174 FISHING IN AMERICAN WATERS. 



tached to an elastic cord and suspended from the shoulder, 

 or a double-jointer, in which the second one slides into the 

 first, and is attached by a loop to a button on the breast, is 

 the least cumbersome. I have found the hollow wire rims 

 the best, and brass is the best metal for them. The hollow 

 rim is light, and it does not rust. As to the round and oval 

 shapes, they are matters of caprice, and as to the wicker 

 frames of wood, they are no lighter than hollow brass wire, 

 while they offer fourfold resistance to the water. The rim 

 should be large, the meshes large, the twine not too fine, and 

 the net itself large. A landing-net, large, strong, and light, 

 is one of the angler's sources of delight. 



TROUT BASKET. Let it be plaited or woven from the thin- 

 outer grain of the willow or osier, very light and large ; to 

 contain ten, fifteen, and twenty pounds offish are the sizes. 

 They should be stained inside and painted outside, or by 

 painting the inside also they are more easily cleaned. Green 

 is the color preferred. The shape not very deep, with a hole 

 in the lid, brass hinges, a staple extending up through the lid, 

 fastened with a padlock. The strap should be of worsted 

 webbing instead of russet leather, or if of russet leather there 

 should be a pad attached, with straps to slide on the shoul- 

 der-strap to the right place. The New York fishing-tackle 

 dealers have introduced a new gear, by which the weight 

 rests on both shoulders, and the basket is held more securely, 

 and is less cumbersome in forest-fishing. The angler's coat 

 should be made with a strap and button on the shoulder, un- 

 der which to hold the strap of the trout-basket ; and there 

 should be another strap on the coat at the left side, to pre- 

 vent the basket -strap from moving, and the basket from 

 swinging about while climbing over logs and fences. But 

 the great desideratum consists in getting a light and small 

 basket, which will contain a great many large trout of your 

 own taking. 



BAIT Box. Of course bait-boxes and fly-books are articles 

 to purchase at the fishing-tackle stores ; and while there are 



