PRAWN-TACKLE. 



123 



should connect the prawn with the reel-line, which should 

 be fine and dressed. There are no better rods for this purpose 

 than those of bamboo used for trolling. They must be fitted 

 with upright rings (see page 16). The amount of weight (split 

 shot or twisted lead-wire) on the line must depend, of course, 

 on the depth of the water and force of the stream. The 

 prawn should usually be fished as nearly in mid-water as 

 possible, and that fact must be the guide when the line is 

 being weighted. 



Fig. 78. Prawn-tackle. 



There are various ways of working prawn-tackle. It may 

 be trailed after a boat, or merely cast across and a little 

 down the stream, and allowed to work round, like the fly in 

 Fig. 76; or it may be cast into pools, allowed to sink, and 

 then worked with a sink-and-draw motion. At Castle Connell 

 they spin it, while at Galway it is worked close to the bottom, 

 like a worm. Generally speaking, the angler will cast out the 

 prawn, and let it sweep round with the stream, only drawing 

 the line if the stream is not sufficient to keep the bait off the 

 bottom. The tackle, if the lead is heavy enough, may be 

 cast off a Nottingham reel (in which case the line must be 



