MINNOW TACKLE. 129 



a level little inferior to any other. Placing foremost 

 the able fly-fisher, I would rank, hand in hand, in my 

 group of anglers, such as are adepts in the art with worm 

 and minnow ; nor must the position, thus assigned to the 

 last-mentioned, be ignorantly held a questionable one ; 

 for if injustice, by this arrangement, has been done at 

 all, the worm-fisher is, in truth, the party injured a 

 matter in evidence of which I refer to the preceding 

 chapter. Independently, however, of its position in 

 point of skill as a branch of angling, fishing with the 

 minnow has its interests and excitements. It is truly 

 a sport of winning and enlivening character. None is 

 there, for my own part, that I love better to practise 

 none that acts with livelier influence on the hopes and 

 fancies of the angler. 



In handling this subject, I shall adopt a similar 

 course of division to that already pursued in my chapter 

 on worm-fishing. First of all, it is my design to treat 

 of the rod and tackle best adapted for the minnow 

 troller. On burns and waters of no great width, such 

 as the Yarrow, Ettrick, and upper portions of Tweed, 

 he will find, sufficient for his purpose, a single-handed 

 rod, thirteen feet and a half in length, provided with 

 stiffish tops, and indeed, throughout, less limber than 

 the generality of fishing- wands. On a stream, however, 

 that cannot be commanded without deep wading, on 

 lochs frequented by large fish, and in all places where 

 pike are likely to interfere with the bait, I would recom- 

 mend a double-handed instrument, lighter in material, 

 and in its dimensions a trifle shorter than that em- 

 ployed by salmon fishers. With this, the reel and its 

 provision ought in all respects to correspond. 



Regarding the correct fitting up of the minnow- 

 tackle, and the proper size, number, and arrangement 



