194 Minnow-Fishing. 



them considerably of the attractive appearance on 

 which so much of their effectiveness depends. Nor 

 do they look much better when salted. They are 

 then both dull in hue and easily destroyed in 

 baiting. I never use a salted minnow when it is 

 possible to get a fresh one ; still, as there is some- 

 times a difficulty in finding minnows when the 

 rivers are much flooded, salted specimens at such 

 a time are not to be despised, as their frequent 

 success fully proves. They will be all the better 

 if they have not been kept more than four or five 

 days. Live minnows are most conveniently carried 

 to the river in a small pickle-bottle, fully half-filled 

 with water, and well corked. By changing the 

 water at intervals, whenever they show signs of 

 becoming languid, they may be kept alive during 

 the whole day. From two to three dozen of them 

 would be necessary for a successful raid upon their 

 natural enemies. 



For fishing with the minnow a stiffish double- 

 handed rod about 14 feet long will be found the 

 most suitable. On this point Mr Elaine, in ' The 

 Encyclopaedia of Rural Sports/ says : " The minnow- 

 spinning rod requires length and strength, com- 

 bined with lightness, which requisites appear best 

 obtained by having it made of cane, except the last 

 joint. It must be neither too flexible nor too stub- 

 born, as either extreme will impair its utility : if 



