142 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER. 



gentles put on the hook so as to make a bunch and 

 partly cover the bend and point. The trace should con- 

 sist of three yards of fine stained gut. 



The grasshopper is worked by " sinking and drawing," 

 as it is termed : that is, the bait is thrown in and 

 allowed to sink till it touches the bottom, and is then 

 steadily drawn up again about a foot or a foot and a 

 half, and allowed to sink as before. The stream is 

 usually strong enough to shift the bait as much as is 

 desirable, but if the water is too still for this, the result 

 can be arrived at by "drawing" the bait a little to right 

 or left with the rod. The great point is to be quite sure 

 that the bait touches the bottom before drawing up, and 

 in order to assist the eye in judging this point, it will 

 be found of the greatest advantage to have a small 

 moveable white mark on the line, placed a foot or a foot 

 and a half higher up the line than the highest point 

 which ought to be submerged. It is, in fact, a minia- 

 ture float, always kept out of water, and the most 

 convenient form is this. Take a small white feather, 

 and cut off about half an inch of the hollow quill, and 

 three-quarters of an inch of the solid white part of 

 the feather-stem, just thick enough to fit neatly into the 

 hollow quill cap (a), as shown in the engraving, figure 

 2 ; the cap passes over the line and is shifted accord- 

 ing to the average depth of the water fished. 



A run will of course be perceived as the bait is being 

 drawn up, when a smart stroke should be given, and the 



