BAITING WITH GENTLES. 247 



the water. For instance, the puntmen at Sun- 

 bury on Thames usually throw in worms as their 

 ground-bait for barbel, and in consequence that 

 fish takes the worm there more freely than it 

 does the gentle. At Teddington the fishermen 

 ground-bait with gentles, and therefore angle 

 most successfully with them. In fishing for large 

 barbel with gentles, you should put as many on 

 your hook at a time as you possibly can. Half a 

 dozen would not be too many. For small fish 

 two gentles at once on the hook are sufficient. 

 Mr. Elaine says, " Unless the hook be very small, 

 two, or even three gentles, are requisite on it at 

 one time. With three insert the point of the 

 hook into one gentle close to the head, or more 

 bulbous end, and bring it out near the tail : now 

 take a thin green gentle, and pass the point 

 directly across the body, and then put on the 

 third exactly as the first, except that, having just 

 shown the point of the hook through the skin of 

 the gentle, retract it again. For the latter hint 

 we are indebted to Mr. Salter, and a very good 

 one it is ; for, as he justly observes, the skin of 

 the gentle being somewhat tough (especially in 

 cold weather), by piercing the skin in the first 

 instance an opening is made, by which the finest 

 stroke (when a bite does occur) will enter the 

 hook sufficiently into the fish to secure it, and 

 you do not risk breaking your line or the top of 



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