314 Rod and Tackle. CHAP. xx. 



it is urged that you do not want to be compelled to pull in your otter 

 with every individual fish, because it saves a great deal of trouble to 

 keep moving on, the fish is soon killed, and trails quietly, and it is time 

 enough to pull in when you have five or six fish on. 



Still it may be that Mr. Wilcocks' plan is preferable, with heavy sea 

 fish, of 10, 20, or 30 Ibs. each, and it is about sea-fishing that he writes. 



The tow line should be prepared as follows : Get a number of 

 small brass rings just big enough to run easily on the tow line, but so 

 small that a knot tied in the tow line will not pass through them. Put 

 twenty or thirty of these rings on the tow line, each 6 or 8 feet apart, 

 say 8 for preference, with a common whip knot on each side of it, so 

 as to prevent its shifting. The ring is to prevent the drop lines from 

 twisting round the tow line. To these rings attach your drop lines, 

 which must not be more than 2- feet to the hook; so that by no means 

 can they reach each other, and entangle in the water, even when the 

 drops are only 6 feet apart. 



But I think 8 feet is a fairer distance at which to place the drops, so 

 as to be secure against entanglements, even in the event of the tow line 

 sagging, or a heavy fish behaving badly. These drop lines will be the 

 better, in the case of spinning fish, for having one or two swivels each. 

 I would recommend the drop lines having two brass swivels each, and 

 being not more than 2 feet long, with a large loop at the end. To this 

 loop your spinning bait snood can then be easily attached, and re- 

 attached, when fresh baiting. But the whole drop should be removable, 

 because you want no swivels with flies, and will be the better for having 

 nothing but gut, 2| to 3 feet of gut to your fly. 



The otter can be made larger if you like, maintaining the same pro- 

 portions, which are that it should be about three times as long as it is 

 deep, and always sunk with lead so that the water-line shall be within 

 an inch of the top. I have one, 4 feet long, which nearly pulls me into 

 the sea. It was made for fishing broad estuaries for heavy sea-fish, and 

 for fishing the seashore outside the waves on calm days ; but I have 

 had very little opportunity for trying it. Still I have seen what it 

 can do in the lakes in Ireland, and have seen also that Indian sea- 

 fish, the Seer, for instance, will take a small fish readily enough. I 

 wonder if a porpoise would take it. If he did you would have caught 

 a Tartar. 



The otter can be used whenever you have a good extent of un- 



