlier of thr art of trolliiiir. s[)i'aks of April 

 anil Mayas the host months; l)ut, with tiur dcfcrcnre to so 

 grrat an authority, I should say Soptembrr, Octohir, and 

 NoveuibcT, arc the best months, as tin- lish are thru in prinjc 

 season, and arc \\orth takinir, whcn-as in April and May they 

 have not rccovcrcil from s|)a\\nin^', and although tlicy may feed 

 frcdy, they will be lank and thin, and in bad condition. 



" Early in March the Pike are often taken lull of sj)a\\n, but 

 at tins season tluy will seldom gorge the liait, and are gcnendly 

 taken by the snap. In tin- autumn, rivers and ponds begin to 

 lose tlicir weeds, which, in sprin;4 and sununcr, are so trouble- 

 some to the troUcr, and the fish then take to the deep holes, 

 aiid their haunts are more easily found. The troller cannot be 

 too early or too late at his sport, for during the middle of the 

 day the lish seldom feed, unless it be cloudy anil the breeze 

 fresh., 



"The best baits for Jack ami Pike are roach, dace, bleak, 

 gudgeon, minnow, small chub, and trout, or the skegger or 

 brandling; when none of these can be procured, a small perch, 

 by cutting away the back tin, may be used. Indeed, in the 

 lakes of Derwcntwater and Bassenthwaite, and various places 

 where other tish are scarce, and the small Biuss or Perch plen- 

 tiful, it is the bait in general use. It is of the utmost couse- 

 queucc that the bait* should be perfectly fresh and sweet ; 

 although a Pike might run at a stale bait, he will rarely pouch 

 it, even at the snap: your l)aita cannot be too bright or fresli. 



" Man\ writers hiiNc recommended Inrds, mice, frogs, ice, as 



