CHAP. XX. 



The Giri and Hog-backed Spoons. 



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not, and for this reason. The hooks being further from the spoon 



must necessarily have a larger circle to traverse with each revolution 



of the spoon, or in other words they have, with each revolution 



of the spoon, to be forced through three or four times 



as much water as the hook that is close up to the 



spoon. It follows that by so much they must retard 



the revolution of the spoon, for it is the spoon that 



must drive them through the water. A second reason 



is that flying round at such a distance from the spoon 



they are likely to hook some fishes foul outside the 



mouth, and to strike others without getting a hold in 



the harder outside of the head, whereas the hook that 



is close up to the spoon will have the fish's mouth 



closed tight upon it, and be much more likely to get 



a good hook-hold. The one hook close up to the 



tail of the spoon may well be mistaken, when revolving 



well, for the tail of the bait in the natural movement 



of swimming. 



The accompanying figure of a hog-backed spoon 

 is simply to illustrate the hog-back, not the mounting 

 with flying hooks, which latter I do not advocate. 

 In my view they should be mounted with a hook close home as in 

 the larger spoons, only the size of the hook being accommodated to 

 the driving power of the spoon. Say No. 7 hook 

 and No. 5 swivel, one hook at the tail sufficing for 

 so small a spoon. 



Double Loop-knot. Any one who baits with 

 a fish on one treble hook, or on a single hook 

 drawn home to the anus, should have a loop at 

 the end of his spinning trace big enough to allow 

 of the bait being passed through it ; for the simplest 

 way of attaching this bait to the trace is to put the 

 large loop of the trace through the loop of the 

 snood,'" and then pass the bait through the large loop. 

 But traces are not always made with large loops, 

 and then the only alternative is to unhitch the collar 



* The snood is the length of gut, or other material, with loop, which is attached 

 to the hook. 



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