116 FISHING IN EDEN 



bag or tobacco pouch, where the moisture will be 

 retained. 



If an ordinary, stiffish, long rod is used, sufficient 

 line is drawn off the reel into the left hand, and the 

 cast shot through free-running rings, across and up- 

 stream. The spin of the minnow is produced by 

 drawing it through the water with several repeated 

 sideway swings of the rod, partly across and against 

 the current, the last, and often killing, movement 

 being under the bank to the right of the fisherman. 



This old-fashioned method of fishing the minnow 

 had a good deal to be said for it. Between every 

 swing-like draw of the rod there is a momentary 

 stoppage, and following fish then often rush forward 

 and seize their prey. 



The modern spinning reel is dependent on the 

 turn of the reel, and, although an expert can pro- 

 duce some modification of the regular machine-like 

 spin, he cannot humour it to best advantage as with 

 the old, long rod. 



The advantage of the modern spinning reel and 

 short rod lies in the ease with which the minnow can 

 be thrown out over a big area of water. But, 

 having once started for the day with a short spin- 

 ning rod, the sport is confined to what such a rod 

 can do, and nothing else. A long general rod on 

 the other hand allows of a change to " fly " when- 



