LIVE-BAIT FISHING. 57 



swim with about half an ounce of lead and a bait fish of 

 four or five inches in length will be found, generally 

 speaking, the most useful, (but when very small baits ate 

 used, and twisted gut instead of gimp, a smaller float will 

 be requisite) then take the traces (which are described in 

 chap. V.) fasten the line to the traces with a bow draw- 

 knot, or make a loop at the end of the line and loop it to 

 the traces, and after having baited your hook fix that to 

 the hook swivel of the traces, and all is ready to cast in 

 search. 



When the float is fixed at a proper distance from the 

 baited hook, which, as a general rule, observe, should be 

 something less than three feet; but in very shoal water, 

 or where there are many weeds, two feet above the hook 

 will be a more proper distance to fix the float, but in no 

 case do I ever find or think it right to fix the float above 

 the baited hook, at a greater distance than three or four 

 feet. 



If you choose to fish without traces, adjust the line, float 

 and baited hooks this way : first put the float on the line, 

 next put a dip-lead, or as many swan shot on the line as 

 is proper for the size of the float; dip-leads are to be 

 preferred, because they are put on and oflT in an instant 

 (see dip-leads described in chap. V.) whereas it takes 

 some time to put the shot on the line, and more to take 

 them off again, which must be done, otherwise you cannot 



