164 SINKING AND ROVING. 



health. The fish most commonly killed by any 

 sort of trolling in our rivers are pike, trout, and 

 perch, the best fish they produce; and that is 

 a sufficiently strong recommendation of it. I 

 divide trolling into three parts, viz., sinking and 

 roving, trolling with gorge and snap-hooks, and 

 finally spinning. 



SINKING AND ROVING is easily practised, and, 

 at times, with capital success. It is done with a 

 live bait : a minnow or loach for the common 

 trout and perch ; bleak, gudgeon, dace, or roach 

 for pike or large trout. Small gudgeons are ex- 

 cellent for moderate sized Thames trout and 

 perch large gudgeons for the monster trout 

 and pike of that royal stream. The best general 

 bait for all sorts of trolling is the gudgeon. It 

 will be refused sometimes, and the preference 

 given to small trout, dace or roach, but that will 

 not last, and pike will soon return to their favourite 

 gudgeon-repasts. 



In practising sinking and roving, I would have 

 a strong, long bottom rod, with good winch and 

 prepared platted silk trolling line. For foot-line 

 about a yard and a half of the best gut. The 

 link to which the hook is tied should be of fine 

 gimp, if you expect pike as visitors ; but gut, or 

 three-twisted hairs, will do for trout and perch. 

 You must plumb your water, so as to have a 

 good notion of the average depth, and you must 

 put on a heavy float accordingly. If you fish 



