184 The Complete Angler 



the gentles grow big, they will fall into the barrel 

 and scour themselves, and be always ready for use 

 whensoever you incline to fish ; and these gentles 

 may be thus created till after Michaelmas. But if 

 you desire to keep gentles to fish with all the year, 

 then get a dead cat, or a kite, and let it be fly- 

 blown ; and when the gentles begin to be alive and 

 to stir, then bury it and them in soft moist earth, 

 but as free from frost as you can ; and these you 

 may dig up at any time when you intend to use 

 them : these will last till March, and about that 

 time turn to be flies. 



But if you be nice to foul your fingers, which 

 good anglers seldom are, then take this bait : get a 

 handful of well-made malt, and put it into a dish 

 of water ; and then wash and rub it betwixt your 

 hands till you make it clean, and as free from husks 

 as you can ; then put that water from it, and put a 

 small quantity of fresh water to it, and set it in 

 something that is fit for that purpose, over the fire, 

 where it is not to boil apace, but leisurely and very 

 softly, until it become somewhat soft, which you 

 may try by feeling it betwixt your finger and 

 thumb ; and when it is soft, then put your water 

 from it: and then take a sharp knife, and turning 

 the sprout end of the corn upward with the point 

 of your knife, take the back part of the husk off 

 from it, and yet leaving a kind of inward husk on 

 the corn, or else it is marr'd ; and then cut off that 

 sprouted end, 1 mean a little of it, that the white 

 may appear ; and so pull off the husk on the cloven 

 side, as I directed you ; and then cutting off a very 

 little of the other end, that so your hook may enter ; 

 and if your hook be small and good, you will find 

 this to be a very choice bait, either for winter or 

 summer, you sometimes casting a little of it into 

 the place where your float swims. 



