BAIT FISHING. 53 



and three in general slink off for one that nibbles, ter- 

 rified, no doubt, by those singular accompaniments of 

 your worm, a line and hook. During July and August, 

 when our waters are more than ordinarily clear, a 

 small red worm, slenderly attached to a fine hook, No. 

 7, is known to be very deadly for two or three hours 

 after sunrise. 



To all bait fishers, Scotland affords excellent sport ; 

 her rivers run so strongly, and are maintained by so 

 many sources in the shape of mountain burns. These 

 romantic streamlets abound in trout ; every stone shel- 

 ters its inhabitant, and the meanest pool is peopled 

 with numbers. Burn fish, however, are generally of a 

 small size ; they seldom exceed a pound in weight, ex- 

 cept in the spawning season, when larger ones ascend 

 from broader streams, or lochs at a distance. Still 

 the taking of them is a pleasant pastime, especially 

 when they bite eagerly at your worm, as they do dur- 

 ing rain and in discoloured water. At such times you 

 have only to drop your bait without art, and the fish 

 will manage its own ruin. 



In ground fishing for salmon, use lob-worms, fresh 

 from the earth, and not toughened or prepared in any 

 way. These will be found greatly preferable to such 

 as have undergone the purging process, especially when 

 the fish are newly run ; and also near the mouths of 

 rivers, sea trout and w hidings will seize them greedily. 

 Angle for salmon with a long line and a large hook, 

 No. 12, giving the fish a few moments to gorge, before 

 you strike. 



Worms are taken greedily at night, and early in the 

 morning ; also, when the sun is very powerful, at mid- 

 day. After rain, when the waters begin to swell, one 

 is likeliest to meet with great success ; for at such 

 times, everv individual fish is on the look-out for food. 



