STILL-FISHING. 429 



ought to be) the rod recommended for casting the minnow 

 is the best, though most still-fishers prefer a longer rod, 

 say from ten to* twelve feet, as they are not proficient in 

 casting. 



The length of the line for still-fishing depends upon the 

 character of the rod. Where no reel is employed, it should 

 be of about the same length as the rod; when the angler 

 uses a reel, but is indifferent at casting, a line of twenty- 

 five yards is sufficient ; but when the regular minnow-rod 

 is used by a good caster, fifty yards, as in casting the 

 minnow, should be used. The line in each instance being 

 the same as recommended for casting the minnow, except 

 where no reel is used, when the smallest size twisted silk 

 line, No. 1, is the best. 



Still-fishers usually employ the float and sinker, and 

 they may be used or not, according to circumstances; 

 though one of the chiefest delights of the still-fisher is to 

 watch the maneuvers of his float. Where the stream is 

 shallow and full of snags, or the bottom covered with moss 

 or grass, a float is necessary ; and where the current is 

 quite swift, or the water deep, a sinker must be used to 

 keep the bait beneath the surface. 



BAITS AND BAITING. 







While a minnow is the best bait for casting, other baits, 

 as the helgramite, crawfish, frog, cricket, grasshopper, etc., 

 are as good, and sometimes better, for still-fishing. As a 

 rule, the bait that is the most plentiful in the waters fished, 

 will be found the most successful. The helgramite is a 

 capital bait, either early or late in the season, when the 

 Bass are on the ripples or in shallow water. It is a flat, 



