THE JACK. 209 



the purpose, and the body should be made " fatter." It 

 should be worked with a series of "jumps" or "bobs/' 

 over beds of weeds, and allowed to sink a few inches 

 below the surface. 



In live-baibing, use a perforated " bung," and stop it 

 slightly enough with the peg for the line to run through it 

 when a jack drags it into weeds. This prevents his feeling 

 a check, which often suggests to him to let go the bait. 



Shall I dare to say a word about " Trimmering " for 

 jack ? I did so dare not long ago in the pages of a 

 daily paper, and the editor was inundated with letters 

 protesting against his allowing his columns to be used for 

 the advocacy of such an unfishermanlike proceeding. But 

 really I did not advocate trimmering. I only spoke of it 

 as an amusement and a " bit of fun," which might be had 

 resort to under occasional and exceptional circumstances ; 

 for instance, when the owner of some jack-water wants 

 the stock thinned down, or determines to have a morn- 

 ing's entertainment in witnessing the result of a series of 

 well-laid trimmers, just as another man may take delight 

 in witnessing torpedo experiments. 



I certainly can take no great blame, if any, to myself, 

 in having accepted one day last jack season the invitation 

 of a friend, who had a grand piece of jack- water as full of 

 fish as " a cage is full of birds," and begged of me to 

 superintend a trimmering raid, which he had determined 

 to carry out, whether I had a hand in it or not. A fair 

 stock of baits were prepared, roach, dace, gudgeon, and 

 small jack, the latter being an excellent lure, for jack eat 

 jack as " dog eats dog." Various were the trimmers 

 brought into requisition, for, as angling (trimmering) 

 readers know, there are other kinds of trimmers used 



p 



