ROD AND TACKLE FOR WORM-FISHING. 171 



in order to prevent its being broken or injured in cases 

 where it is indispensable to break or tear away the gut- 

 line by main force, when it is irrevocably fastened in 

 roots or rubbish at the bottom one of the disagreeables 

 of worm-fishing which will frequently occur. 



THE GUT-LINE or hook-cast should consist of one 

 and a half or two yards of the best round gut, thick and 

 strong at the top, and gradually tapering off as fine as 

 a hair towards the hook. 



THE HOOKS ought to be of the straight round bend 

 kind, of the best tempered fine wire, such as Phillip's and 

 Adlington's, which are both of an excellent shape and 

 of the finest material. They ought also to be rather 

 small than large, in proportion to the size of the worm 

 used. I have frequently observed that when a rather 

 thin worm is used upon a full-sized thick-wired hook, 

 the fish easily detect the latter with their teeth, and in- 

 stantly relinquish the bait as soon as they mouth it. 

 In such a case, the angler will be perpetually tantalised 

 by nibbles, and will have no end of worms cut to 

 fragments, but very few captures. I was long at a loss 

 to account for this occasional coyness on the part of the 

 fish, and wondered why they refused to gorge the bait 

 after mouthing it so freely, until I ultimately discovered 

 this to be the cause, when I at once provided against it 

 by using either finer hooks or worms of a larger size, 

 after which the nibbles generally resulted in the bait 

 being swallowed and the fish brought to land. 



Twisted hooks such as the sneck bend, Kendal, and 

 Limerick are sometimes preferred, and no doubt they 



