HOOKS. 15 



the worm loose, and in putting him on the 

 hook, " use him," says Izaak Walton, " as you 

 would a friend." Sometimes we use two worms 

 on the same hook, in which case the first must 

 be drawn up the shank while the second is 

 put on. For small fish half a worm is suffi- 

 cient. Bemember, the tail end is the most 

 lively. Two or three blood-worms may be 

 placed en one hook ; but you must be careful 

 how you insert the hook, or the worm will 

 burst. 



To bait a hook with gentles, pierce the gentle 

 at both ends, and then insert the hook so as to 

 hide it in the body of the worm. Grubs of 

 wasps and various other insects are good bait 

 for fish that will take a gentle. Grubs should 

 be dried before they are used. A very good 

 plan is to put them in the kitchen oven for half 

 an hour or more. 



Scouring and Preserving Worms. Gentles 

 will clean themselves in two or three days if 

 placed in a box of damp sand and bran. Some 

 use bran alone. Worms must be put into fresh 

 moss, which you may either gather for yourself 

 or buy at the seed-shops. The moss must be 

 well cleansed of any earthy or other foreign 

 matter, and afterwards squeezed down in a jar, 

 not too tightly, so as to get rid of the water. 

 The moss must be left damp, not wet, and the 

 worms, when placed on the top of the jar, will 

 soon scour themselves clean. Keep the moss 

 in a cool place, out of the sun, and change it 

 about twice a week. 



"Every angler," says a practical man, 



