How TO SQUID A HOOK. 55 



adise of the bass angler when one morning I was awakened 

 from my early slumbers by the loud calls of Hosier, my gaff- 

 er, who had tried a cast with one of my rods from the Table 

 Rock, and, in casting, had thrown a knot in the line about 

 thirty feet from the reel ; and, as the guides were too small 

 to pass the knot, Hosier, to prevent the fish from getting 

 slack line, ran back as the fish came toward shore, and ran 

 forward when the fish carried off too much line, calling lusti- 

 ly for me as he ran backward and forward in great excite- 

 ment. I finally relieved him of the rod in due time, and he 

 gaffed the bass, which weighed twenty-two pounds. Since 

 then I have all guides made large enough to pass a small 

 pea. Double guides are best, unless you have Pritchard's 

 patent guides, which turn on a fixed metallic band. It is al- 

 ways best to disjoint a rod when done fishing for the day, 

 and then change the sides of the two upper joints every day, 

 as it prevents the rod from warping or setting. 



The reel, like I, should carry 600 feet of hawser-laid linen 

 line, of from twelve to fifteen threads, thus rendering it about 

 the size of a fine salmon line ; but the line should be free from 

 any oily composition, and a dip in dye to give it a greenish 

 shade is beneficial. Never, by any chance, use a check reel 

 for coast or estuary fishing. Depend on the pressure of your 

 thumb for checking the fish, and wear knitted thumb-stalls. 



Hooks like H, with taper shank and loop of linen line, the 

 same size as that on the reel, extending six inches beyond 

 the end of the shank. Place your squid along the hook so 

 that the extreme bend of the hook will be opposite its eyes, 

 when slide up sinker on loop E toward L until the sinker is 

 even with the other end of the squid. By this process your 

 tackle will fit your squid. Then fasten E to its place by K ; 

 hook the squid back of its mouth, running the point forward, 

 and turning it down so as to bring the point out between the 

 eyes ; attach loop L to the baiting-needle ; draw the sinker up 

 through the ink-sack, or body, and attach the loop to the end 

 of the reel-line, and you will be ready to commence trolling. 



