44 FISH : THEIR HABITS AND HAUNTS. 



throw your bait as far as you can across the 

 stream ; then let it sink deep in the water 

 without touching the bottom, and spinning 

 to the surface. The best minnows for the 

 purpose are those of moderate size, with 

 their sides and bellies of a pearly whiteness. 

 If the angler has conveniences for keeping 

 them, they are all the better for being kept a 

 few days in clear, soft water, as this renders 

 them firmer and brighter. The twisting of 

 the minnow is the beauty of this kind of 

 angling ; the fish, seeing it at a great dis- 

 tance, fancy it is making all the haste it can 

 to escape, and they make more haste to 

 catch it. 



Bottom-fishing with the worm is decidedly 

 an excellent mode of angling for trout. I 

 have caught trout with the worm when the 

 fly and minnow could not capture a single 

 fish ; and when it is done rightly, this method 

 cannot easily be surpassed. If the water is 

 clear, and you are to fish in a brook or small 



