l8o MINNOW AND PARR-TAIL FISHING. 



those that are of a greenish colour underneath 

 being almost worthless. 



For trouting with the minnow the rod should 

 be double-handed, not less than fifteen or sixteen 

 feet ; and in order to throw the minnow with the 

 additions of swivels and shot properly, it must be 

 stiff. The reel, line, and casting-line in common 

 use will answer very well for this also. It is the 

 common practice to dress minnow-tackle on gut 

 strong enough to draw out a salmon by main 

 force, as if the trout, which requires the finest gut 

 to deceive it when angling with the fly, would 

 seize a minnow at the end of a rope. The argu- 

 ment used in favour of this practice is, that it 

 lasts the longer, as no doubt it does ; but what is 

 the use of tackle lasting that will not catch 1 and 

 the strong white glittering gut upon which 

 minnow-tackles are usually tied is quite sufficient, 

 when the waters are clear, to frighten away three 

 trout out of four. That the gut used for minnow- 

 tackles must be a little stronger than that used for 

 flies, is quite true, but a very little difference will 

 do ; if it is so strong that the spinning of the min- 

 now does not twist it, it is all that is necessary. 



With regard to the number of hooks of which 

 the minnow-tackle should consist, great diversity 

 of opinion exists. Some use only two, while 

 others use four, five, six, and even seven. We 

 have tried all varieties, and think that two hooks 

 with a drag behind will kill more than any other 



