160 LAKE AND STREAM GAME FISHING 



effective. This, however, does not prove that the 

 minnow is not a tempting bait during the rest of the 

 season, as it is the general thing to use the artificials 

 early and late in the season, at which time they are 

 mighty attractive lure, although early in the morn- 

 ing and late at night and for night fishing the ar- 

 tificials are great little casting lures during July and 

 August. Of the minnows, the silver shiner or dace 

 seemed to be the one that tickled the palate of the 

 bass, probably the flash of its silvery sides making 

 an invitation too strong for the big fins to resist. 

 The mud minnow, with its yellowish golden tint and 

 husky constitution, was second choice, with the river 

 or creek chub closing the balloting. The silver 

 shiner is a fine bait for any time or condition of 

 water and is particularly good on dark and cloudy 

 days and when the water is rough or murky. The 

 chub is a winner on bright days and in clear and 

 still water, while the mud minnow is a lively cuss 

 and is on the job every minute he is in the water. 

 For a lively wiggler, the mud minnow has the rest 

 of the minnow family standing still. Three of 

 these minnows had casting spoons rigged on the 

 hook to help the game along. Three of the bass 

 were caught in the shallows and five coaxed out of 

 the deep water by letting the minnow sink after the 

 cast and then reeling in the bait slowly a foot or so 

 from the bottom. Taking the minnow from any 

 angle, it is a good bass bait, but no doubt was not 



