REMOVABLE LEADS. 69 



6in. of fishing-line through it, and simply tie it on tightly 

 to the gimp, just above the swivels. An anti-kinking trace 

 may be thus made in ten minutes. Once, when very hard 

 up for a piece of lead, I lashed an old nail on to my line, 

 and took some good fish, notwithstanding my rough-and-ready 

 tackle. There is no sport which offers greater opportunities 

 for the exercise of ingenuity than angling, and the all-round 

 fisherman should be full of expedients. 



Many attempts have been made to invent a lead which may 

 be easily removed from the trace, and smaller or larger ones 

 put in its place. The most generally used is the Fishing 

 Gazette Lead. The lead is on the shank of a safety-pin, and 

 the line is wound round the pin proper. I have found these 

 leads very useful. Mr. Wood's Saddle-lead, already described 

 (page 68), is easily taken off the trace, and a smaller or larger 

 one put on in its place. The Farlow Lead, also, is very easily 

 removed for one larger or smaller, as may be desired. 



The information I have given on spinning tackle will, I hope, 

 prove sufl&cient for even the densest of mortals; but there is 

 something to be added. A considerable amount of judgment 

 and discretion is necessary with regard to the coarseness of 

 the tackle and the weight of the lead. Large baits, strong 

 streams, and deep water, each and all necessitate heavy leads. 

 Small baits, still waters, and shallow streams and lakes, neces- 

 sitate light leads. If there is lead in the bait, less is required 

 on the trace. For well-fished, clear streams, in summer, fine 

 tackle is absolutely necessary, except on windy days, when the 

 line is not noticed by the fish. When the water is coloured, 

 the tackle need not be fine. In very weedy waters, the best 

 fish will be lost unless the tackle is strong. In extensive 

 sheets of water, where the fish run very large, extremely fine 

 tackle is only advisable on calm, hot, sunny days in summer, 

 when small baits should be used. 



The Thames Style of Spinning is more commonly prac- 

 tised than any other. It is easier than the Trent method, 

 and enables the angler to cast the bait with great accuracy — an 

 important consideration in summer, when the bait has often 

 to be worked in the runs between weed-beds. The process 



