434 THE PRACTICAL FISHERMAN. 



do not wish for a moment to dogmatically pronounce it a bad device. 

 Ingenious it most unquestionably is, and it is sold by Gregory and 

 others. 



With the tackles I have mentioned in his box , the angler need not fear 

 that he is insufficiently provided in respect of hook flights, at any rate, 

 and let me, in conclusion, say a word or two about the preservation and 

 keeping of these flights and baits. First dry them with religious particu- 

 larity at night time after returning from a day's fishing, rub a little 

 boiled oil over the steel parts to prevent rust, and especially do this to 

 the swivels if they are of steel. A good sort of flight and artificial 

 bait box is sold by most of the tackle makers at more or less extravagant 

 prices. My tackle boxes consist of shallow cigar cases with a piece of 

 solid cork at either end, one for the tail hook, and the other is split for 

 the reception of, say, half-a-dozen ends of the gimp. In every case try 

 your gimp before using. This will often prevent disappointment, which is 

 proportionate to the supposed size of the lost fish. 



The next consideration is the trace for spinning. Its material is of gut 

 or gimp. Good-sized sound round gut should be selected if that material 

 be used, and I confess that, except when fishing for the larger pike, I 

 always prefer it to gimp, it being less visible. In either case its length 

 ought to be quite three feet. If made of gut it can be tied as before 

 recommended, and ought always to be well soaked before using. If 

 of gimp, its joins ought all to be whipped as directed for the whipping 

 of hooks. 



In the chapter on Gut some general observations were made which 

 may admit of amplification here. It should in all cases, whether for 

 the manufacture of trout, salmon, or pike traces, be selected so as to 

 taper towards the end nearer the hooks. This is not of great import- 

 ance for pike, in fact I invariably use gimp for large fish as being calcu- 

 lated to sustain a greater and more sudden strain than gut, unless this be 

 twisted. Gee, of Great St. Andrew' s-street, St. Martin' s-lane, has manu- 

 factured me some capital twisted gut traces with brass swivels for large 

 pike, and I find them answer admirably. They are, of course, more 

 expensive than gimp, but last longer. 



FIG. 51. DOUBLE BRASS SWIVEL. 



The swivels which I consider most suitable are those made double and 

 of brass (steel rusts), painted with the green varnish (Fig. 51). 



They ought to be fixed three of them, at equal intervals one at each 



