34 
SCANDINAVIAN FISHES. 
taken from dunghills. Insects, flies, gadflies, etc. may 
also be used, but only when the Perch rises to the sur- 
face, for at the bottom it takes such bait less freely. 
In deep-water fishing minnows are the most useful bait, 
and if earth-worms are employed, one should chose the 
lobworm, which may be caught by torchlight of an even- 
ning. The shelled tails of crayfish too are regarded 
by the Perch as a delicate morsel; but it is not easy 
to fasten them on the hook, they often fall oft, and one 
must always put on a fresh one after every bite. At 
a pinch one may also make use of cheese. For this 
c 
Fig. 8. Fishing-tackle used in winter; a and b: rods, 
shovels, e: fishing- sled, with iee-chisel fastened at 
c and d: ice- 
the side. 
purpose new cheese is cut into slices, which are then 
kneaded in warm water and cut into the shape of worms. 
This bait does not dissolve in water, but still it is only 
a last resource. In putting the bait on the hook great 
care should be taken that the point of the hook is quite 
concealed. When small fish are used as bait, the 
hook should be inserted in the back with the point di- 
rected towards the head of the fish. When worms are 
used, one need only put on the hook a part of the worm 
large enough to conceal it entirely; but when the Perch 
bites less freely, the whole worm should be used, the 
hook being inserted in the thick end and the other end 
being allowed to trail behind. To insert the hook in the 
middle of the worm letting both ends dangle, as some 
people do, deserves to be called feeding, not fishing. 
In shore-angling a ‘float-rod’ ( flotspo ) is used, in 
deep-water fishing a ‘feeling’ or ‘sinking’ rod ( kdnn - or 
sdnkspo). The angler who chooses the former mode, 
makes his way to steep shores, rocky points or stony 
headlands, and must content himself with the smaller 
fish which swim near shore. If he fishes in a boat 
or coble, he generally makes his craft fast at the edge 
of the reeds by grasping a handful of them and either 
sitting on it or twisting it round a thole. It is only 
with difficulty that he can use more than one rod, as 
he is bound to take great care that the hook does not 
catch in weed or rubbish, in which case it must be 
disentangled by the help of a withe, a ring or something 
of the kind. In deep-water fishing the angler prevents his 
boat or coble from drifting by means of a cord fastened 
to a large stone or a grapnel. From three to five rods 
are used, the number varying according to the skill of 
the fisherman. In order to be able to attend to them 
all, he sits in the middle of the boat with his face to- 
wards the bow, and on one or two boards laid across 
the boat he arranges one rod, sometimes two, on each 
side, and casts the third or fifth out over the bows. 
Winter-angling (fig. 8), though seldom remunera- 
tive in comparison with the trouble that must be taken, 
is still considered by many to be good sport. The or- 
dinary season for it is the beginning of winter before 
the ice is too thick, and towards spring when the days 
begin to grow warmer. The necessary tackle is com- 
posed of a short, curved rod ( mettrd ) with hook and 
line, a small ice-chisel ( isbill ) for cutting holes in the 
ice, a shovel to keep the holes clear, and lastly a fishing- 
sled or simply a creel to contain the fish as Avell as 
the rest of the tackle, and also to serve as a seat for 
the fisherman. The success of this mode of fishing 
greatly depends upon the fisherman’s knowledge of the 
spots where the Perch has its winter haunts. These are 
generally at the edge of the deep water in the creeks 
or off steep shores and headlands. The fisherman makes 
his way to a spot of this kind, cuts a small hole in the 
ice, and when he has cleared away all the loose bits 
of ice from the hole, lets down the hook to the bottom 
and takes in so much line that the hook hangs from 
4 to 6 inches from the bottom. He then sits down 
on the sled or the creel and keeps moving his hand 
