TROLLING 125 



BRAIDED LINES BEST 



The best line for trolling is the braided silk or 

 linen, as the twisted lines cannot be used successfully 

 on account of the kinking caused by the twisting and 

 turning of the line, which cannot altogether be 

 avoided. In assembling your rig for trolling don't 

 be afraid to use swivels; they help keep the line from 

 twisting. In rigging up the spoon hook for trolling, 

 which is the one most commonly used, loop the line 

 on a swiveled wire leader a six or eight inch one 

 is plenty long enough and at the end of the leader 

 snap on the spoon, which for ordinary fishing for 

 wall-eyed pike or bass should not be larger than a 

 No. 3, while for pike, pickerel or musky a No. 4 to 

 No. 6 is plenty large enough. One of the big mis- 

 takes in using the trolling spoon is to select a No. 12 

 in the single spoon or a No. 10 in the tandem style, 

 with a bunch of feathered hooks on the end large 

 enough to scare any fish on first sight. Some of 

 the finest musky and pike have been caught on a 

 little old No. 3 spoon with a shiner or pork rind 

 fluttering on the hook. Take a No. 6 single spoon 

 or a No. 4 tandem with a nice-sized black sucker, 

 chub or shiner hooked behind, and you have an ideal 

 pike or musky trolling rig. Top this off with a 

 small piece of red flannel right in front of the bait, 

 and they sure can't resist it. The small spoon is the 

 winner with the big fish. 



