SPINNING AND BAIT-FISHING. 421 



lead-wire is a capital substitute for shot, and is less liable tc 

 get irremediably * stuck ' in rock-crevices, &c. The difficulty is 

 to twist it round the soft gut in a satisfactory manner. This 

 difficulty, however, I overcome by laying a pin alongside of the 

 gut and winding the lead-wire closely over both. The pin 

 being withdrawn, the coils can be tightened very readily by 

 simply twisting them round with the ringer and thumb until 

 they grip the gut. This method of weighting is less likely to 

 result in damaging the gut than a split shot, which is nipped 

 together and jammed on to it with the teeth (vide cut, p. 420). 



In order to cast a light line of this sort, which, of course, 

 cannot be done at all against the wind unless the line be cast 

 as a fly-line, a 13 or 14 foot rod or even longer with small 

 upright rings, and a fair amount of ' play ' is desirable. The 

 line should be of the very finest dressed silk, not thicker than 

 stoutish sewing cotton. The length of cast that can be made 

 depends, of course, very much upon the wind ; under ordinary 

 circumstances, however, unless heavy sinkers are used, the 

 line that can be effectively worked will not much exceed the 

 length of the rod, plus the gut cast of two or three yards. 



The best worms for this sort of fishing for trout, and I 

 might say, indeed, for every sort of fishing that I am acquainted 

 with where small worms are used, is the brandling, or dunghill 

 worm, which may be known by its yellowish stripes and the 

 pungent odour it emits. This strong smell is, no doubt, one 

 cause of its attractiveness as a bait. If brandlings cannot be 

 obtained any worm which is of the right size will do the redder 

 the better. It is very important that the worms should be 

 thoroughly scoured before being used, as it diminishes the 

 chances of their breaking on the hook, as well as improves their 

 appearance. The readiest means for scouring is in a large jar 

 or box filled with damp moss turned every day or two. 



The hooks figured in the illustration are of the correct size 

 for a large brandling of the length shown. IMien smaller 

 worms are used the size of the hooks, and also the distance 

 between them, should be reduced proportionately. 



