96 AN ANGLER'S YEAR 



with a little bit of bait, thrown well up stream, and 

 watch as it comes down. If suitable and well sunk the 

 fish take it for a certainty. 



Why, then, does the ordinary opinion prevail ? Simply 

 because the tackle and the baits used are wrong. 

 Every angler can prove this for himself. Take a place 

 where you have clear water containing dace, about 3ft. 

 deep, either still or having, preferably, a gentle eddy ; 

 rig up your ordinary tackle, taking care to keep out of 

 sight. Let, for example, your bait be gentles, and your 

 arrangement float tackle, shotted just to clear the 

 bottom, or to drag a little, according as there is little 

 or no current. Watch carefully, and if you have not 

 disturbed the fish, and encourage them by scattering in 

 a few gentles, they will begin to sail round, probably 

 absorbing en route any gentles that may be falling ; two 

 or three small fish may rush for your bait, and suddenly 

 a large fish sails straight up to it. Occasionally he will 

 go so far as to open his mouth, suck in the bait, and as 

 suddenly blow it out, without any movement of the 

 float exhibiting the fact that the angler has had a bite. 

 As a rule, however, when within an inch or two of the 

 hook the fish turns away, and for the future pays no 

 further attention to the bait, which is worried by 

 minnows and small fry, one of which sometimes gets 

 hooked for his temerity. It may be thought that the 

 fish see the gut, so try the ledger. As a rule this also 

 proves fruitless. But the fish took the gentles that were 

 falling, therefore let us imitate nature ; so rigging up a 

 single hook, and putting a gentle on we allow it to sink 

 gradually. A dace takes it, and we strike but too late ; 

 the fish had felt the hook, and ejected the bait almost 

 instantly. What is to be done ? Keep a tight line 

 between the bait and the rod top, and therefore shot the 

 line. In order that the shot shall keep an absolutely 

 straight line between the hook and the rod top it must 

 be nipped on the shank of the hook itself. Here, then, 

 we have evolved the well known sink-and-draw tackle 

 of the Lea. This has been denounced as a modern 

 innovation, and as a near ally to poaching, but for what 



