EXPERIMENTS UPON HOOKS. 133 



From using this tackle occasionally and finding 

 it answer, we were led to think that by using it 

 continually more trout might be captured than with 

 the common bait-hook. We resolved to devote 

 three successive days in order to test this, and to fish 

 one half-hour with the common hook, and the next 

 with three or four small ones ; varying the number 

 and size to suit the worms. The first trial was in 

 Gala, between Bowland and Stow, where the trout 

 are of good size and remarkably wary ; so that the 

 exposure of the hooks would tell with full force. 

 On this occasion we captured 20 J Ibs. of trout, of 

 which 9j Ibs. were taken with the common hook 

 and 11 Ibs. with the tackle. The next trial was in 

 Leader, between Earlston and Lander, when we 

 captured with the common hook 14 \ Ibs., and with 

 the tackle 171 Ibs. The third day was also, in 

 Leader, when the result was with the common hook 

 12 J Ibs., and with the tackle 13 J Ibs. making a 

 total during the three days of 36 J Ibs. with the 

 common hook, and 42 Ibs. with the tackle ; leaving 

 a difference in favour of the latter of 5j Ibs., or 

 about fifteen per cent. Had we been fishing all 

 these days with the single hook we should only 

 have had 19 Ibs., 29 Ibs., and 25 Ibs. respectively; 

 whereas, had we fished continually with the tackle, 

 we should have had 22 Ibs., 35 Ibs., and 27 Ibs. 

 no small difference. All these trials were made in 

 the middle of July, when the waters were very small 

 and clear, and consequently when every objection 



