Smelts 



when used at night, as they attract the 

 larger sized fish; they should be hooked 

 through the lips from underneath, with the 

 hook coming out at the top of the nose. 

 The rod should be no longer than eight 

 feet, and rather stiff. No reel is required, 

 the line being tied at the tip, so that when 

 the fish bite it can be lifted right into the 

 boat. Use a six-foot gut leader of medium 

 thickness, and attach to it four hooks, so 

 that the end one will hang one foot from 

 the bottom, the other three hooks being 

 about a foot apart. The hooks should be 

 small and the points sharp. A sinker tied 

 at the end should be heavy enough to hold 

 on the bottom; if the tide runs hard and 

 moves the sinker put on a heavier one. All 

 that is required is that it lies at the bottom 

 and the hooks float well away from the 

 line. When the angler meets with a shoal 

 they begin to bite with such rapidity that 

 they can be pulled into the boat as fast as 

 the bait is put on. There are times, how- 

 ever, when the smelt tries to suck in the 



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