ON RAPID STEEAMS. 195 



-if these trout are of large size, and good 

 number, then persevere. There is no bait at all 

 equal to it for large fish when it is killing well. 

 If, on the contrary, you find that you have spun 

 through some really good, though small feeding 

 spots, and from these have made no trout run, 

 you had better change immediately; delay in 

 such a case is loss of trout. If again you make 

 some trout run from tjie best places, but these 

 neither many nor of good size; or if they corne 

 on in a half -resolute manner, and get hitched only 

 by the stern triplet, change; such half-and-half 

 work will not do ; they must come with a will or 

 not at all under either of these circumstances if 

 you persevere with the minnow you will take but 

 very few trout, these of no considerable size, and 

 you will assuredly spoil much good water, from 

 which by other means you would derive good sport. 

 The particular period of the day when I have 

 found the minnow beat any other bait you can 

 use, is in the afternoon. 1 by no means say that 

 the afternoon is the period of the day when of all 

 others the trout take the minnow best, but when 

 of all baits he very often prefers the minnow, 

 and it is a period of the day when of all others it 

 is most difficult to kill good-sized trout ; so the 

 minnow comes in most advantageously; and 

 often have I, after giving up all other baits as 

 almost useless, or only capable of killing little 

 fish, put on a minnow, and immediately began to 

 kill large trout, which I can tell you make a good 

 topper to your second basket, for your first ought 

 o 2 



