HOW TO SPIN YOUR BAITS BEST. 175 



spin your bait up or down stream, across or against 

 it in fact, in any direction that the nature of the 

 locality may render most convenient. The best 

 way, however, is to spin against the current ; for 

 your bait moving in that direction will appear like 

 a natural fish darting away up the stream ; and 

 trout, having their heads pointed that way when 

 on the feed, will be the more inclined to rush 

 after the bait. Generally speaking, it is not of 

 vital importance which way you spin your bait, so 

 that you do it well. Take care not to spin too 

 fast, by drawing in too rapidly too much line at 

 each backward draw of the left hand, or at each 

 motion towards you of the rod. Spin steadily, 

 just fast enough to make your bait revolve attrac- 

 tively, but not so fast as to make its speed greater 

 than that of the fish that is pursuing it. Make it 

 no difficult task for him to overtake your bait and 

 seize it with facility. In spinning you must strike, 

 as soon as your bait is taken, with a short, quick, 

 moderately strong jerk of the wrist. 



The baits you use in spinning should be of 

 the most brilliant colours the brightest minnows, 

 gudgeons, dace, roach you can procure. Smelts, 

 on account of their silver brilliancy, make capital 

 spinning-baits ; moderate-sized thick-set ones are 

 the best. The hooks used in spinning should be 

 of the bright steel-colour of the wire, not changed 

 to the ordinary blue hue of hooks; and they 



