THE CHUB. 59 



cake over every day, i.e. one side upwards one day and the 

 other side upwards the next, and so on, taking care that they 

 are laid separate, and not one on the top of another. By 

 these means the angler will be able to keep his grubs in 

 good condition for several days ; but he must not keep them 

 for any length of time without being cooked, because the 

 grubs then would be liable to hatch out, and prove very 

 unwelcome guests. Some of our best men prefer this bait 

 as it is, without any cooking or preparation whatever, because 

 they say they have then a flavour and an aroma about them 

 that the chub cannot resist. I am rather inclined to the 

 same opinion, but they have this drawback ; every swim you 

 take, especially down a strong current, they are washed off 

 the hook, and every strike you give you lose your bait ; so, 

 taking all things into consideration, perhaps the best plan 

 will be to cook them. A No. 4 hook is the best size for this 

 bait, and when you bait this hook don't be afraid to put 

 plenty on, five or six or even more, for Mr. Chub likes a big 

 attractive bait. " When is the best time to use these grubs 1" 

 asks somebody. The answer must be, " When the grub 

 itself is in its best and most perfect condition." An old 

 friend of mine, who has fished the Trent now for forty years, 

 and whose opinion is worth something, never baits with wasp 

 grubs until the plum has on it that rich bloom which marks 

 its ripeness (this would be some time about the middle of Sep- 

 tember), and he uses them for about two or three weeks, and 

 then no more that season. If the water is in good condition 

 the latter part of August, during September, and the beginning 

 of October, then is the time for the bait now under notice. 



"What are the best places to try this bait in for chub?" 

 is the next question. Well, I have found, then, in a strong 

 stream in less than a couple of feet of water, in a quiet eddy 

 in some deep corner, under the boughs, under the overhanging 

 banks, and, above all, in those sweet streams that look to my 

 eye to be the very beau-ideal of chub swims, viz. where the 

 stream is gliding along smooth and serene, like happiness, 

 then it seems to stop for an instant, just to give a quiet curl 

 round, and then on again for a few more yards, and then 

 another pause, and another swirl round. 



