424 THE PRACTICAL FISHERMAN. 



always give the least appreciable time to enable the trout to turn after 

 taking the bait, and then strike once or even twice sharply. 



Mr. Francis invented a very pleasing variation of these tackles some 

 years ago. It consisted of a large single hook, as in Fig. 40, and a lip 

 hook (to which was attached at a distance of half an inch a triplet) 

 made with loops to slip on after the bait had been adjusted on the larger 

 hook. The method of baiting is as follows : take a minnow, gudgeon, 

 dace, &c., and with a baiting needle pass the gut of the large hook from 

 tail to head, as close to the vertebra as possible, and draw the bait down 

 on to the large hook, then neatly adjust it with sufficient crook in it to 

 enable it to spin. Now take the lip hook with its attached triangle, and 

 slide the loops of the former on to the gut, bringing it down to the lips 

 of the bait, while the triplet lies over on its shoulder. Hook both of the 

 hooks into the bait. Then take apiece of waxed silk and tie the lip hook 

 in its place tightly by taking a turn or two round its shank. Of course 

 the reader needs not to be told that the evil of this arrangement consists 

 in the necessity of tying the lip hook. My arrangement, ehown in Fig. 

 39, wonld obviate this, however, and render the tackle very efficacious 

 and convenient. 



Figs. 43, 44, 45 represent a pattern of trout nights which has been 

 advocated by a writer signing himself "Walton H," in the angling 

 departments of the sporting papers, and as I personally know that this 

 gentleman has made a speciality of minnow spinning, I cannot do better 

 than allow him to describe them. He says : 



" Fig. 40 is made by lapping back to back two pairs of hooks and 

 one single for the lip hook, or double brazed hooks may be used. 



" Fig. 43 is made by lapping two pairs of triple brazed hooks and one 

 single for lip hook. 



" Fig. 44 is made by lapping one large round bend hook for tail hook, 

 and a small one for lip hook. All the hooks must be bright and lapped 

 with white or light coloured silk and varnished with a light coloured 

 varnish [bleached shellac dissolved in methylated spirits would do, I 

 should think]. This is most important, as dark hooks and lapping offer 

 a violent contrast to a bright minnow, and therefore makes a conspicuous 

 and suspicious object in the water. ... In baiting Figs. 40 and 41 the 

 single hook is first inserted through both lips of the minnow, either 

 from under to upper lip or vice versd, one of the middle hooks is then 

 inserted in the body of the minnow near the back, and one of the bottom 

 hooks near the tail, taking care to give the tail a curl so as to ensure a 

 good spin in fact, all that is required in baiting is to obtain a brilliant 

 spin. If a very small minnow is used, one of the first pair or one of the 

 first treble hooks is used to curl the tail, the other double or treble hooks 



