THE RATIONALE OF GROUND-BAITING. 269 



ground-baiting thus : " Fishes naturally congre- 

 gate where they have been led by any singularity 

 of appearance in the waters they inhabit ; thus 

 they are on the alert, and take every kind of bait 

 eagerly when a flood is coming down. Conscious 

 that food of different kinds is forced along by the 

 sweeping current, they are on the look out to re- 

 ceive it; and thus, also, when ground-bait is 

 thrown down, it attracts their attention and draws 

 fish together and detains them ; and, although their 

 naturally roving disposition may carry them away 

 again, fresh supplies render their absence short, 

 and they instinctively return to the scene of former 

 plenty. It is the principle of ground-bait to attract 

 fish without glutting them; and thus, although 

 edible matters enter into the composition of ground- 

 baits, yet they are, or ought to be, always inferior 

 to the hook-baits offered at the same time, by 

 which fish may be tempted to leave the ground- 

 bait for the more delicate morsel on the hook." 



In rapid streams your ground-bait should be 

 heavy and adhesive, mixed with clay, and having 

 sometimes a large round pebble within the ground- 

 bait ball. In rivers that are constantly ground- 

 baited the very noise or splash, caused in the water 

 by the fall of the ground-bait cast in, attracts fish 

 to the spot. They are used to it, and know the 

 consequence. Large worms, mixed with balls of 

 clay, attract barbel, chub, perch, and trout. Offal 



