112 BAITING THE FLIGHT. 



round the shank in order to secure it from slipping ; by a 

 little manipulation the lip-hook can be slid up or down so 

 that the head can be slackened or tightened at will. The 

 gimp is wound on or unwound from the shank of the lip- 

 hook very easily if it be unlooped from the rest of the 

 trace, by passing the end of the gimp under each turn. 

 It is difficult to explain either in words or by a drawing 

 this operation, which is very simple if once seen. If the 

 bait be put on properly, the three triangles will be in a 

 straight line along the side of the bait, and there will be 

 no loose gimp between them (see Plate V. fig. 1, p. 112). 

 If the gimp be loose between the hooks, the bait when 

 drawn against the water 'buckles,' as it is termed, i.e. 

 bends back as if the backbone were broken, and this 

 will be found fatal to spinning (see Plate V. fig. 3). If, 

 on the other band, it be too short and tight, the bait is 

 bent the other way, and will wobble too much (see Plate 

 V. fig. 4). The hooks being all firmly fixed, if the bait 

 appears to hang straight and fairly on them, drop it into 

 the water and draw it rapidly along ; if it spins to suit 

 your mind, proceed to fish with it. If it does not, tighten 

 or slacken the lip or the shoulder-hooks, or both, as the 

 case may seem to require, and try it again. These direc- 

 tions are to suit a dace or gudgeon or other round-bodied 

 fish. With a more flat-bodied fish, as a bleak or roach, 

 instead of the bait hanging quite straight upon the hooks, 

 the head should be bent a little down towards the tail, 

 and the body on the side opposite to the hooks should 

 have somewhat of the curve displayed by the back of the 

 bowl of a spoon (see Plate V. fig. 2). Put on properly 

 thus, a bleak or even a roach may be made to spin quite 

 as well and sometimes better than a dace or gudgeon. 

 The directions given by many old writers to compress the 

 body by tying it round and round with white silk are 

 quite unnecessary. Poor old Tom Rosewell, of Marlow, 



