142 ON ANGLING WITH THE WORM. 



both these cases, the shot give an unnatural 

 motion to the worm. 



The alleged advantages of shotting are, that the 

 worm travels more slowly, affording the trout 

 plenty of time to seize it, and that it always 

 reaches the bottom. Now, as to the first asser- 

 tion, the best rate for the worm to travel at is 

 undoubtedly the natural one, and if the trout wish 

 to seize it, they have always plenty of time to do 

 so. To the second reason we attach some im- 

 portance ; it is natural for the worm to be near the 

 bottom, and with sinkers the angler will certainly 

 catch trout in deeper water than he could without 

 them, but as a rule it is not in deep water that 

 the worm-fisher must look for sport j and in water 

 not above a couple of feet deep, the worm will 

 reach the bottom very quickly without any assist- 

 ance ; and even should it not, the trout will rise 

 to seize it, frequently jumping at it as they would 

 at a fly. The only occasions in which the use of 

 sinkers can be defended are, either when the wind 

 is blowing so strong that it would be impossible 

 to keep the line in the water without them, or 

 when it is necessary to fish water so deep that 

 the trout would not see the worm unless they 

 were used. 



Besides giving an unnatural motion to the 

 worm, sinkers are highly objectionable in other 

 respects. They are constantly hanking below 

 stones, and occasioning the angler a great deal of 



