THE LARGEST FISH CAUGHT BY SPINNING. 215 



it is because the latter bait is used more fre- 

 quently than spinning in places where large pike 

 lie, and not because the gorge-bait is the better 

 bait on the whole. I prefer spinning even for 

 the largest fish in wide, deep waters, clear of 

 obstructions, for I know that by that method the 

 largest pike are to be caught, besides the excel- 

 lent chance of killing salmon, and large salmo- 

 nidse. The gorge-bait answers best in weedy 

 waters, or in those in which there are hindrances 

 to your spinning freely. 



Be cautious how you bait your spinning-tackle. 

 It is not an easy operation, and the portion 

 of difficulty attached to it often deters persons 

 from spinning. Practice will overcome partial 

 difficulties, and even entire ones of far greater 

 intricacy. Commence with the simplest sort of 

 tackle, requiring but few hooks. A practical 

 lesson from some old spinner will advance you 

 more in the art of baiting than twenty written 

 pages. You can spin your bait up or down 

 stream, across or against it, in fact in any direc- 

 tion that the nature of the locality may render 

 most convenient. The best way, however, is to 

 spin against the current, for your bait moving in 

 that direction will appear like a natural fish dart- 

 ing away up the stream, and trout having their 

 heads pointed that way, when on the feed, will be 

 p 4 



