VARIOUS BAITS TOE TROUT. 67 



Just before turning into flies, Creepers will be found near tbe 

 sides of streams, under flat-bottomed stones. Of course, the 

 larvae of other flies besides those of the Stone-fly may be 

 used as a bait for trout. 



In Devonshire, a little brown beetle, called the Fern-web, is 

 largely used for taking trout in June and July. It is found 

 on the bracken fern in great numbers. Put one or two of these 

 beetles on a large Limerick hook (eyed for preference), blow open 

 the wing-cases and wings, and chuck the lump where the trout 

 are. If the fish do not see you, they will take the bait. The 

 method requires little skill. Grasshoppers (much used on the 

 Continent), spiders, beetles — in fact, almost any kind of insect 

 — may be used as bait for trout. In Derbyshire, ants' eggs are 

 a favourite summer bait, and I believe egg-paste is a good 

 deal used, but have not tried it. In some waters trout take 

 bread-paste eagerly. 



Worming in Clear and Coloured Water.— I will deal 

 with the last-mentioned first. The tackle is simply a fairly 

 stiff rod, a light line, and a short length of gut, terminated 

 by a round-bend hook of a size (generally No. 11, Kendal 

 scale, or No. 4, Redditch scale) to suit the worms. Ten inches 

 above the hook bite on one to four shots. Bait with brandling 

 or other worms (I never find the trout very particular when 

 the water is thick), and drop the bait in the water just on 

 the edge of the current, and fish water which is quiet and not 

 too deep. Let the worm sink, and allow the current to work 

 it about close to the bottom. Every eddy and quiet comer 

 should be fished, and when the angler chances on a spot 

 where the trout seem plentiful, there he may remain for an 

 hour or more. It is by no means grand sport, but the largest 

 fish in the river are often taken with worms during a spate. 

 The three-hook tackle shown in Fig. 47 may, of course, be 

 used, but it frequently catches on the bottom, which in eddies 

 is apt to be foul. 



Worming in clear water is quite another matter. It is 

 carried on more particularly when the rivers are at their 

 lowest and brightest, in the hot months, and when fly-flshing, 

 except at night, is next to useless. For this method of fishing 



DIV. III. G 



