BAITING WITH GENTLES. 197 



ground- bait with gentles, and therefore angle 

 most successfully with them. In fishing for large 

 barbel with gentles, you should put as many on 

 your hook at a time as you possibly can. Half a 

 dozen would not be too many. For small fish 

 two gentles at once on the hook are sufficient. 

 Mr. Elaine says : ' Unless the hook be very small, 

 two, or even three, gentles are requisite on it at 

 one time. With three insert the point of the 

 hook into one gentle close to the head, or more 

 bulbous end, and bring it out near the tail : now, 

 take a thin green gentle, and pass the point 

 directly across the body, and then put on the 

 third exactly as the first, except that, having just 

 shown the point of the hook through the skin of 

 the gentle, retraet it again. For the latter hint 

 we are indebted to Mr. S alter, and a very good 

 one it is ; for, as he justly observes, the skin of 

 the gentle being somewhat tough (especially in 

 cold weather), by piercing the skin in the first 

 instance an opening is made, by which the finest 

 stroke (when a bite does occur) will enter the 

 hook sufficiently into the fish to secure it, and 

 you do not risk breaking your line or the top of 

 your rod by striking too hard. One gentle on a 

 No. 10 or 11 hook will often succeed when more 

 are refused, and the fish shy.' 



In angling with two gentles, insert the point of 

 the hook by the head of one, and pass it out near 



