BAIT. 47 



BAIT. 



The best bait for almost all kinds of sea-fish 

 is what is termed sandeels, and to catch these 

 requires a good deal of tact and care ; they are 

 to be found in numbers 011 every sandy beach. 

 An observant person will notice, as the tide 

 ebbs, small holes in the sand, about the size of 

 a little finger. He must get a fork with long 

 tines, or even a spade, and making a sharp, 

 deep dig, scatter the sand he has drawn up ; 

 out will scamper two or three tiny eels, some' 

 times more ; catching them, or in a second they 

 will be deep in the sand again. These, how- 

 ever, are always to be obtained from little boys, 

 who are accustomed to catch such things, at a 

 very cheap rate. If it is a shingly beach, of 

 course there will be no sand-eels; but an 

 equally useful bait is the sea-worm, which is 

 found among the " wrack" or sea- weed, that lies 

 in abundance on the rocks when the tide has 

 receded ; these, also, can better be obtained by 

 those accustomed to the coast than by the 

 visitor, for it is rather a dirty employment. 

 But there are times when fish will take all 

 kinds of bait a bit of paste, or even a red rag ; 

 but a piece of raw fish of any kind will always 

 catch them when they are inclined to bite, 

 The reason the sand-eel or the sea-worm is 

 most desirable, is, that there is less chance of 

 its washing off the hook ; the flesh of others, 

 when cut in pieces, is apt to fall off, even in 

 dropping through the water. 



The sand-eel, or launce, is a fish in the shape 



