444 



THE PRACTICAL FISHERMAN. 



lessens its attraction ; and, donbtless, except in very sharp streams, he 

 has good cause for the objection. I, however, have prepared myself for 

 this, and I present an arrangement which altogether does away with 

 pain to the bait, unless, of course, a rather light waistband can be 



looked upon as the cause of ex- 

 cruciating pain. 



A, A (Fig. 66) are the two india 

 rubber bands, that are passed 

 one round under the pectoral, 

 and the other the tail side of the 

 ventral and the head side of the 

 dorsal fins. They must be made 

 tight enough, the pressure causes 

 the bait no inconvenience, and it 

 does not escape, at least I never 

 found one to do so. Of course 

 the rings should not be too thick, 

 and the throw should be as care- 

 ful as possible. The hooks hang 

 down on each side, and the strike 

 should be sharp and instant. Of 

 course live baiting for trout may 

 be conducted on similiar prin- 

 ciples if one chooses, but I un- 

 hesitatingly condemn it as ignoble and unsportsmanlike. The only 

 live baiting allowable is that conducted on the " Nottingham" method, 

 as described in the Trout chapter. This here needs no reference. There 

 is no] such thing I trust as live baiting for salmon. 



It is just possible that A, A, being of indiarubber, might prove 

 some sort of an obstacle to sport, especially if at all clumsy. I have, 

 therefore thought though the affair answers capitally as far as my 

 experience goes that perhaps a couple of ends of silk tied somewhat 

 tightly would be a better form of waistband ; of course, it must be 

 carefully looked to that one of them is behind the ventral fins, and 

 the other beyond the larger abdominal swelling I am supposing we 

 are using, say, a well-conditioned dace near the gills. Do not, how- 

 ever, tie the ligature quite round the throat below the gills, for there 

 lies the heart of the fish, and pressure would certainly affect respira- 

 tion. One of the faults of such a "tying" arrangement would be its 

 inapplicability in cold weather just the very time when pike come at 

 you most hungrily. 



Only one other way of live baiting need here be noticed, and that is 



FIG. 66. IMPROVED SNAP TACKLE. 



