TACKLE POR SPINNING AND TROLLING. 435 



end and one in the middle. The woodcut exhibits one of the ends. No 

 stationary lead is necessary on my trace. 



The reason why I prefer them double is because I have ever found that 

 no matter how cautious one may be in selecting a running line of 

 sufficient weight and kink-resisting texture, sooner or later one of the 

 single swivels gets blocked. I admit the rarity of this with the brass 

 make, but by doubling the number the chance of such an intolerable 

 nuisance as a kink becomes very, very small, or nil. There is a little 

 increase in the expense of the trace, bnt that is compensated for by its 

 superiority in the direction indicated. 



The iue<.ght } lead, or sinker I use is after my own design, and movable. 

 Before describing it I will advert shortly to the general subject of sinkers. 

 All other sinkers but my own are immovable after having once been 

 placed on the trace, without, of course, taking the trace to pieces. Now 

 it is often necessary to spin deeper or shallower as the depth of the 

 water requires, without either increasing or decreasing the speed of the 

 bait through the water. This it is impossible to do without altering 

 the position of the sinker, and this in turn, as we have seen, it is im- 

 possible to do without taking the trace to pieces that is, under the old 

 regime. 



Another evil which was certainly done away with by Mr. Francis in 

 the Field lead, the original make of which is figured below (Pig. 52), was 



FIG. 52. "FIELD" LEAD. 



the tendency of a sinker of the ordinary round pattern to roll round as 

 did the line and the bait, and so cause a kink. By so constructing the 

 lead, however, that the greater part of its weight hung below the line, it 

 was found that to a great extent the evil complained of was destroyed. 

 Still, even with the greatly improved Field lead shown in the engraving 

 (Fig. 52), the same evil, of which I primarily take notice, namely, 

 fixity on the line, remained in even greater force. It is true that one of 

 the tackle makers made the lead with two loops to be moved when a 

 lighter weight was desired. It is also true that the Fishing Gazette lead 

 professes to accomplish exactly what my device effects. But this requires 

 that the line be twisted round a wire with which it is armed, and this is 

 by no means a convenient device, because gimp and gut are by no 

 means so tractable as silk, and besides, the appearance of the lead when 

 fixed is awkward. 



P F 2 



