PRACTICAL ESSAY. 237 



The lip-hook, c, slides up and down the gimp to suit the length 

 of the bait. The triangle, A, is what is called a "flying" one, i.e., 

 it hangs loose. An additional one, B, can be added if the angler 

 chooses. Mr. Pennell says that one large triangle is sufficient, and 

 claims that fewer fish are missed with it than with any other form 

 of tackle. This is not in accord with my experience, for I have 

 missed more with it than with any other, and I have given up 

 using it. The object of crooking the tail is to make the bait spin 

 round while it is being drawn through the water, so as to conceal 

 the hook and make its movement more attractive. The lip-hook 

 is put through the under lip first, unless the bait be a gudgeon, 

 when it should be put through the upper lip first. 



The next illustration shows the Francis tackle and the method 

 of baiting it. This is a neater and better tackle than the other, and 

 is very good for fine fishing, but it is not so good as the third. 

 This is a tackle which I used when a boy on the Shropshire meres, 

 but I did not know that it had any specific name until I saw in 

 Mr. Francis's book that it was called the Chapman Spinner. 



It has a brass needle with a pair of bent fans at the top : these 

 are to give the spinning motion. One triangle on one side, and 

 two on the other, constitute its armament. The gimp from both 

 sets of triangles passes through the loop of the wire. To bait it 

 the needle is thrust down the bait until its cheeks lie close against 

 the fans. The top triangles are hooked in on both sides, and the 

 bait is ready with little trouble. In the old tackles the triangles 

 used to be fastened by the gimp to the loop at the head of the 

 wire, and the bait often worked loose ; but by the gimp passing 

 through the loop (an improvement by a Mr. Wood), the fish is kept 

 tight up to the fans. I do not like single triangled flights. It is 

 said by their advocates that a pike will generally take the single 

 set into its mouth ; all that I can say is that I generally meet with 

 the exceptions. With three triangles kept sharp I do not often 

 miss a fish which runs fairly. Feel the points of your hooks often, 

 and if they are turned or blunted, touch them up with a fine polish- 

 ing file. Keeping the hooks sharp, and hard striking to drive them 



