BAITS 



101 



is of course bent over the shank of the hook and sewn round 

 the edges, a piece of lead foil being inserted to make it swim 

 upright. 



Herring. This is a very valuable bait for most kinds of 

 sea fish, and is often obtainable either from the fishmongers or 

 the fishermen. In America it is pounded up and used as 

 ground bait. It is particularly valuable for this purpose owing 

 to its being an oily fish, the highly flavoured oil globules 

 spreading about and doubtless attracting the fish, though one 

 would certainly expect them to rise quickly to the surface. 



HKKKING PARTLY CUT UP FOR BAIT 



The soft roe of the herring has been recommended as a bait 

 for grey mullet, but is very difficult to keep on the hook. 



I have so often seen amateurs mangling herrings which 

 they were cutting up for bait, that a short account of the 

 process seems necessary. First chop off the head and tail of 

 the fish ; next split it carefully down the back with a sharp ' 

 knife, and lay it open on the bait board. The head, tail, and 

 inside, together with the backbone, all mixed up, are a 

 valuable addition to the ground bait if any is being used. 

 After carefully removing the bone, ribs, and guts, which will 

 all come away together, divide the two halves down the stomach, 



1 Let me again say a pocket hone is simply invaluable when sea fishing, 

 both for knife and hooks. 



