CREEPER FISHING. 151) 



and shows moreover like the hidalgo's dinner very 

 little meat and great deal of table cloth. The gene- 

 ral mode of baiting the creeper is on two hooks of 

 size about No. 4 Addlington, which are tied about 

 half- an -inch or so apart. The upper hook, which 

 some anglers prefer a size smaller, is passed sideways 

 through the shoulders, and the other in the same way 

 through the lower part of the body rather lower 

 than the middle. Though many first-rate anglers use 

 the two hooks, we cannot say we have a liking for 

 that style of baiting the creeper. We consider that 

 two hooks cannot be sufficiently hidden in the body 

 of such a small bait. We use only one, a No. 5 

 Addlington sneck-bend, the point of which we enter 

 (see illustration) just above the breast bone, and 

 carry down the inside of the body, and bring out 

 at the belly, immediately below where the legs pro- 

 trude, taking care not to bring out any of the interior 

 of the insect. The hook, besides being fixed in the 

 strongest part of the insect, is thus almost hidden 

 the tip of the shank being almost flush with the nose 

 of it, and the point protruding from the bend only ; 

 and by baiting in this style the creeper is made to 

 come down the stream on its back, and the protrud- 

 ing hook-point is thus rendered invisible to the 

 trout. The hook itself is a kien one, and very few 



