THE JACK. 199 



trolling is a fair piscatorial amusement ; and as they walk 

 along the river banks or shore of stagnant water, trying 

 the likely places, they may flatter themselves that ety- 

 mologically "trolling" and "strolling" are one and the 

 same word, as indeed some etymologists aver, making it 

 out to be fishing as you " stroll ; " albeit there is little 

 doubt of the fact that " troll," as applied to fishing, is the 

 same as the German Irollen (Dutch drollen), to " draw," 

 from the Latin volvere, and first cousin to " roll ; " and 

 thus your dead gorge is the " drawn," " rolling " bait. 



Spinning is certainly the most artistic form of jack- 

 fishing, and for this I prefer Mr. Pennell's tackle, with 

 its large tail hook and flying triangle, or triangles, to any 

 other. For " snap " fishing I also like his hook arrange- 

 ment, but not so well; for with all due deference to such 

 an authority, his theory of the " hanging " triangle is 

 based upon the assumption that the bait swims horizon- 

 tally, whereas, more often than not, notwithstanding the 

 lead, it is struggling in an upward or downward position. 

 Moreover, the bait is very likely to be torn off the hook 

 in casting. I must say that, taking all things into con- 

 sideration, I like a single lip hook and a triangle, one 

 hook of which is inserted in the belly or beneath the 

 dorsal fin of the bait. The great objection to gorge- 

 baiting, with either a live or dead bait, is that it involves 

 almost every fish taken, large or small, being killed. 

 Moreover, it involves a great loss of time in waiting for 

 the fish to pouch, and then, after a delay of from ten to 

 twenty minutes, there is the constant disappointment at 

 finding the jack has rejected or only been playing with 

 the bait, or that no jack took it at all. "Never hurry a 

 jack, Tom," was the advice of the old gentleman in Punch 



