SPINNING AND BAIT FISHING. 49 



of lead wire, as shown below, is neat, unobtrusive, and thoroughly 

 effective to prevent kinking. 



' UNDERHUNG ' LEAD, ATTACHED BY LEAD WIRE. 



In all lake spinning the best plan, nineteen times out of 

 twenty, is to trail the bait behind the boat, and the farther 

 off, within reason, the better. On getting a 'run' the fish 

 ought to be at once sharply struck, and the boat almost 

 stopped. 



In artificial baits of all sorts I personally have not a very 

 robust belief. As, however, natural baits cannot always be 

 obtained, and as other fishermen's experiences perhaps differ 

 from mine, I may mention one or two of the artificial baits 

 which seem to possess special recommendations. 



First, there is the time-honoured ( phantom minnow,' both 

 blue and brown, which has many admirers, and after that 

 follows an army of less known nondescripts of all kinds- 

 * Archimedians,' * water witches,' * mermaids,' ' Halcyon spin, 

 ners,' * Premier spinners,' ' Excelsior spinners,' ' Cleopatra 

 baits,' c quill minnows,' 'Archimedian minnows,' and spoon 

 baits, plain, fluted, twisted, and of every conceivable variety 

 and pattern. Each or all of these may or may not be good 

 occasionally ; unfortunately the life of any one fisherman is too 

 short to give even a fraction of them a fair trial. I have 

 myself had some good sport at times with the ' slitless Devon,' 

 described at p. 4x3, as also with the 'phantom' the latter 

 only in lake-spinning, however. 



