48 Convenient sized bait- Chapt. v. 



is a nice edible size, and generally appreciated, I fancy 

 by the majority of Mahseer, and also because it is a con- 

 venient weight to throw out from the ordinary fly top of 

 a light salmon rod. If you have a much heavier bait on 

 it will rather strain a fly top to be constantly throwing 

 it, and if you put on a special trolling top for the pur- 

 pose, you cannot change from spinning to fly fishing at 

 will, or at least you cannot change without more trouble, 

 and the loss of more time, than it is worth; whereas 

 you ought with the aid of an attendant to be able to do 

 it under the minute, and take just a dozen casts over 

 that pretty bit at the far end of the pool which you 

 could not quite reach with your minnow, and which it 

 would be a positive sin to leave untried, before passing 

 on to other water, and replacing your fly collar by your 

 spinning trace, the former being wound round your hat, 

 or better still, thrown down for your attendant to crown 

 his turband with at better leisure than you can possibly 

 be expected to have while so deeply engaged. 



I have two ways of baiting. One is more troublesome 

 than the other, but it is in my opinion the more killing, 

 so I give it first. 



Having selected your bait alive and fresh out of the 

 bait kettle, humanely kill it thoroughly with a flip or 

 two on the back of the head, but temper your physical 

 energies *with a little discretion so as not to knock it 

 about. 



"There is wisdom in sucking eggs" and there is a 

 right and a wrong way of killing a bait even. If you 



