MINNOW TROLLING, 97 



And now for my instructions. In the first place, a long rod is 

 indispensable, otherwise it is impossible to keep sufficiently out of 

 the fishes sight, without which there is little chance of your hook- 

 ing many large ones, however many you may move, the bait prob- 

 ably first attracting their notice, but catching a view of you as they 

 approach to seize hold of, they turn back short without touch- 

 ing it. 



As for the length of the rod, I consider that for most streams 

 it ought to be as much as eighteen feet long, though for a narrow 

 stream one of fifteen or sixteen would be sufficient. The rods 

 that are usually employed for this purpose are constructed of hol- 

 low cane, with the exception of the top, which is generally of hollow 

 bamboo ; yet a rod of these materials is hardly strong enough for 

 the work it has to go through, and if a fracture does take place in 

 any part but the top, the injury is almost irreparable ; as it is ut- 

 terly in vain to attempt to splice a piece of hollow cane : the only 

 chance is to cut off the shattered parts as well as you can, and 

 winding some string or tape about it, fit it into the ferrule below 

 in the best manner you are able. The rod I have used for this purpose 

 for some seasons past consists of a butt of well seasoned deal of 

 about eight feet long, the middle joint, which is of hickory, of about 

 five feet, and the top, which is a little short of five feet, has the 

 lower half of hickory, and the remainder bamboo, with the excep- 

 tion of a small piece of whalebone at the end; so that this rod is 

 altogether about eighteen feet long, and is by far the best trolling 

 rod I ever called myself the master of; being in fact the same I 

 alluded to as having been presented me by my much esteemed 

 clerical friend, whose skill in constructing fishing rods I have be- 

 fore mentioned. I have a shorter butt for narrower streams, which 

 is something less than six feet, but I rarely if ever make use of it, 

 preferring the longer one, even for the narrowest rivulets. 



The line should be stouter than that used for a fly, and should 

 be at least thirty yards long, as it often happens, as I have before 

 had occasion to remark, that trees and other obstacles prevent you 

 from following up a strong fish who is resolved to go his own way, 

 which if he is determined about, you cannot sometimes prevent 

 him from doing without endangering your tackle by forcibly bring- 

 ing him to a check ; at the same time I would recommend every 

 angler not to allow a fish a greater scope of line than is absolutely 

 requisite, as, unless he can keep his fish tolerably short, he has far 



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