The Minnow Family 243 



pipe if you like, and proceed to ground-bait the 

 place by filliping in bread pills all round your 

 bait and pretty wide of it. The two great objects 

 should be not to alarm the carp and to get them 

 to feed. They are very timid, and if they once 

 take fright at anything and leave a place in conse- 

 quence, it will generally be a good while before 

 they will return to it. For this reason I prefer 

 not to throw in any ground-bait when fishing 

 for them until all my preparations are made and 

 the actual bait is in the water. When they 

 begin to come to the bread, if the bottom is at all 

 muddy and the water not too deep, you will see 

 lines of mud stirred up by them as they come on, 

 nuzzling in it like so many pigs. You have 

 then only to keep quiet and bide your time. 

 The float will give you sufficient warning when 

 to strike, and you should only do so when the 

 carp is going well and steadily away with it. If 

 your tackle is sound, and you are not in too 

 great a hurry, you may make pretty sure of land- 

 ing him." 



