LOCH-FISHING 195 



a separate piece of gut, on which are two pairs of 

 hooks, one of which is stuck into the bait about 

 the middle, and the other left loose as a drag, a 

 little beyond the tail. The method of baiting this 

 is the same as that of baiting a minnow, and when 

 the trout or parr is soft from being kept, it has its 

 advantages, as the large hook through the bait keeps 

 it in position. 



The best method of trolling is to place the rods 

 in the stern of the boat, with at least twenty yards 

 of line out, so as to keep the bait a good distance 

 from the boat. The latter is then pulled along at 

 a pretty smart pace, and its rising to the waves will 

 play the bait quite as invitingly as the angler could 

 do by hand. A sufficient number of shot should be 

 used to keep the bait two or three feet under the 

 surface, as it is there more likely to attract atten- 

 tion, and the light being less, the character of the 

 lure is not so easily discerned. 



The notion that the boat must be pulled against 

 the wind, common among the boatmen, and to 

 which they adhere so tenaciously, is erroneous, but 

 it would be difficult to make a Highland boatman 

 believe this. The error arises from the supposition 

 that the wind is driving the water in the direction 

 it is blowing, whereas it is merely the form of the 

 wave that is going forward, and the bait will spin 

 just as well if the boat is rowed in any direction 

 which is most convenient; either directly with the 

 wind or sideways to it. When the wind is very 

 strong, it is almost impossible to row the boat 



