FISHING AT HOME AND ABROAD 

 up to the two metal fins or blades which cause it to spin, so it worked loose, 

 and often got thrown off in casting; several improvements on the original 

 form have been brought out in which the bait is very securely locked 

 to the spinner — ^two of the best are Messrs Hardy's *' Crocodile " spinner 

 for dead bait, and the *^ Mirror " spinner and another like it brought 

 out by Messrs Wyers Fr feres, of Redditch. The mirror is easy to mount 

 a bait on, holds it very firmly, and the extra large fans or blades of the 

 spinner give a good spin even in dead water, and give off flashes from 

 the flat silvered surfaces which call the pike's attention to it, especially 

 in slightly coloured water. Some years ago Messrs S. Allcock & Co. 

 brought out a soft rubber imitation dace which answers very well on 

 these spinners when the natural bait is not to be had. They also brought 

 out an imitation " eel tail " bait, but it was made of some hard material 

 like gutta-percha, and I am sure there is an opening for a good soft rubber 

 "eel tail." For salmon and pike Mr P. D. Malloch, of Perth, makes an 

 excellent tackle for spinning a big natural sand eel, which he supplies 

 preserved and ready for use; a little fine copper wire is wound round 

 the eel to hold it securely to the flight of hooks, its head is cut off, and 

 its body is pushed up into a hollow metal head, like that of a '* phantom " 

 minnow. It is very deadly for salmon. 



Spoon baits, with a small bunch of red feathers fastened to the 

 triangle, are very useful spinning baits for pike and perch and salmon 

 and Mahseer, only the swivel and hook should be fixed to the spoon 

 securely with brass wire links, not with split rings, as the water gets 

 into the split and soon rusts the ring. I have lost good pike and bass from 

 this cause. 



In spinning for pike, the best fish are usually got by keeping the bait 

 only a foot or so above the bottom and spinning slowly — a bait pulled 

 rapidly through the water near the surface is likely to attract only the 

 smaller fish. It is very enjoyable sport on a bright winter's day to walk 

 along the bank of a good pike river or lake, to cast your spinning bait 

 out from thirty to fifty yards, and, as you wind in, drop your rod point now 

 and then towards the bait, give it lift, and wind in again, so as to vary the 

 monotony of the straight spin, and then to feel it seized by a good fish, often 

 to see him come at it, with a dash, at the last moment. The thing to do 

 then is not to give a heavy strike, which may break something, but to 

 " tighten on the fish," that is, to lift the rod back without a jerk, so that 

 it becomes bent against the weight of the fish and keep it bent, and well 

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