BAITS. 407 



" ' It is of little consequence where they — i. e., night-lines — 

 are laid, as they will succeed in streams, when the Eels are in 

 search of food, as well as in the still, deep holes of rivers; 

 and they will take frogs, black snails, worms, roach, dace, 

 gudgeons, minnows — which two last are the best — loaches, 

 bleaks, and millers^ thumbs;' a sufficient quantity of links, of 

 twelve hairs, should be doubled — or use twisted gut, and a hook 

 tied to each link ; these are to be noosed, at proper distances, 

 to a piece of cord fifteen feet long ; bait the hooks by making 

 an incision with the baiting-needle under the shoulder, and 

 thrusting it out at the middle of the tail, drawing the link after 

 it ; the point of the hook should be upright towards the back of 

 the bait-fish ; fasten one end to the bank, or a stub, and cast 

 the other into the water, but not to the extent of the line, as 

 Eels will run a little before the gorge; the lines should be 

 taken up early in the morning; such of the lines as have Eels 

 at them will be drawn very tight. Dark nights in July, 

 August, and September, are the best for this kind of fishing. 



" Hooks proper for this method of taking Eels may be pur- 

 chased, either double or single, and are called Eel-hooks. 

 When a double hook is used, I should say the following mode 

 of baiting is better than Mr. DanieFs. Without a baiting- 

 needle, enter the point at the fish's mouth, and bring it out at 

 the tail, letting the two hooks be close to the mouth of the 

 bait, as described in baiting the gorge-hook for trolling. 



" Trimmers, baited with a live gudgeon, are sure to be taken 

 by Eels. The wire to which hooks are fixed should be strong 

 and tempered, as the Eel struggles hard to free himself Very 

 large Eels are caught in the lakes of Cumberland and West- 



