56 



ROD 6- CREEL 



the same length or in the right direction make another, then 

 move down two more steps, and so on until you have reached the 

 end of the fishable water. 



By following these directions you will see at a glance from 

 the illustration that if there is a fish in the water he has seen your 

 bait. Many men will stand and fish for an hour in the same spot, 



OTH&f POINTS 



DIAGRAM TO SHOW HOW TO THOROUGHLY FISH A PIECE 



OF WATER 



this is all right for salmon sometimes, but for steelheads it is 

 generally a waste of time. Fish a piece of water thoroughly, fish 

 it over again with a different bait if you think there are fish there, 

 or leave it and try elsewhere. 



Working Your Bait, When your bait has reached the water, 

 unless the depth is great or the current strong, raise the point of 

 your rod to take up any slack that wind or current may have 

 caused, and you have control of your bait. Then let the current, 

 if it is strong enough, carry the bait round, raising or lowering 

 the rod point according to the amount of pull. Sometimes you 

 have to reel in as well, but do not do so faster than is necessary. 

 When you are getting down to the tail of your water, fish more 

 carefully as, unlike salmon, this is w T here the steelhead is apt to 

 be found when he is inclined to take. 



Striking. As a general thing when a steelhead strikes he 

 lets you know it without the shadow of a doubt, and if you have 

 control of your bait he will hook himself and even take the rod 

 from you if you are not watching. There are, however, times, 

 when fishing with a prawn, that a fish will take so gently that 

 you think you have got foul of something. It is better therefore 

 when fishing with a prawn to strike if you only feel the bait stop 

 and then to hold tight until you are satisfied it is not a fish. 



