ABOUT LOBSTERS 27 



In general, lobstermen prefer an oily fish as bait, the 

 choice being between herring, mackerel, or redfish, the re- 

 mains of filleted redfish being often available. There are 

 some contradictions to the above statement, since sculpin is 

 considered good bait, yet is not particularly oily. Crabs are 

 used when fish bait is not available, but their shells must be 

 crushed so as to spread the taste and odor of their flesh 

 through the water. They are fair bait but by no means 

 first choice. 



Herrick says, " Clams are undoubtedly a favored food 

 as evidenced by the holes dug in the bottom by lobsters in 

 a pound, and by the open broken clam shells abounding." 



Lobsters are scavengers, meaning that they will clean 

 up food on the ocean floor, and sometimes their food is too 

 ripe for human taste. Anyone who doubts this has only to 

 examine and smell a barrel of salted herring which has been 

 put down during the summer as a reserve for later fishing, 

 when bait is scarce. It is good bait but not as good as fresh 

 herring. Even so-called fresh bait becomes quite ripe during 

 the several days in summer that it takes to use up a barrel. 

 But lobsters will not touch putrid food. Lobstermen agree 

 that fresh bait fishes best, and they would use it wholly if 

 they could get it, but some think there are times when the 

 riper bait is actually better. They know that lobsters are 

 more fastidious than crabs, which will eat anything even if 

 it is rotten. 



Lobstermen do not like the stink of rotten fish any more 

 than anyone else. One lobsterman reported that his wife 

 would not let him sleep with her because he still smelled so 

 badly of fish, even after taking a bath. A further objection 

 is that a decayed fish becomes soft so as to be easily washed 

 or torn off the bait hook. Fish heads are a desired bait be- 

 cause they " hang on " and are not readily torn away. 



Since oily fish are a preferred bait, it would seem that 

 the fish oil must be the attractant. Experiments with Lob- 

 Lure, an artificial bait, led to the conclusion that the bene- 

 fit of oil in a fish bait was because the oil waterproofed the 



