SALMON AND SEA-TROUT. 233 



noticeable in fishing dead slack water ; there it 

 becomes very difficult both to cast the bait and to 

 make it spin for any distance. Next to fly-fishing, 

 I consider spinning with a fly-rod the most sporting 

 and interesting way of catching salmon. 



The last way of catching salmon is by means of 

 bait, either lobworms or boiled prawns and shrimps. 

 I have never caught a fish myself with any of the 

 three, though I have attempted to do so occasionally, 

 and have seen other men's efforts crowned with 

 success. The prawn or shrimp is usually mounted 

 on a special tackle consisting of two small triangles, 

 to which it is bound by a few turns of very fine 

 ^copper wire. For dead water a little lead wire may 

 usefully be wrapped round the shank of the lower 

 triangle, and the prawn can then be fished like a 

 drop-minnow. In a stream it is allowed to trickle 

 along the bottom, as is the worm mounted on a 

 strong Stewart tackle (or bunch of three or four 

 worms on a big single hook). On the question of 

 bites I cannot speak usefully ; what few have come 

 my way have not advantaged me anything, since in 

 nearly every instance I supposed them to be 

 connected with a stone or a stick rather than a fish, 

 only discovering the truth when it was too late. 

 Bait-fishing is regarded without favour on many 

 rivers, but when the novice is in a land where it is 



