484 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
unsteadying the boat too much by giving him two things to 
do at a time. Our tackle, however, agreed precisely with 
their formula, which we give. 
The tackle is of the most delicate kind; a leader of 
from six td nine feet of single gut, with sncll having five 
hooks, arranged with two at the end placed back to back, 
two more one inch above, and a fifth, or slip hook, one inch 
above, which passes through and secures the upper and 
lower jaw of the minnow, which serves for bait; one of the 
middle hooks is placed in the back of the bait, and one of 
the lower hooks in the tail. These hooks are so small that 
they will scarcely allow the barrel of a quill to rest in them. 
Thus far we were “conformists;” and George, after a few 
strokes of the oars, paused, and taking a shiner from the 
bucket in which they swam, placed one upon each of our 
lines. The operation is a very nice one—as the object is 
to retain the fish in the position of swimming, and keep it 
alive, too, as long as possible, by closing its jaws with the slip 
hook, which prevents it from drowning; the two other hooks 
on the same side are so carefully placed under the back fin 
and through the tail, that I have seen them swim briskly 
off after an hour’s trolling. George then cast them off, and 
struck out for the deep water with powerful strokes which 
made the boat fairly leap sgain. 
The shores of Lake P]-asant on this side slope beautifully 
over a fair sand bottom for several hundred yards to the 
deep water. Before we reached this dark transparency, our 
lines had been reeled off to over a hundred and fifty feet, 
and were trailing a few feet below the surface, far in our 
rear. Qur oarsman then altered his stroke to a slow and 
noiseless dip, which scarcely rippled the calm surface. Now 
a “strike,” if we were to get one at all, might be expected. — 
and with this-skillful rowing, our wake closed far enough this 
side the bait to leave it floating in calm water, where the 
trout might see the flash of the shiner’s side gleam slant 
