WORM TACKLE 201 



them a day or two to recover from their surfeit before they 

 will take well. At such times, however, the in-shore eddies and 

 thin water close to the banks will always give a few fish to the 

 fly or the minnow. 



The length of your rod for worm-fishing must always 

 depend somewhat upon the size of the river and nature of the 

 water you are going to fish. It should not be less than from 

 thirteen to fourteen feet long, and may be as much longer as 

 you can conveniently handle. It should be of the lightest cane, 

 moderately stiff, but not too stiff, with some extra play in the 

 top- joint, as you often have to cast worm like a fly ; and you 

 will find it of some advantage to have a good-sized ring at the 

 top of the rod, and to see that your sinkers or leads, if you use 

 them, are so arranged that they will pass freely through the 

 top rings. Many a line and hook have I saved from destruction 

 by just drawing the line through the rings when I got hung 

 up in a bit of stick, stone, or a snag, until by thrusting the rod 

 point down under water till the top ring reached the hook, 

 I managed to clear it. There is nothing so annoying as to 

 break your line and to have to sit down and rig up a fresh one, 

 when the fish are well on the feed. Every moment lost is a 

 fish lost. A little care and attention at the outset will obviate 

 all this. The line should be light, and of fine dressed eight- 

 plait^silk|(dressed twist will do almost as well) ; the gut cast 

 suited to^the^water. In thick water it may be tolerably stout. 

 The weights should be small rolled pieces of thin sheet lead, 

 such as roll-plummets are made of, as these can be taken off, 

 and put on, and reduced with an ease which split shot does 

 not permit of ; added to this, they do not bruise the line like 

 split shot, nor do they take such hold of obstructions on the 

 bottom. The tackle to be used may be either the single hook 

 before mentioned, or a size or so larger, on which a well-scoured, 

 good-sized dew worm, or two brandlings, etc., may be impaled ; 

 or three small single fly-hooks, tied at short intervals on the 

 gut, and pointing in opposite directions, may be employed. 

 This tackle which I have already once or twice referred to, 

 previously, is a very successful one indeed, and is used a good 

 deal in the North and on the Border. It is called Stewart's 

 tackle, because Mr. Stewart is supposed to have invented it, 

 or, at any rate, to have introduced it to the public. When the 

 fish are coming shyly at the worm, this tackle will kill three fish 

 for one taken by the single hook, and its superiority becomes 

 most clear and manifest. 



