ii 4 PRACTICAL BAIT CASTING 



After minnows are caught they must be taken care 

 of. Their worst enemies are lack of oxygen in the 

 water and a fungus known as Saprolgnia. This is a 

 "fuzzy" thread-like growth that attacks the minnows 

 usually on the tail and fins first and later on spots 

 where the scales have been rubbed off. This trouble 

 can be guarded against by handling the minnows as 

 little as possible and carefully. Affected ones should 

 be removed and the remaining ones treated with a 

 weak salt solution. It is a good plan to wash the min- 

 now bucket and the live box with strong brine. 



The main supply of minnows should be kept in a live 

 box, which can be simply a frame covered with screen- 

 ing. The tendency is to keep live boxes too near shore 

 where the water is unclean. If the box is kept out 

 some distance the minnows will keep better although 

 in unsheltered spots it will be necessary to protect 

 them from rough water by adding a few windows of 

 cheese-cloth. A box kept not too close to shore is a 

 good target to cast at early in the .morning as bass fre- 

 quently loaf around such places. The live box should 

 be kept scrupulously clean with frequent washings. 



The best minnow-buckets are those that afford some 

 means of aerating the water. If an ordinary bucket 

 is used, it should be of good size, the water should be 

 changed frequently, and aerated by pouring in the 

 fresh water from the height of your head. Of course, 

 pouring the water in this way stirs it up and may pos- 

 sibly stun the minnows temporarily, but no harm is 

 done. Pumping air into the bucket with a bicycle 



