30 



AN ANGLER'S YEAR 



best gimp (Fig. 24). It may be said en passant that all 

 gimp is bad, but some kinds are better than others. In 

 use this taclde is threaded on a baiting needle which is 

 entered at the vent of the fish and brought out at the 

 forward border of the orbit or eye-socket ; this is 

 pulled tight, so that the lip-hook lies in the vent and 

 the triangle hangs free, say one inch 

 behind. In very weedy water the lip- 

 hook is slipped off and the single 

 triangle above used. When this bait is 

 spun it does not revolve quickly but 

 slowly wobbles round in spirals, a 

 movement which seems to possess 

 special attractions for pike. In most 

 Broads waters no lead is necessary, 

 as the bait sinks sufficiently by its 

 own weight and that of the line. In 

 fishing a Broad the best method is to 

 arrange the boat up-wind and fish 

 carefully over all shallow water within 

 reach ; then let out twenty yards of 

 cable and fish again carefully, and 

 again'twenty yards, and so on till all 

 the cable is exhausted. Then haul 

 up the weight and drop it again at 

 the last water fished, and proceed 

 thus till the whole of the water 

 worth covering has been fished down 

 wind, then the water can be rowed 

 back over and the next suitable drift 

 fished. In this way a large shallow 

 broad may be carefully quartered and all the best places 

 carefully fished, special attention being paid to the reed- 

 covered banks and little bays therein. If two fish from 

 the same punt, the outer man may spin and the inner 

 next the reeds live-bait, as two anglers casting out of 

 a boat end-on are apt to get in each others way. 



In live-baiting I strongly recommend a single triangle 

 on a short link of gimp or preferably three or four 

 strands of trout-gut lightly laid together, not twisted. 



Fig 24. Old-fashioned 

 Broads Flight. 



