TROLLING-TACKLE AND LURES.
Do not troll at all if you can get fishing with the fly; and under no
circumstances troll for trout in the very early part of the season, when
they are more or less in a "kelty" state, and take an artificial or
other minnow very keenly. True, you may catch fish, but it is a most
unsportsmanlike proceeding to take fish not in fair condition; and if
you, sir, who read this book, are not a sportsman, you had better stop
here, for it was compiled by a sportsman for sportsmen. There are some
miserable "pot-hunters" who want to kill anything that swims--be it
clean or unclean; but with them we have nothing whatever to do. But fair
trolling is quite legitimate, and in many cases it is absolutely
imperative to troll if a basket is to be made at all. Some days the fly
is of no use--either owing to a calm, or to a bright sky; and a
well-managed trolling-line or two is then the only resort, unless one
stops fishing altogether. And if big trout and _ferox_ are wanted,
nothing succeeds--indeed nothing _will_ succeed, except very
occasionally--but trolling, either with artificial or natural bait. So
to be complete you must have the requisite tackle, and we will tell you
what is necessary, both for small and large fish, in as few words as we
possibly can. A ROD specially adapted for trolling is almost a
necessity, as it is a great strain upon an ordinary fly-rod to have the
weight of 30 or 40 yards of line upon it: even a good rod is apt to get
an ugly bend from such treatment. The rod for trolling need not be
long--12 to 14 feet is quite sufficient--but it must be stiff; and we
consider that the rings through which the line is led ought to be large
and fixed--that is, standing out permanently from the wood, called by
the trade upright rings. A spare top will be supplied along with it. The
REEL should be of the largest description, and may be got as strong as
possible, lightness being no recommendation to one used exclusively for
trolling. The LINE ought to be at least 100 yards long--120 for
choice--and this suffices for any kind of fish. The material best
adapted for trolling is oiled silk-and-hair. There is a kind of line,
made in America, we believe, which is admirably adapted for the purpose.
It is strong as wire-rope, and does not "kink" under any
circumstances--which latter is a consideration, as sometimes a paltry
trout may come on, and you have only to haul him in hand-over-hand
without running the risk of your line getting into a mess. This saves
the trouble and waste of time in reeling up many yards of line every
time a "smout" comes on. The line to which we refer is somewhat
expensive, but will be found to be cheap in the long-run. An ordinary
silk-and-hair line does well enough, but is apt to twist sadly if the
minnow is not spinning properly, besides the trouble it entails after a
day's fishing of laying out two or three score yards for drying. The
troller will require to provide himself with MINNOW TRACES. These do not
require to be more than two yards in length, but in ordering them take
care that the swivels are sufficiently large to insure the
minnow--natural or artificial--spinning nicely. The angler can easily
procure swivels and make traces for himself; but he will find in this,
as in most things connected with fishing, that he cannot compete with
the tackle-maker, so we advise him to get them made up at a good
warehouse. Retail tackle-makers charge long prices, but in most large
towns there are warehouses which are specially suited for a customer
trade, thus saving the user a long intermediate profit. This is as it
should be. The thickness of the gut used for trolling should of course
be regulated, as in fly-fishing, by the size of fish you expect to
catch, and a few traces made of gimp for pike and _ferox_ should always
be in the troller's stock. By the way, and in case we forget to mention
it afterwards, always be provided with some split swan shot, to be used
in case of a very clear day, when it is desirable to sink line and
minnow below the surface. Also be provided with tackle--some mounted on
gut and some on gimp--for spinning natural minnow; and we know of none
better or more deadly for this purpose than that of which an
illustration is given on next page. It is very simple, and seldom misses
anything.
[Illustration]
The large hook is put in at the mouth of the minnow, and the point
brought out at a little above the tail--thus giving the minnow the
proper curve for spinning. One of the smaller hooks is put through
_both_ lips of the lure, to close the mouth and to keep the bait in
proper position, while the other is left to spin. Some advocate the use
of par-tail as a spinning bait; but as it is not right to kill par at
all, we omit any directions for its use. We have drifted into the
subject of LURES almost unconsciously. If you wish to use natural
minnows, see that they are neither too large nor too small--about two
inches long is a good size--and that the belly is silvery. It is better
to instruct your boatman to have a supply ready against your arrival at
the loch, as sometimes it is as difficult to catch minnows as to catch
any other fish. However, we believe that the want of them is so well
supplied by the phantom minnow, that little or no harm is done though
they are not to be had. And when the handling and bother of using live
bait is taken into consideration, we think that most folks will prefer
the artificial lure. The phantom we consider the very best of all the
imitations; and the troller should have them in different colours and
sizes, from Nos. 1 to 7. The hooks attached to the larger sizes should
be mounted on gimp, as in trolling for large fish--and especially for
_salmo ferox_--no risk should be run of the mountings giving way. Tin
boxes, divided into compartments, for holding the minnows, are very
convenient, and are to be had at most tackle shops. A spoon-bait is also
a splendid deception, and should not be awanting. A tackle-maker's
catalogue will tell the reader of many other "spinners;" but if he
cannot catch fish of all kinds with either a natural or phantom minnow
or a spoon, it is not the fault of the lure; and he may try anything
else he fancies, and come no better speed.