SPINNING FLIGHTS AND THEIR USES 63 



at times ; a tender bait will last much longer on them, and 

 the young angler can hardly go wrong in his choice, as they 

 are all pretty much alike ; but still for my own part I prefer 

 a simple flight and to mount my own baits. 



To spin a bait properly you must have a trace and a drop 

 lead, that is, a lead that hangs below the line, not one that 

 turns over and over in the water, or else the line will twist 

 and kink owing to the motion of the bait. The illustration 

 gives a good idea of the spinning lead, and if it has a swivel 

 at either end it will be about right. The traces themselves 

 can be about a yard long, and can be copper gimp or strong 

 salmon gut. Do not have too many swivels in a trace, one 

 above and one below the lead being quite enough. 



Small dace, roach, gudgeon, bleak, sprats, and smelt, 

 are all good spinning baits, and none of them should exceed 

 two and a half ounces in weight. 



And now just a few words as to condition of water in 

 which to expect sport. I find on careful reference to my 

 notebook that the best sport was had when the water was 

 clouded, and the best fish when it reads, " Water very 

 much clouded." By this phrase I don't mean a tearing 

 pea-soup flood, but a fair colour, in which the bait would be 

 visible when sunk a foot below the surface. Bright water 

 is not conducive to good sport. I have thrown a bait 

 many thousands of times, and my invariable experience 

 was that the brighter the water the less success ; cloudy 

 and running water made all the difference, and a bag of 

 good jack was had on many occasions under these con- 

 ditions. 



In spinning over public, well-fished waters when the 

 streams have run down very sluggish, and are gin-bright, 

 a gudgeon is as good a bait as can be tried ; and this should 

 be mounted on a flight of small hooks and a trace of salmon 

 gut. An eel- tail threaded on a very large single mackerel 

 hook with the lead wrapped round the shank is also a very 

 good clear- water bait. 



In a clouded water the best spinning baits are bleak and 



