BAITS. 373 



" I must here inform the novice in trolling, that little sport 

 can be expected without a tolerably clear water. 



"Nobbs, the father of the art of trolling, speaks of April 

 and May as the best months ; but, with due deference to so 

 great an authority, I should say September, October, and 

 November, are the best months, as the fish are then in prime 

 season, and are worth taking, whereas in April and May they 

 have not recovered from spawning, and although they may feed 

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



" Early in March the Pike are often taken full of spawn, but 

 at this season they will seldom gorge the bait, and are generally 

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

 lose their weeds, which, in spring and summer, are so trouble- 

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

 and 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 fish seldom feed, unless it be cloudy and the breeze 

 fresh. 



"The best baits for Jack and 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 fin, may be used. Indeed, in the 

 lakes of Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite, and various places 

 where other fish are scarce, and the small Bass or Perch plen- 

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

 quence that the baits 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 baits cannot be too bright or fresh. 



" Many writers have recommended birds, mice, frogs, &c., as 



