52 MINNOW-FISHING. 



ing a sick, injured, or frightened minnow ; there- 

 fore you must not spin continuously, nor drag 

 the bait forcibly up stream, which no small fish 

 could stem, but rather try to make your bait 

 appear as if striving unsuccessfully against the 

 current, and making for the friendly shelter of 

 the margin. 



This is the ordinary method of minnow- fishing, 

 and that most successful in flooded waters and 

 in large deep streams ; but in small, clear waters 

 the minnow should be cast more or less directly 

 up stream and spun downwards. Many anglers 

 will not believe that this is possible, but those 

 who attempt it, after a little experience of the 

 ordinary plan, will find it much easier than it 

 sounds. The tactics here are precisely the same 

 as those employed in the down-stream method 

 mutatis mutandis, but the bait is best spun with 

 a somewhat darting motion, so as to imitate the 

 action of a frightened fish rushing down stream. 



In both these plans it is sometimes necessary 

 to weight the line, and this is accomplished either 

 by a pear-shaped lead pushed into the bait's 

 mouth, or better, by split shot applied between 

 the two swivels. 



In rivers frequented by salmon, parr -tail is 

 often preferable to minnow 1 (or where parr are 



1 This is only legal on Tweed and its tributaries, and 

 there not during April and May. 



