io6 CASTING TACKLE AND METHODS 



by what Henry Guy Carlton calls a "humdinger." 

 Perhaps, probably my success was the result of a 

 combination of fortuitous circumstances, but then I 

 gave, and still give, all the credit to that first sur- 

 face-underwater. 



The surface-underwater possesses many of the 

 advantages of the underwater and none of its disad- 

 vantages. Of course there are times when the abso- 

 lute underwater is the successful lure, as there are 

 occasions and water where the simon pure surface 

 lure is the attractive thing; the latter has been 

 treated in this chapter and the former remains to be 

 discussed. The great advantage of the surface- 

 underwater is the same as that of the surface lure, 

 it will remain upon the surface if the caster does not 

 reel, coming to the surface whenever he stops. Its 

 peculiar advantage is found in its ability to sound 

 the depths at the behest of the caster. The motion 

 of the lure is as erratic as an angler well can wish, 

 brought about by the shape of the fore-part, fluting, 

 or attachment. The first surface-underwaters used 

 by me simply dove down, though to-day almost any 

 movement can be secured, from an up and down 

 wave-like motion to an erratic gyratory cork-screw. 

 All else being equal, I think the more eccentric the 

 movement of the submerged lure, the greater its 

 attractivity. As to whether or not its resemblance 

 to a "wounded minnow" has any bearing upon the 

 matter is exceedingly problematical. Parentheti- 



