A TOO ATTRACTIVE BAIT. 273 



distance of fifty yards or so in its wake. Whenever 

 the fish refuse to rise, spinning may with advantage 

 be resorted to ; indeed, midwater fishing may, under 

 these circumstances, often be practised with signal 

 success, though as a general thing, it yields not the 

 sport of surface fishing. Small fish of almost any des- 

 cription, when from four to six inches in length, may 

 be used. The best artificial baits are the metal ones, 

 the " Universal," " Excelsior," " Devon," and " Spoon." 



The Red Caterpillar is as killing a lure for salmon 

 and sea trout when they are not rising, as it is for 

 common brown trout, etc. It is used in precisely the 

 same way, but is constructed, as a matter of course, 

 much larger ; the loop too, at the head, should be of 

 double salmon gut. Black palmers with silver twist 

 are also good, but not to be compared with the red, 

 as the habitual users of both can testify. If there is 

 anything objectionable in the use of the Caterpillar 

 for sea trout and salmon, it is the partiality of the 

 smaller fry for them ; they, especially the brown 

 trout, are really boring in their incessant attentions. 

 At the end of a day upon the Awe in Argyleshire, 

 when we had been more than usually pestered in this 

 manner, the following colloquy ensued with Gibby, 

 the gillie in charge of the boat. 



" Faith, and dun yer ken what fysshe wa'en ta'en 

 the day, wath the hairy worren ? " 



" No ! " 



" Wai, twanty-four dozen sma' throut jest an they 

 twa white fysshe sure, it's a fearsome baste, an' a 

 regular kill devil." 



T 



