248 WORM-FISHING FOR SALMON. 



same as the No. 1 set of minnow-tackle described in 

 Chapter VII. ; only the hooks ought to be larger and 

 stronger. The parr-tail is simply the tail half of a parr 

 or small trout cut diagonally across from the front of 

 the back fin, with all the fins cut off. 



The worm may also be successfully used for salmon 

 during a full state of the waters in the early part of the 

 season, angling with it in the same way as for trout ; 

 remembering that as it has to be used in strong waters, 

 it must be so leaded as to keep it down a little below 

 midwater. The following method of spinning a worm 

 in a similar manner to a minnow will, I have no doubt, 

 ( xhibit the bait in a tempting manner. It is the con- 

 trivance of a correspondent of the Field, and he states 

 that he has killed some hundreds of large pike, perch, 

 and roach with it. His directions are thus : " Take a 

 large dead worm, pass a piece of thin copper wire 

 from head to tail, making a small loop at each end ; 

 then affix a snap composed of two small and one large 

 treble hook, and use it as any other spinning-bait ; it 

 will kill well, especially in clear water." (?) 



Although such may never have been tried, I have 

 an idea that if an artificial sand-eel could be made of 

 gutta-percha, india-rubber, or some other plastic material, 

 and properly coloured after nature, it would be a very 

 killing lure for salmon, as they are known to feed largely 

 on this fish during their residence in the sea. I have 

 also heard of them being taken merely by a strip of 

 white leather wound round the shank of the hook, with 

 a portion of it hanging loose beyond the bend, so as to 



