ARTIFICIAL SPIXXERS. 117 



instead of two is also a great advantage (though that is 

 not a new plan), since the gimp can be wound round it 

 with ease and the hook stopped from slipping much more 

 easily than with the double loops ; in fact the single 

 looped lip-hook is a great comfort. The loop should be 

 made of brass wire. It may be objected to this tackle 

 that one triangle is not enough, but it must be re- 

 membered that in live snap tackle only one triangle is used, 

 and if a fish takes fairly one rarely misses it ; and as the 

 pike takes the bait across his mouth, the triangle must be 

 inside it, and if one triangle takes hold you want no more ; 

 but added to this, you have a hook at the head and tail, 

 and in a large bait a triangle at the tail. No more can 

 be desired, and when once anglers come to use and 

 appreciate this tackle I am sure they will never want to 

 use any other. 



I had on the Kennet, some time since, perhaps the best 

 half a day's pike spinning I ever had in my life with this 

 tackle, running and hooking ten fish without losing one, 

 the average weight of the ten fish reaching thirteen 

 pounds each fish. The largest fish was twenty-two pounds 

 and a half, the next seventeen and a half, sixteen and a 

 half, and so on, down to about seven pounds, which was 

 much the smallest. The rest of the day I spent in perch- 

 fishing, taking about two dozen and a half, which ran from 

 one to two pounds each fish, one or two being a little above 

 two pounds. I had a friend with me who also caught a 

 large number of fine perch, but he did not fish for pike at 

 all. Now, if five hooks are capable of such a day's sport 

 as this, what need is there for using the double number ? 



There are various ingenious inventions for the purpose 

 of simplifying the art of putting on a spinning bait. Some 

 of them are more ingenious than useful. The principle 

 of most of them is to have a piece of flat brass, about the. 

 length of the bait to be used, pointed and barbed at one 



