104 



four to eight feet deep, with the stream no stronger than will 

 prevent your fishing with a turkey or swan quUl float, that will 

 carry not more than six or seven b.b. shot. Never use a cork 

 float for Dace fishing. K you fish with the line I have recom- 

 mended, you wUl find a four shot float sufficiently large to fish 

 Dace swims in general. Por summer fishing I would advise 

 you to fish with the tail end of a well-scoured female lob. This 

 worm wears better and stands more tugging than the cockspur, 

 and Dace will take it as well, or perhaps better, in the summer 

 months, though not from October to March. See that your 

 baits are well scoured in moss, but the worms you intend throwing 

 in or using as ground bait are better unscoured, as it is desirable 

 to have the worms for the hook in better condition than the 

 ground bait. I shall suppose you are going to fish a water sis 

 feet deep, but don't make the attempt unless the vnnd is at your 

 back. If it does not do so on one side of the river go to the 

 other. This is always a great point, and, indeed, it is impossible 

 for any one to fish for Dace with the wind blowing in his face, 

 or down the river. Now get the depth, letting the bait swim 

 as close to the bottom as possible without touching it, and fish 

 that part of the swim that has the levellest bottom. Although 

 your float should go under in one place you may not be too deep, 

 for it may be a bunch of weeds or a large stone in the swim 

 that catches your hook. Lift your float and let it swim again, 

 and then you will see whether it is the bottom, or anything foul 

 lying upon it, that brought your float down. If it should be 

 merely a stone, or a lump of something or other, and you put 

 shallower to miss it, you may be fishing with your bait perhaps 

 a foot from the bottom. This is a common reason why anglers 

 return home with empty baskets, and you must therefore 

 remember to examine the bottom well before you commence 

 fishing, and avoid the foul places by going a little above or below, 

 for unless you have a level bottom your chance is but a poor 

 one. I remember fishing a Dace swim with a gentleman on a 

 foul bottom. I could not imagine what lay on the bottom, 

 but it was certain there was something standing at least a foot 



