60 WORKING THE GORGE-BAIT. 



beds of weeds and rushes, and in the quiet 

 corners where there is little or no stream. 



With a twelve-feet rod the bait can be 

 thrown sixty yards, or even more ; but these 

 long throws are in general of no practical use, 

 and are often done merely for the sake of 

 showing off; while the bait is often injured, 

 and for some time after it has fallen in the 

 water cannot be worked in anything like 

 natural motion ; therefore shorter throws are 

 generally more effective. Thirty yards will be 

 quite long enough to throw, unless you wish to 

 reach a particular spot a long way out which 

 has some special attraction. This distance 

 you can manage easily, causing the bait to 

 enter the water in a slanting direction, and 

 you can commence gathering up your line 

 before the bait has got injured by hitching in 

 any obstruction at the bottom of the water. 



When you have a run, which you can soon 

 tell by feeling the line pulled or tugged rather 

 sharply, lower the point of the rod towards the 

 water, and at the same time draw the line with 

 your left hand gradually from the winch, so 

 that nothing may check the Jack, or stop him 

 running. When he stops, give him from serven 

 to ten minutes to pouch the bait ; but if the 

 line shakes after he has laid still a few minutes, 

 and the fish makes another run, wind up the 

 slack line and play him secundum artem. If he 

 has pouched the bait some time, it will probably 

 be out of reach, and you must either cut it out 



