TEOUT FISHING WITH BAIT. 81 



CHAPTER VI. 



TROUT FISHING WITH BAIT. 

 THE TEOUT (Salmo fario). 



THE trout is very widely distributed, Africa being the only 

 quarter of the globe where it is not found, and as a fish 

 for table or for sporting purposes it is second only to the 

 salmon. Indeed, it is a question whether on the whole, 

 taking into consideration the means employed, the trout 

 does not furnish as much or more sport than the salmon ; 

 if nicety and skill are any measure of sport it certainly 

 furnishes far more. 



Every means yet named of fishing for other fish can be 

 employed against the trout bottom fishing with bait of 

 all kinds ; middle fishing, both with spinning and live 

 bait ; and surface fishing, both with natural and artificial 

 fly. In bait fishing, the worm, of course, takes the chief 

 place, and there are two ways of worm fishing, one by 

 dropping the worm into the stream, and letting it travel 

 along the bottom while you follow it ; the other by casting 

 up and letting the bait come down towards you. The first 

 method is more generally adopted in thick water after 

 rain. The tackle used is generally a yard or so of gut 

 a No. 4, 5, or 6 round bend hook, with a No. 2 shot, about 

 a foot above the hook, to be increased to two if the stream 

 requires it. The worm used in this fishing is usually a 

 small lob or dew worm being nice and tough it stands 



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