BAITS, 399 



fish taken for the purpose, along the lake shores or in brooks. 

 They are exceedingly strong and active — qualities which delight 

 the angler. When first hooked, they run very wild, and 

 almost invariably rise to the surface, and leap one, two, and 

 even three feet in the air, shaking the head violently, evidently 

 with a view to dislodge the fatal hook. Frequently, while 

 making their runs, they will suddenly turn and come with all 

 their power directly towards their enemy, and by thus slacking 

 the line, will succeed in shaking the hook loose ; this often 

 happens with inexperienced fishermen, but more rarely with the 

 angler who holds a good reel and winds rapidly. The most 

 beautiful mode of angling for them, is trolling, either with live 

 bait or an artificial fly of large size and gay appearance. The 

 writer has succeeded remarkably well with a fly made on a large- 

 size Limerick hook, such as are used for Striped Bass when 

 fishing with crab bait. The fly is made as follows: — Body of a 

 peacock feather, wings of a scarlet kerseymere and white pigeon 

 feathers; or, the feather stripped from a white goose-quill, and 

 wound round like the hackle, and surmounted with thin strips of 

 scarlet forewings. For trolling pleasantly and comfortably, the 

 angler should provide a moveable seat, which he can place across 

 the gunwale of his boat, in order that he may sit with his back 

 to the oarsman, and facing the stern. Thus he will have full 

 command of his rod and line, and not be sitting in the cramp- 

 ing attitude which the lowness of the seats would cause. He 

 should reel off" fifty to sixty, or even one hundred or more feet 

 of line, and in going over shallow reefs of seven or eight feet 

 depth, two hundred feet, as the fish feeding on the reefs usually 

 dart aside as the boat passes, and do not return immediatelv to 



