132 BOTTOM FISHING IN THE NOTTINGHAM STYLE. 



scarcely wise to risk losing fish and tackle for the sake of 

 an extra line, so I should say have two and join them very 

 neatly together, then he will be prepared for any emer- 

 gency ; besides, when one line gets worn he could change it 

 end for end, and so use the other one ; these lines are 

 plenty strong enough, and yet not too thick to comfortably 

 use with a float. 



For fishing slow-running streams, the angler can have if 

 he likes a large-sized pelican quill float, but I prefer three 

 or four cork floats of various sizes, because in salmon fishing 

 with the worm it is necessary to have a large-sized bait, 

 and to have your tackle weighted so that the bait is always 

 well on the bottom ; so that a small cork float that will 

 carry some eight or ten BB split shot in addition to a small 

 corking weight will be found the best for streams that only 

 run moderately fast ; while for deeper, heavier swims, he can 

 have a larger float and increase the number of shot on the 

 tackle or the size of the corking weight lead ; and he must 

 not forget to have a fair-sized slider float for fishing swims 

 that are above twelve or thirteen feet in depth, although I 

 can fish a swim fourteen feet deep without a slider, but with 

 an ordinary cork float and a twelve-foot rod, and throw the 

 bait out thirty yards from where I stand ; but, however, it 

 will be necessary to have a slider float as all anglers are not 

 alike in their management of a rod (full directions for 

 making a slider will be found in Chapter II.), only it should 

 be a good-sized cork float. 



The bottom tackle is a very important part of the outfit, 

 and the angler should be very particular when he makes this, 

 and see that every length of gut is strong and sound ; it need 

 not be too thick and coarse ; the best, the cleanest, the roundest, 

 and the strongest lengths picked out of a hank of good strong 

 barbel gut will be found all that is required ; he need not 

 go to the expense of giving say fifteen shillings or a pound 

 for a hank of salmon gut, when the other will do just as 

 well ; and he should also see that every knot is firm and 

 strong, so that the salmon, heavy as he is, cannot pull them 

 asunder ; this gut should be stained with the slate-coloured 

 dye as described in Chapter II., and the angler must re- 



