HINTS ON FISHING 141 



have fished their own waters under all conditions and 

 know "where they are at." 



If it happens that no local talent is available, then 

 you will have to do some prospecting on your own 

 hook. Here is where a motor-boat or an out-board 

 motor will prove a blessing. In any event, get a 

 sounding line with a good weight on the end. Mak- 

 ing a few soundings will often save hours of just fish- 

 ing around. If possible, find out from someone who 

 knows just how near normal the water is while you 

 are there. High water marks on the shore, on stakes, 

 piles, or docks will give you some idea of this. Enter 

 your observations in a notebook for future reference. 



The surface of any lake looks very much the same 

 and once you have found a bar or reef "mark it down" 

 by lining it up with some dissimilar objects on two 

 shores. That is, so that if a straight line were drawn 

 from each object to the marked-down spot they would 

 intersect there. Sometimes you can also use your 

 watch and compass to good advantage in re-finding ^ 

 place of this kind. For instance, if you reach the edge 

 of a reef by rowing at a normal gait for seven minutes 

 and fourteen seconds northeast by east from a certain 

 spot on shore to-day, you can find the same spot six 

 months later by doing the same thing, making, of 

 course, some allowance for wind. Particular atten- 

 tion should be paid to finding and marking down the 

 edges and bars and reefs as these places will be needed 

 later on. 



