MINNOW FISHING 97 



monster trout grown ugly and big on a diet of trout, 

 minnows and bottom food, let him hasten thither 

 with all speed if a fresh comes down the river, and 

 fish very carefully round the ancient's precincts, as 

 in all probabihty he will come from out his keep to 

 seek for food round the edges of the stream, and to 

 seize any fry which he sees carried down by, and 

 strugghng against, the rush of the water. 



To fish a coloured water, the angler must throw 

 his minnow well across stream and then bring it round 

 to his own side in a series of short puUs, occasionally, 

 where the current is strongest, allowing the force of 

 water to carry it a foot or two down stream, imitating 

 more or less what one would imagine the actions 

 of some small fish would be that had got into heavy 

 water. And as trout will often follow a minnow from 

 one side of the river to the other before taking it, and 

 as in flood time they are to be found under the banks 

 very close to the edge, it is imperative that the angler 

 should not Hft the minnow out of the water until he 

 has worked it weU up under the bank on which he 

 stands, and thoroughly searched the edges. It is 

 impossible to lay too much stress on this point, 

 as it will be found that almost eight fish out of ten 

 take the minnow close to the edge, just as they become 

 afraid that they may lose their prey. 



All slack waters, eddies and places out of the rush 

 of heavy water, where trout seek shelter in time of 



