SIZE OF MINNOW. . 171 



occasionally. Those that die should be allowed to 

 remain in the water, as they will keep fresher and 

 firmer there than elsewhere. 



A minnow measuring about an inch and three- 

 quarters, total length, tail inclusive, is the size we 

 prefer for tr outing at all seasons ; and small min- 

 nows are now most commonly used by all able 

 minnow-fishers. A large trout will take a small 

 minnow as readily as a large one, a middle-sized 

 trout more so, and a small trout, which could not 

 take a large minnow, will take a small one readily. 

 In the spring of the year, before trout come into 

 condition, or in autumn, when they are again out of 

 it, a large minnow may answer ; or even in summer, 

 when the waters are flooded, a middle-sized minnow 

 may prove inviting ; but in streams inhabited by 

 well-fed trout, when they are low and clear, min- 

 nows cannot be used too small if they will turn the 

 swivels. A large minnow spins in a clumsy, 

 unsightly manner, very different from the neat 

 turning of a small one. Trout, also, can get hold 

 of a small minnow much more easily than of a large 

 one, and so the angler has a much better chance of 

 hooking them. The whitest and most silvery 

 minnows should always be selected; those that 

 are of a greenish colour underneath being almost 

 worthless. 



For trouting with the minnow the rod should 

 be double-handed, not less than fifteen or sixteen 

 feet ; and in order to throw the minnow with the 



