ARTIFICIAL BAITS 109 



stretched. Some casters put a toothpick or sharpened 

 stick between the "legs," wedge fashion, to keep them 

 from tangling up. Minnow-shaped pork is also 

 popular. 



It is customary when using pork to pierce it cross- 

 wise and insert a small pair of "wings" of red flannel 

 which adds to the attractiveness. Red darning cotton 

 is also good for decorating pork. A strand or two 

 run through the upper end of a strip helps it greatly, 

 especially when it is used without a fly. In fact, many 

 experienced casters like a dash of red on any bait. 



Gullet is often used the same as pork. Gullet is 

 the thin, tough, white skin taken from the throat or 

 "chin" of different fishes, usually the pickerel. With 

 a sharp knife one simply follows around the jaw bone 

 which yields a triangular piece of skin, shaped similar 

 to an imperfect arrowhead. It is an excellent lure 

 when used in combination with a spinner and fly. We 

 suspect that when fresh it has an appealing odor to 

 most game fish. Gullet can be carried in the pork; 

 bottle. 



NATURAL BAIT 



There are no fine-spun theories regarding the whys 

 and wherefores of natural bait. Its use is founded 

 on the world-old principle that fish must eat to live 

 and as they spend a great part of their existence hunt- 

 ing for food the natural bait angler simply takes ad- 

 vantage of the fact. 



