SPINNING AND BAIT FISHING. 383 



As a pike-spinning flight I feel no doubt whatever of its 

 excellence gimp taking the place of gut, at any rate for the 

 flight itself. 



The trace I use with these (or any other) flights for lake 

 trolling, consists of 8 or 9 feet of picked gut (* buffer knot,' 

 p. 45), say, 3 yards salmon or trout gut, according to the 

 size of the fish expected with two sets of the smallest sized 

 'double swivels,' knotted (not lapped) 1 into the gut at equal 

 intervals, and a lead-wire ' swivel-compeller ' close above the 

 upper set, to prevent risk of the line * kinking.' 



LEAD-WIRE SWIVEL-COMPELLER. 



The lead- wire for the present purpose should be a size or 

 two thicker than that above figured. To twist it on, lay a 

 pin along the gut at the desired point, and twist the lead-wire 

 round both pin and trace ; then draw out the pin, and with 

 the finger and thumb tighten up the coils of the wire until 

 they hold firmly to the gut. The swivel-compeller is very in- 

 conspicuous, and thoroughly efficient. If still more lead is 

 required to sink the bait, it can be most conveniently added by 

 running a pipe- shaped lead on to the reel-line, just above its 

 junction with the trace, and therefore well away from the bait, 

 or by twisting some more heavy lead- wire round the trace on 

 the next link above the swivel-compeller. In the former case 

 a knot should be tied in the reel-line over the lead to prevent 

 its slipping up the line. For merely temporary purposes I 



1 Lapping is a disfiguring un-necessity. The simplest, neatest, and 

 strongest junction between the gut and the swivels is to pass the gut, 

 thoroughly well soaked, of course, through the swivel-loop, and then, with the 

 end, make a double slip knot round the main trace (see second fig. p. 14), 

 and draw it tight. 



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