sbaldiston in his
_British Field Sports_, under the head of _Allurements for Fish_,
recommends the gum of ivy, he says, "take gum ivy and put a good deal
of it into a box made of oak, and rub the inside of it with this gum;
when you angle, put three or four worms into it, but they must not
remain long, for if they do, it will kill them, then take them and fish
with them, putting more into the worm-bag as you want them. Gum ivy
flows from the ivy tree when injured by driving nails into it,
wriggling them about and letting them remain for some time; about
Michaelmas is the best time to procure it. Gum ivy is of a red colour,
of a strong scent, and sharp pungent taste." When fish are disposed to
feed, you need not use gum ivy; the attractions of a bright and clear
scoured worm are quite sufficient without any such adjunct.

TROLLING WITH THE MINNOW.

You must for this kind of Angling, have a tolerably strong Rod and
tackle, you may begin trolling about the middle of March, and continue
to the end of October. The very best of fish are taken with the Minnow,
it is an active bait to fish with, and keeps the Angler pretty well on
the _qui vive_. When the water is in order, that is, after it is a
little swollen and discoloured by recent rain, it frequently proves a
most destructive bait, and will take Salmon as well as Trout. Those
Anglers who are desirous of a few good fish, will find it their
interest to use it on every suitable occasion, independent of the good
fish to be had with it, it is next to fly fishing, the most animating
and exciting method of angling. To make your Minnow spin well, one or
two swivels should be used, attached to the gut, which should be about
a yard in length and of fine and good quality. In fishing the Natural
Minnow with two hooks, one of them must be large enough to pass through
the body of the bait, going in at the mouth, and passing out at the
tail; the other, rather larger than a May-fly hook, should go through
the under, and pass out at the upper lip. In trolling with only two
hooks, be careful to give your fish time to gorge, otherwise by
striking too quickly, you will miss your prize by pulling the bait out
of his mouth. With three or more hooks, which is termed fishing at
snap, you cannot strike too soon as the fish is generally caught by one
of the loose hooks. If the fish you have hooked be not too heavy, the
best plan is to land him at once by a quick and sudden jerk. In fishing