THAMES TROUT. 209 



in pike-fishing. As in spinning, the tackle must be 

 intently watched, and it is impossible to lay down 

 any fixed rule as to striking. A trout, dashing at 

 a livebait in a swift run, or at the edges of the weir- 

 fall, generally hooks himself hard ; but a quiet, 

 feeding fish should be allowed to run a yard or two 

 without check, and should then be struck, very 

 delicately if with fine tackle. In many cases, the 

 plucky fish dashes at the bait, dragging the rod-top 

 down without warning, and the angler finds himself 

 in the thick of a tussle as soon as the bait is taken. 

 I tie all my livebait tackles on at least six feet of 

 gut, which saves having two loops on the cast, 

 about a foot from the nose of the bait ; and 

 everything, in the shape of loops or shot, that cuts 

 the water in any way, should, whenever possible, 

 be avoided. Very heavy leads are sometimes 

 requisite to keep either the spinning or livebait 

 well down in weirs ; in which case, the leads 

 should be five feet or more away from the bait. 



The float, chiefly used in livebaiting, should be 

 a plain ginger-beer-bottle cork, tapered at 

 each end, with a hollow quill inserted 

 through it lengthwise. The end of the line is, 

 especially when wet, more easily passed through a 

 quill than through the plain cork ; and the float is 

 fixed on the line by a light peg that fits the quill. 

 Corks collect in the eddies of weirs, or float down 

 stream ; the fish see these corks and are used to 

 them, whereas a gaudily painted float would, 

 especially in the open stream, doubtless be regarded 

 with considerable suspicion. It is best to fish 

 without a float, but it is not advisable to do so in 

 obstructed water. The float may be fixed two 

 to ten or more feet from the bait, according to 



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