The Grub. 163 



their tightened skin seems scarcely able to hold 

 its contents. Big and burly of body as they are, 

 however, they are extremely tender of heart, and 

 cannot well be baited on a hook without some 

 preparation to render them tough. Sometimes this 

 is effected by steaming them in a jar, but Cotton 

 advises that they be simply kept for a time in bran. 

 There is no doubt that this grub is a great killer 

 during nearly the whole of the fishing season, espe- 

 cially in spring, when it will do great wonders 

 in a muddy or a black water after a flood. It is 

 generally fished on a double tackle, the hooks 

 varying in size according to the size of the grub. 

 Place two hooks on the same gut, either facing the 

 same way, or back to back, at a distance of three- 

 quarters of an inch the larger and upper a No. 4, 

 and the smaller a No. 3. Pass the upper hook 

 through the shoulder and the other through the 

 lower part of the body, taking care to keep the line 

 tight between the hooks. The double tackle is to 

 prevent, as far as possible, the soft, unshapely grub 

 from slipping off the metal altogether, as well as to 

 hook the fish better. If a single hook is used, as 

 in the old style, a stiff horsehair must be warped 

 to the shank before baiting ; but in any case the 

 insect is so easily injured that only gentle handling 

 will make a presentable bait. A small sinker is 

 attached to the line at the end of the first thread of 



