192 PUTTING WORMS ON HOOKS. 



may leave a fourth part of the worm beyond the 

 point of the hook, as you will thus give it more 

 length to wriggle and appear lively in the water. 

 The tails of small worms should scarcely project 

 beyond the point of your hook. In putting on 

 the worm, hold the hook, its point downwards, 

 between the uplifted ends of your left fore-finger 

 and thumb, and take the worm by the back of 

 the neck, as it were, with the same fingers of the 

 right hand ; and when you have got the head of 

 the bait up the shank beyond the bend of the 

 hook, you may draw it gently further with the 

 left fingers, pushing the worm on at the same 

 time with the right-hand fingers. Take care not 

 to perforate, after the first perforation, the body 

 of the worm with the point or barb of the hook. 

 Earely try to get the worm on by, so to speak, 

 stitches. Endeavour as much as you can to make 

 the tail of the worm fall inside the barb of the 

 hook, and not on the outside of the point. If it 

 hang on the outside, the hook will soon penetrate 

 the belly part of it, and the point being exposed, 

 the fish will either refuse the bait altogether, or 

 nibble off the part that is hanging partly dis- 

 severed and clear of the hook. In fishing for 

 carp, dace, and gudgeons, use a small showy, lively 

 worm, drawn up on the hook, the tail almost to 

 the very point. 



When worms are small, say of the average size 



