i>l MINNOW TACKLES. 



weight, and therefore require rather more spring to cast 

 them easily. No better rod for minnow-spinning can be 

 made than the three-jointed bamboo rod, which I have 

 described as a double-hand fly rod, the top being made 

 suitable to the requirements, and it does equally well (as 

 I have stated) for worm-fishing. Some anglers, however, 

 might fancy it over-long, and they can shorten it if they 

 please. A good many friends of mine took a strong fancy 

 to it, and had patterns of it made. 



But to go back to our tackle. The line should be of 

 the ./mest dressed eight-plait, or even fine-dressed Derby 

 twist will answer, so that it may run as freely as pos- 

 sible. The spinning-trace phould be of fine gut below the 

 lead, and of moderately fine above it ; that is, if the angler 

 uses a lead, as I advise him to, in order to avoid the 

 twisting and kinking of his line, which will surely happen, 

 to his annoyance, if he uses the common plan of biting 

 three or four large shot on his trace. Indeed, save that 

 the lead should be about half the weight, I recommend 

 the same plan and pattern as that recommended for the 

 Thames; a small 'Field* lead will prevent all kinking, 

 and answers the purpose well. The bait should be about 

 two-and-a-half feet below the lead ; as much gut as 

 the angler chooses may be used above it. Two swivels 

 should be used below the lead, and one to fasten the trace 

 to the running line. 



For the form of hooks to be employed, I recommend 

 the set shown in the adjoining Plate VIII. fig. 5 ; the 

 mode in which it is baited is shown at fig. 6. Hawker's 

 principle, with its double thread of gut and nose-lead, I 

 regard as clumsy and inartistic, and I do not recommend 

 it, The tackle I have given occurred to me from finding 

 that the tackle shown in Plate VIII. fig. 4 (which is com- 

 monly used in the north), though simple enough, missed 

 a great many runs. No doubt a great many anglers, 



