NATURAL BAITS. 319 



ers), are also very good baits on sunny clays, with clear and 

 low water; their tough, leathery, and projecting lips are 

 well adapted for the hook. They are quite hardy and 

 lively. 



The young of Perca amcricana (yellow perch), are ex- 

 cellent baits on ponds and lakes, early or late in the 

 season ; especially if the spinous dorsal fin be clipped off 

 with a sharp knife, or a pair of scissors. They show well 

 in the water, and often prove an attractive lure during 

 the seasons mentioned. 



As a rule, good-sized minnows should be employed, say 

 from three to five inches long. The large minnows are 

 livelier, more hardy, and live much longer on the hook 

 than the small ones. A half-pound Bass will take the 

 largest minnow as easily and as readily as the smallest 

 one, so there is no fear of using minnows too large. It is 

 true, that at times, the largest Bass seem to take to the 

 smallest minnows, but on these exceptional occasions, they 

 are off* their feed, to a certain extent; for, usually, the 

 largest Bass takes the largest minnows. 



In baiting with the minnow, the hook should be entered 

 through the lower lip and out through the nostril; if this 

 is carefully done, the minnow will live a comparatively 

 long time. Sometimes, with small minnows, the hook is 

 passed out through the socket of the eye, care being taken 

 not to injure the eye-ball. Another excellent way, espe- 

 cially with large minnows, is to pass the hook through both 

 lips, the lower one first, and out through the upper one. 

 When minnows are hooked in either of these ways, a dead 

 one is often as good as a live one, for the moving of the 

 line causes them to move in a natural manner. Where 

 the water is without a current, as on ponds or lakes, and 



