44 Spinning for Mahseer. CHAPT. V. 



to be thought the right rods for Mahseer. But more of them 

 anon. 



There is something very slippery about a Hying spoon; you 

 cannot catch hold of it without coming well on to the hook, and I 

 think that you loose less runs at a spoon than at any other bait. A 

 fish cannot lay hold of it anywhere without slipping off it straight 

 nn to the hooks. 



The spoon is also as clean fishing as the fly. As soon as you 

 have killed a fish and removed it from the hook, your lure is ready 

 again. 



Moreover, you may not always be able to procure bait ; at any 

 rate not immediately on your arrival at your fishing quarters, and 

 the first evening's or morning's sport may be lost if you are not 

 prepared with a spoon or an artificial fish. 



1 have used a phantom minnow too, and other artificial minnows 

 with advantage, ami any salmon minnow will kill, but it should be 

 specially dressed for tins country, as will be seen in the chapter on 

 tackle, or it will be quickly demoralized. There are fishermen, also, 

 who have used an artificial dace or roach, such as are made at 

 home for pike fishing, and had good sport with them. But they 

 are not fitted for all waters, only for the larger rivers containing 

 much heavier fish than do the smaller ones. 



Of all bait, however, the one that I consider the most killing, 

 when available, is a dead fish on light spinning tackle. Any small 

 fish from 3 to 6 inches in length will do, but if I am picking 

 out of many in a bait-can I select, and use first, those that are 

 exactly 4 inches long, tail included. 1 prefer this length both 

 because it is a nice edible size, and generally appreciated, 1 fancy, 

 by the majority of Mahseer, and also because it is a convenient 

 weight to throw out from the ordinary fly top of a light salmon rod. 

 If you have a much heavier bait on, it will rather strain a tly top to 

 be constantly throwing it, and if you put on a special trolling top 

 for the purpose, you cannot change from spinning to fly fishing at 

 will, or at least you cannot change without more trouble, and the 

 loss of more time, than it is worth; whereas you ought with the 

 aid of an attendant to be able to do it under the minute, and to take 

 just a dozen casts over that pretty bit at the far end of the pool 

 which you could not quite reach with your minnow, and which it 

 would be a positive -in to leave untried, before passing on to other 



