210 LOCH-FISHING. 



hooks, one of which is stuck into the bait about 

 the middle, and the other left loose as a drag, a 

 little beyond the tail. The method of baiting this 

 is the same as that of baiting a minnow, and when 

 the trout or parr is soft from being kept, it has its 

 advantages, as the large hook through the bait keeps 

 it in position. 



The best method of trolling is to place the rods 

 in the stern of the boat, with at least twenty yards 

 of line out, so as to keep the bait a good distance 

 from the boat. The latter is then pulled along at 

 a pretty smart pace, and its rising to the waves will 

 play the bait quite as invitingly as the angler could 

 do by hand. A sufficient number of shot should be 

 used to keep the bait two or three feet under the 

 surface, as it is there more likely to attract atten- 

 tion, and the light being less, the character of the 

 lure is not so easily discerned. 



The notion that the boat must be pulled against 

 the wind, common among the boatmen, and to 

 which they adhere so tenaciously, is erroneous ; 

 but it would be difficult to make a Highland boat- 

 man believe this. The error arises from the sup- 

 position that the wind is driving the water in the 

 direction it is blowing, whereas it is merely the 

 form of the wave that is going forward, and the 

 bait will spin just as well if the boat is rowed in 

 any direction which is most convenient; either 

 directly with the wind or sideways to it. When 



