WINDERMERE 79 



fishing, natural and artificial baits being used. 

 There is now a large selection of the latter, but 

 it will be found that the natural bait kills the 

 biggest fish. Specially large minnows are used, 

 but more commonly small perch, having first had 

 the back fin cut off. Small trout are held in great 

 repute for pike, but, although I have frequently 

 tried them, never with anything like pronounced 

 success. 



The live snap tackle is also used, with a perch 

 or small trout for bait, and paternostering is 

 practised to a much smaller degree. Trimmers 

 are also an institution, although considered nearly 

 akin to poaching. Schoolboys (as well as boys of 

 a larger growth) get a good deal of pleasurable 

 excitement out of trimmering, and in Winder- 

 mere it certainly does no harm. Trimmers are 

 mainly fished in the weedy bays, and an indi- 

 vidual often has as many as twenty fishing at once. 

 A small perch is the almost invariable bait. 



If an angler wishes for a good day's sport, 

 and cares nothing about having a big fish or a 

 heavy total weight, the following plan is recom- 

 mended : 



On any calm day, preferably in July, carefully 

 select a number of the largest minnows you can 

 get, and place them in a minnow-can. The 

 minnows should be as carefully chosen as though 

 for night-trouting. A moderately stiff light rod 

 of about fourteen feet is best, with reel and dressed 

 line. Your tackle is to be three feet of sound, 

 round gut, not too thick, with a small plummet at 

 the end. Just above the lead, a small stout hook, 

 whipped on some six inches of gut, is to be affixed 

 in fact a stout perch paternoster with only one hook. 

 Slip this hook through both lips of a minnow and 



