PRESERVED BAITS 215 



him for a second. I think a strike is preferable. If a fish will 

 stand striking tolerably sharply you know that the hook is 

 home. If he will not, it is better to be quit of him at once than 

 to disturb the water by playing him, and then to lose him after 

 all. I am sure that many good fish are lost by not striking, or 

 rather not striking sharp enough ; but do not on any account 

 strike until you feel the tug of the fish if you do you will often 

 scare him. The best time for the minnow is at the commence- 

 ment of a flood, when the water is rising, as the fish are then all 

 over the water in search of the food that is beginning to come 

 down. 



The same plan may be used for preserving minnows as I 

 have recommended for large trout and jack-baits, namely, of 

 preserving them in spirits of wine.* It is a far better one than 

 the common plan of salting, as salting the minnows renders 

 them soft, so that every run will be likely to cost you a fresh 

 bait whether you get a fish or no, while the colour and brilliancy 

 are much impaired. One thing, however, I have remarked, 

 and I have heard other anglers remark the same thing, though 

 it may only be a fancy difficult to prove, viz. that trout seem 

 to like the flavour of a salted minnow, and, after missing it, 

 often dash at it more savagely than they do at a fresh one. 

 I may say, too, that the very best trout I ever caught in my 

 life, weighing twelve pounds and a quarter, and which I have 

 now in a case (it was beautifully set up by Cooper, that prince 

 of fish stuffers), was caught with a salted dace ; and the fish 

 took it so greedily that he almost swallowed it, some of the 

 hooks being nearly in his throat. There may be something in 

 this, or there may be nothing beyond the trout being hungry ; 

 but, as I have said, I have heard other anglers make the same 

 remark, and I see no reason why a fish should not indulge 

 in a taste. 



With regard to spinning a minnow in small trout rivers, 

 I have only this advice to give : do not do it if it be a fair 

 fly-fishing stream, and the stream be in at all fly-fishing order ; 

 you spoil the sport, probably, of many others who may be 

 fly-fishing after you, for a slight increase of sport for your- 

 self a very selfish consideration, and very exasperating to the 

 others. Indeed, were I the owner of a good trout stream, I 

 would allow neither minnow, worm, live-fly, nor night-fishing ; 

 when the trout will not take the fly fairly before dark, they 

 should have the benefit of their knowledge. Large bags would 



* See first footnote on p. 86. ED, 



