128 FISHING KITS AND EQUIPMENT 



assortment of styles and sizes, by one well-known 

 tackle maker who makes a specialty of them, are es- 

 pecially fine. The flies are well tied, and true to pat- 

 tern, piano-wire shanks and no swivels are features, 

 and it would be difficult to praise them too highly 

 they are " good tackle." For casting light baits a 

 small dipsey sinker should be used. 



Some of the best of sport in bait-casting is to be 

 had when the bass are lying in the shallows and will 

 rise to a surface bait. The swirl and 

 ^urtace V jg r with which a two-pound, well- 

 conditioned bass strikes a floating bait, 

 followed by a fight always close to the surface and 

 usually with several strenuous jumps in close succes- 

 sion, place this branch of bait-casting in a class by it- 

 self. In a way it has the charm of fly-casting 

 the visible strike of the quarry. But the accustomed 

 fly-caster, habituated to the delicate lures of his craft, 

 will require some time to become reconciled to the size 

 and appearance of the most successful floating baits 

 for bass. However, the success and sport which, under 

 favorable conditions under favorable conditions, too 

 many writers have made it appear that the method is 

 at all times infallible are such that the angler can 

 well afford to forego too strict conservatism. 



The wooden minnows mentioned above are also 

 made for surface fishing; but in this form they are 

 rather large and make too much fuss in the water 

 for very successful use in civilized waters. In addi- 



