THE FIKB. 261 



upon the force of the stream and depth of the waters you troll 

 over ; but from half an ounce to an ounce will generally be suffi- 

 cient. These weights should be attached as I before said to the 

 gimp foot line, and be fixed at a short distance above the swivel. 

 In tough bodied baits, like the roach, dace, or perch, it is a good 

 plan to insert a lead like that used with the bead hooks into the 

 mouth of the bait which must then be sewn up, which will cause 

 it to sheer wildly about, and will render it very attractive. Some- 

 times, however, the lead from its weight is found to work its way 

 out, causing a very untempting exposure of itself, as of certain 

 unsightly appurtenances, which will then also protrude themselves. 

 To prevent this the lead should be fixed on a piece of brass wire, 

 like that I before alluded to for minnow trolling, which being run 

 down through the belly towards the tail, will keep the lead in a 

 proper horizontal position ; added to which by bending the wire 

 slightly you may give an inclination to the body of the bait, which 

 will cause it to play in a more lively manner. 



Most anglers, however, prefer the double hooks placed back to 

 back for the dead snap, though I certainly have not found them 

 answer as well as the plan I have already recommended, as they 

 show very much more in the water than the single hooks, and 

 often deter a pike from laying hold of the bait ; and as far as 

 hooking the fish is concerned, I have found ray own plan more suc- 

 cessful than any other I ever used ; as a proof of which the very first 

 day I used it, and in which I chanced to obtain nine runs, I caught 

 eight of them ; and if on all occasions I have not been equally 

 fortunate, I have taken more fish in proportion to runs with that, 

 than with any other pattern I have ever fished with. 



The rod and line that should be employed for this kind of trol- 

 ling must depend entirely on the sort of water* you purpose fishing 

 in. If the waters are not extensive a long rod with a reel should 

 be used, the same in fact as for the live snap, only that the bait 

 should be played as if trolling with a minnow for trout. But in 

 large waters a reel had better be dispensed with, and then the 

 short trolling rod should supersede the long one. 



The rod I generally used for the latter purpose was my ordinary 

 long trolling rod minus the butt ; my line being of stout black 

 horsehair from thirty to forty yards long. This I carried either in 

 a coil in my hand, or dragged behind me. The way to make a 

 cast is, (supposing your bait to be attached to the line which has 



