5 8 Spinning for Mahseer. CHAP. v. 



that ought to be full of big fish, just under those big rocks, and as close 

 to their edge as you like ; you can playfully dally awhile in front of any 

 pet corner ; you can hark back after a little respite to where you have 

 seen a fin move; in short you can "paddle your own canoe" when and 

 where you like, and not be at the mercy of your live bait, and then if 

 you can really paddle well, your bait will be as tempting as most live 

 baits. The sequence in my mind is that a good spinner will kill more 

 jack than a live-bait fisher ; but of course all depends on his being a 

 good spinner, a natural painstaking one. The live-bait lover certainly 

 has one very great advantage, which is of more importance than he is 

 probably aware of; that is, that he is generally more out of sight. Out 

 of mere idleness, perhaps, without any preconsideration, he lays down 

 his rod, and sits leisurely down a little way off, and this is in truth the 

 most weighty reason why he should catch more fish than the dead-bait 

 spinner, who is perhaps standing prominently out in fine relief on the 

 very edge of the bank, and constantly moving his legs and arms in the 

 action of walking and spinning. How men can think a fish is such a 

 fool as to take a bait, when it sees the " vultus instantis tyranni" on the 

 bank, I cannot make out. Still they do think it, or at least ignore the 

 visual organs of the fish, and go on fishing all their days after the 

 manner of Hiawatha, "jawing" at the Sturgeon Nama. 



" 'Take my bait,' cried Hiawatha, 

 < Take my bait, O king of fishes ! ' " 



" Hiawatha's fishing " is a very pretty study of what not to do. 



If the spinner of dead bait will be careful to conceal himself from 

 view of his desired prey as thoroughly as the live-bait lover uncon- 

 sciously does, he will not be at the great disadvantage he otherwise 

 generally is ; on the contrary, he will be at an advantage, in that he tries 

 so much more water with his lure. 



And as to his lure, too, I am convinced he is not at the discount he 

 is commonly thought to be. If he manages it badly, of course he 

 cannot expect to fare well, but if he is really a good hand at spinning, 

 his bait will look every bit as natural as a live fish, and, strange to say, 

 sometimes even more so. Watch a live bait and a well-spun minnow 

 and compare them. I will back the spun one. The live bait has, 

 perhaps, a great hook all unconcealed and too apparently sticking out of 

 its lip ; or if baited in the side, it is soon lying somewhat unnaturally on 



