FISHING TACKLE. 171 



flight of three treble hooks on gimp for pike, on twisted gut 

 two or three sizes smaller, for salmon and lake trout. Use 

 no lip hook, but sew the mouth of the bait round the gimp 

 or gut. Any fishing tackle maker will furnish this pattern ; 

 but mind that the bottom hooks which curve the tail of the 

 bait, are whipped pretty close into the bend of the next 

 triangle, or the tail will never keep its bend. This is a 

 fault I almost invariably remark, in all the flights of spinning 

 hooks I have seen come out of the shops. We generally 

 whip our hooks for the flight, into about ten inches of gimp 

 or gut, and to the end of this, loop the first swivel, not too 

 small. I like then a trace of treble gut, or strong gimp for 

 heavy fish, about two to three feet long, with two swivels to 

 loop out the main line, which I would always recommend to be 

 of good plaited hair, and from eighty to one hundred yards in 

 length. It is not easy to give directions about leads, for they 

 vary so much with the depth and swiftness of the stream. It is 

 always best to find out some fisherman who is used to fishing 

 the particular water, and he will show his leads. I have 

 seen men use nearly one pound of lead, when fishing some of 

 the streams in the south of the Wener, and in our inland 

 lakes, especially in the summer, I have caught best with 

 scarcely one ounce. A stiff twelve foot three, jointed rod 

 with a spare top or two, and lots of large standing rings on 

 it, is the best kind when a rod is used ; but when rowing 

 round the grass in boat-fishing for pike, by the side of a river 

 or lake, a much easier and simpler plan is adopted ; instead 

 of a rod, use a wooden winder or reel, round which the line 

 of about forty to fifty yards is wound. This the fisherman, 

 who sits in the stern of the boat, holds in his hand, or even 

 sticks in a hole made in the gunwale of the boat, letting 

 the line, to which are attached his bait and leads, run 

 out behind the boat, while the rower pulls gently and 

 quietly round the lake, or by the side of bullrushes, where 

 the pike always he. The fisherman feels directly he has 

 a bite, and hauls the fish up at once. This is really the 

 laziest kind of fishing, but it has this advantage the tackle 

 is very portable ; and if an artificial bait is used, there is no 



