96 SPINNING FOR TROUT. 



slow running water ; upon the other hand, in the 

 clearest possible water, the lure should be brought 

 round at a moderately steady sweep, not with a 

 jerking motion. A sudden stoppage in clear water 

 rather has the effect of alarming than appeasing the 

 natural suspicions of the acute and well-schooled 

 heavy fish ; but, in highly discoloured water, the 

 "halting" or jerking motion is absolutely necessary 

 to enable the fish both to see and seize the bait. 

 Behind a projecting rock or bank, where the water is 

 comparatively quiet, no matter whether shallow or 

 deep, the fish congregate, as the thick, swollen 

 streams cannot be stemmed, and are therefore 

 avoided. Here the fish fall an easy prey to the 

 mid-water or minnow fisher, as what is known as 

 minnow daping or dabbing (i.e., giving the bait the 

 slow, whirling motion of a sickly fish) often produces 

 exceptionally heavy takes, even when the water is 

 bank full, and, figuratively speaking, as thick as " pea 

 soup." But this method of extracting fish at an 

 undue advantage we detest, as being unsportsmanlike 

 in the extreme. We have frequently observed indi- 

 viduals (we do not say fishermen) upon hooking a 

 fish in such circumstances, with the strongest possible 

 tackle, literally turn tail upon the water by shoulder- 

 ing the rod and walking away until the hooked fish 

 " flaps" high and dry on the bank. It is some 

 consolation, however, that these gentlemen (?) occa- 

 sionally catch a " tartar" in the shape of a hidden 

 stump, root, or pile, in which case the diversion is 

 pleasantly varied by a " flap" or snap of the tackle, 



