WEIGHTING THE LINE. 137 



I find it requisite, having specified,, to the best of my 

 ability, the most approved and useful sorts, to say a few 

 words as to the disposition of the leads and swivels. 

 I presume that the hooks, whatever their number or 

 arrangement, are invariably tied on good gut, round, 

 clean, and well-proportioned in strength and thickness 

 to the size and nature of the fish it has to deal with. 

 Of this article, four or five lengths, forming a continued 

 stretch of as many feet, are in general sufficient to use 

 singly or in connection with the casting-line, which, on 

 all occasions, should be formed of the same material, 

 triple-spun or made up. Immediately above the lower- 

 most length, or that to which the hooks are attached, 

 I would fix the leads or split shot, sizes 2, 3, or 4, 

 varying them in number, according to circumstances. 

 In minnow-trolling, for my own part, I prefer the line 

 heavily weighted; others, I know, do not ; nay, I am 

 acquainted with one gentleman, an excellent and suc- 

 cessful angler, who uses, during the summer months, 

 no leads at all, but fishes with the minnow as with the 

 fly, almost on the surface of the stream a manner of 

 plying the lure which only great practice can render 

 remunerative. The advantages, however, of leading 

 heavily, consist of improved spinning, greater likelihood 

 of attracting the eye of the fish, and a much better 

 chance of hooking them. In this latter respect, the 

 superiority over light or surface fishing is unques- 

 tionable. The trout or salmon, when pursuing the 

 minnow, is generally out of sight, and you are first 

 made aware of his presence at seizure, that is, a mo- 

 ment or two previous to the time when you ought to 

 strike; whereas, in the other mode spoken of, you 

 perceive the fish on his approach to the bait, and are 

 liable, three times out of four, either to strike too soon 



