78 



THE JOLLY ANGLER. 



from slipping down to the fish: when baited it would 

 appear thus: 



\y 



These are only used in large ponds, lakes, &c. where, 

 occasionally, many fine Pike are taken with them. When 

 a quantity of these are started, the white sides are up- 

 wards; if a fish takes the bait, he immediately turns the 

 red side up, before the line comes out of the notch, by 

 which means the trimmer turns round, and lets off as 

 much line as is necessary to let him gorge it ; when 

 watching these from a boat, the colour will tell you which 

 has had a run. Here you may occasionally bait with a 

 frog, but I have never, in a river, caught any fish but 

 Perch and Chub with them. 



In Trimmer, as well as all other Live-bait fishing for 

 Jack, let your bait swim about a foot from the bottom, 

 unless the weeds compel you to fish shallower; and (if 

 you can get them) bait with Gudgeons; they are sweeter, 

 more fleshy, and will live longer on the hook than most 

 other small fish, though I have often had good sport with 

 small Roach, Bleak, Dace, &c. In some waters they bait 

 with a small Jack; in the River Wey I saw a Pike taken, 

 about six pounds weight, on a trimmer that had a Jack of 

 about ten ounces on for a bait. Some persons use bul- 

 locks' -bladders, quart-bottles, &c. with a live bait, and 

 about two yards of line attached ; but the line being so 

 short, the fish running among weeds, would draw the 

 trimmer under water, and you would lose altogether, 1 



