196 A BOOK ON ANGLING 



hook, as it were, until the point comes out about the middle 

 of the belly, and the insect hangs pretty straight upon the 

 hook, the shank buried in the body, and but the point visible. 

 Great care is required in casting, as the bait is very tender, 

 and therefore the line should not greatly exceed the length of 

 the rod, unless the angler be very skilful. No shot is necessary 

 unless the water be heavy. In ordinary streams it will sink 

 to mid-water easily enough, where it will for the most part 

 be taken. If the water be heavy, however, a single large shot 

 will do. Bite it on a foot above the hook. It is almost im- 

 possible to fish creepers properly without wading. Enter the 

 stream, stooping cautiously if the water happen to be very 

 open and thin, and cast upwards and outwards, letting the 

 bait come down almost level with the place where you stand, 

 lifting the bait by raising the point of the rod slightly now 

 and then, if you have reason to suppose that it is getting 

 near the bottom, taking a careful step, or even two, upwards, 

 at every cast or so. Try the edges of streams just out of the 

 rough water, the turn of an eddy, the eye of the stream, and 

 where it commences to turn off under overhanging banks or 

 trees with a fair stream under them, the tails of rough pools 

 anywhere where good fish may be on the watch, save still water, 

 where it is next to useless to try it. The eye should detect 

 the bite before the hand does. If you wait for the hand to 

 denote to you the " jog, jog " a good trout gives when he takes 

 a bait, ten to one you will be too late. As the bait never does, 

 or never ought to, touch the bottom (as, being so tender, it is 

 very soon destroyed), the instant the line checks as it comes 

 down-stream towards you don't wait to wonder what it may 

 be, but strike. The loss or damage of your bait is certain in 

 either case, whether you have a bait and miss it, or whether 

 you take hold of a stick, weed, or stone, so you may as well 

 strike and chance it. Do not strike too hard. Strike quickly, 

 lightly, and firmly ; and as the best fish come at the creeper, 

 get them down to you as soon as possible, and with as little ado, 

 so as not to disturb the others above. The greatest nuisance 

 of this fishing is that you are so perpetually called upon to renew 

 your bait, for every run, every stroke, and every hitch destroys 

 it. Perhaps the most deadly time of any to use the creeper 

 is about the period when the chief transition from creeper to 

 fly is going on ; and he is a muff who with a fair chance in his 

 favour cannot fill a basket with good trout then. 

 A tiny fly-box, of funnel shape, with a small exit, is the best 



