94 MODERN SEA FISHING 



have something to say about him in the chapter on Shell 

 Fish. Suffice it now that he is usually found contained as to 

 his body in a whelk shell. This soft, corkscrew-like body and 

 tail of his form an excellent bait, and to obtain them his shell 

 must be gently broken. It very often happens that curled 

 up by the tip of his tail in the innermost recesses of the shell 

 will be found a somewhat large worm, akin to the ragworm of 

 the harbour. This peculiarly situated creature is also a good 

 bait for most kinds of fish. The tail of the hermit crab is much 

 appreciated by flat fish, codling, haddock, &c. Hermit crabs are 

 obtainable from trawlers and the owners of lobster pots. A few 

 may be found among the rocks at low tide, and occasionally 

 one will take a hook bait and be lifted into the boat. 



Crass. Several kinds of anemones are used as baits for 

 sea fish, but the difficulty generally is to obtain a sufficient 

 number of them. There is in particular one called by the 

 fishermen ' crass ' a thick, firm, fleshy creature of a dull red or 

 salmon tint, which often grows to a large size. It is so firm 

 that when large enough it can be cut up into several baits. 

 Cod and many bottom-feeding fish take it readily enough. 



Cuttle fish and Octopus I have generally described in the 

 remarks on Squid (p. 122). 



Earthworms. Earthworms are not particularly good baits 

 for sea fish, but they should certainly be used when nothing 

 better is obtainable, particularly in brackish water, where eels 

 and flat fish will take them well enough. I gave them a pro- 

 longed trial in salt water one summer, and caught a large 

 number of sand dabs and plaice, but found that they very 

 quickly died. In fact, salt water is fatal to worms of many 

 kinds ; and one way of capturing these baits is to sprinkle 

 the garden path with a strong mixture of hot salt and water, 

 with or without the addition of mustard, which will bring 

 the worms out of their holes in double-quick time. In the 



