IX: MINNOW-FISHING 



FISHING with the minnow, apart from the 

 excitement of runs, has this particular 

 interest, that the lure appeals to the 

 predatory instincts of the larger trout, and should 

 the angler find them favourably disposed which 

 is not always the case his dish is likely to be 

 worth inspection. 



Trout take the minnow with a sudden dash. 

 At times they may even be seen following a spun 

 bait I have frequently noticed it as if uncertain 

 whether to seize it or not. Yet there is a means 

 to end doubt, and, with luck, to hasten the 

 furious struggle that follows a good fish being 

 hooked. This is to give your minnow a mo- 

 mentary quick draw from the hesitating trout. 



Minnow-fishing is a form of sport less suited to 

 spring than for a later period, say from May to 

 the end of the season. It seems to do best in the 

 very early morning and at the approach of dusk 

 and after. Still, trout appetites being invariably 

 capricious, no hard-and-fast rule can be laid 

 down, and the afternoons, usually an indifferent 



