42 PERCH AND POPE. 



line and give him a minute or two before striking, which 

 should be done rather sharply, then play and land him 

 secundum artem. It is not an uncommon occurrence to take 

 two at once with this tackle ; when well on the feed, you 

 may have one on each hook at the same tune. 



ANOTHER killing way at times is by means of the 

 Spinning-bait. In this manner I have taken some 

 very large Perch in the Thames, using the same rod 

 __ and tackle as recommended for Trout : gut traces 

 properly shotted and small gut nights of hooks. I have also 

 found the artificial minnow and Alfred's Sensation Bait ex- 

 tremely killing. Close to the camp-sheeting at the side of a 

 weir and in the eddies or backwater at the foot of the spurs 

 of it, are very desirable localities in which to use the spinning 

 bait ; mind however that the under-current does not carry 

 the bait down too deep, causing it to foul the sill of the weir. 

 I have had good sport in this way when sitting on the corner 

 of a weir spinning for Trout ; I have observed a shoal of 

 Perch working their way up after Bleak and other small 

 baits, among the rocks on the shallow below a tumbling bay, 

 (lying between the end of the wen- and the shore) and over 

 which there was not quite so much rough water as usual. 

 Proceeding cautiously to work without moving from my 

 position, I dropped the spinning-bait lightly in front of one 

 tine old fellow, who seeing the glittering temptation, pounced 

 on it and was off into the deep in a moment. With the assist- 

 ance of my puntman who descended one of the spurs of the 

 weir with the landing-net, I soon had him in the well of the 

 punt, together with about a score of the largest of his 

 companions, who fell victims one after the other to their 

 insatiable predatory disposition. 



For a description of the manner of throwing the spinning 

 bait, and the various minutiae of putting on baits, &c., &c., 

 as well as the various kinds of artificial baits, I must beg to 

 refer the reader to Chapter III, in which they will be found 

 described as fully as possible. 



Large Perch are also taken when live-baiting for Pike with 

 small Dace, &c., for a description of which see Chapter IV. 



