THE ART OF GROUND-BAITING. 39 



rather better than any other bait we were using. That 

 happened in the Loddon. (See also page 49.) 



To return to the riverside. I find my man has made up 

 The Ground-bait in rather large balls, so I break a lump 

 in half, make a hole in the centre, put in a dozen gentles, and 

 squeeze it up into a ball about the size of an egg. If I am 

 very anxious to catch fish, I do not throw this ball in, as 

 most anglers do, and make a splash which frightens the timid 

 roach, but squeeze it on my line, just above the hook, swing 

 it out over the water, and let it sink gently to the bottom. 

 As soon as its journey has ended, I raise the point of the rod, 

 and jerk the hook out of the ball of bait. My float and bait 

 then travel down the stream, my two gentles appear a part 

 of the ground-bait, and I very likely get a fish the first swim. 



To be able to judge when the ground-bait reaches the bottom 

 is very important, for the angler who fishes in one place, while 

 his ground-bait is in another, catches few fish. The hooh-bait 

 should always travel right over, and in a line with, the ground- 

 It ait. I know no plan which enables the angler to judge more 

 correctly just where the ground- bait falls than the one I have 

 described. Three small balls of ground-bait should be dropped 

 in at starting, and, unless the roach are biting very fast, a 

 piece about a quarter the size after every three fish are taken. 

 If the stream is strong, it will be necessary to put a stone 

 inside each ball to make it sink ; while, on the other hand, if 

 there is hardly any stream, the ground-bait may be thrown 

 in loose, not made into balls at all. It is not desirable for 

 the ground-bait to fall just opposite the angler, for it is as 

 well to keep the fish a little distance off. The nearer the fish 

 are, the worse they feed. One great point in successful bottom 

 fishing is to mix up with the ground-bait some of whatever 

 is used on the hook. If a lot of bread and bran is being eaten 

 by the fish, the more experienced of them will view with 

 suspicion a solitary couple of gentles; but if to the bread 

 and bran some gentles are added, then the fish feed on bread, 

 bran, and gentles as a matter of course, and probably take 

 the two in which the hook is partially hidden. When I have 

 been ground-baiting with soaked crusts and bran, and have 



