270 THE BEST GROUND-BAITS. 



attracts jack and eels. Bran, pollard, meal, malt, 

 grains, attract roach, dace, chub, and bream. Greaves 

 and pieces of cheese attract barbel and chub. 

 Kaking with an iron rake the bottom of the stream, 

 or mudding it by going into the water and stirring 

 up the bottom with your strong soled shoes or 

 boots, will bring fish into the wake of the disco- 

 loured water, and they will eagerly take worms 

 dropped in before them. The best ground-baits 

 are the following. I have mentioned the meal 

 ground-bait already, and it is the best of all when 

 angling with bread pastes. 



Bran and clay ground-bait is very simple, and 

 much used for roach and dace. It is made of a 

 mixture of adhesive clay and bran well worked 

 together, and pieces about the size of a small egg 

 are thrown where you fish. If you are angling 

 in a current, throw in the balls above you so that 

 their particles may be washed down to the spot 

 where your hook and bait are. 



A good general ground-bait for such rivers as 

 the Thames, Trent, &c., in which there are many 

 kinds of fish. Mix clay, bran, and meal together 

 into a firm adhesive mass, which divide into round 

 pieces about the size of cricket balls. In the 

 middle of them place as many worms and gentles 

 as you can ; as they creep out they are taken by 

 the fish with impunity, which will encourage 

 them to take your bait whether it be a gentle or 



