BOTTOM FISHING. 17 



till the top eye meets the rubber, the bait and shots sink- 

 ing to the bottom. 



This is the greatest modern invention in bottom-fish- 

 ing. Holes of any depth, and at any (reasonable) 

 distance from the shore may be fished with it, and 

 even in slightly variable depths the float, with manage- 

 ment, will do a good deal to accommodate itself to the 

 various depths. A cut of the slider is shown in Plate 1, 

 Fig. 3. The lighter and easier method of fishing from the 

 bank on the Trent is called " dacing." I think it by far 

 the pleasantest method of bank fishing. The rod and 

 tackle are lighter than in the last, and the swim is rarely 

 more than some twice the length of the rod from the shore. 

 If it is a yard or two beyond, and is not to be reached by 

 the ordinary swing of the rod as the tackle is too light 

 to cast it well off the reel, and the line will not hang loose 

 or lie on the ground without kinking, the Trent fisher 

 takes hold of the line somewhere up between the third and 

 fourth rings, and enough line being left to swing out the 

 tackle, as much line is drawn off the reel as can be kept 

 tight by the left hand being extended backwards. The 

 swing being made, the line is let go by the left hand, and 

 flies out, giving two or three yards of extra length to the 

 cast, and this may be increased by taking the line from 

 higher up the rod. For an illustration of the method see 

 Plate 1, Fig. 4. I have mentioned previously that this 

 cast is very useful in pond fishing in getting out more line 

 than you could otherwise cast. It is useful also in minnow 

 spinning for trout. 



