THE DIVING MINNOW. 151 



skill and science of his competitor displayed themselves 

 here lay the true secret of his success. 



While on fishing with the minnow, I may take notice 

 (having exhausted most of the points connected with it, 

 as a spinning lure for trout) of two or three other 

 methods of using this bait, practised occasionally by 

 the angler. One of these is live-minnow fishing. This 

 branch of the art is little cultivated, and very imperfectly 

 understood in Scotland. For my own part, I do not 

 pretend to any acquaintance with it, and in conse- 

 quence, refer the reader desirous of gaining information 

 on the matter, to Elaine's Dictionary of Rural Sports, a 

 very useful work in the main, but on the subject of 

 fishing rather too comprehensive and exhausting. It 

 embraces, in fact, upon that science, a medley of 

 theories, adopting, as its own guide or creed, no indivi- 

 dual one. It somewhat involves and perplexes the 

 reader with the multiplicity of its divisions, the variety 

 of its information, and complex nature of its arrange- 

 ment. On the whole, however, it is a book eminently 

 instructive, and one which ought to be in the hands of 

 every lover of sport. 



From this digression I pass on to describe the diving 

 minnow-tackle, the way of baiting, &c. The tackle 

 mentioned consists of a single hook, No. 10 or 11 

 Adlington, having a long bended shank, looped at the 

 head. This, by the assistance of a needle or small wire 

 having a groove at one end, is passed through its jaws 

 along the body of the minnow, the barb of the hook 

 being left, as in baiting with the single gorge-tackle 

 for pike, to protrude from one side of the mouth. Thus 

 trimmed out, the lure is intended to descend rapidly 

 towards the bottom of deep, still portions of water, 

 resorted to by large trout, and accessible from the 



