ARTIFICIAL BAITS. 315 



ARTIFICIAL MINNOWS. 



Artificial minnows for trolling, spinning, or casting, are 

 made of metal, glass, and rubber, large and small, and 

 gilded, silvered, or painted in attractive ways. Some of 

 them are quite successful as baits, while others are com- 

 paratively worthless. They are made both in our own 

 country and in England, and as their numbers, and styles, 

 and forms are constantly increasing, I do not deem it ad- 

 visable to particularize or give special descriptions. 

 While I have experimented with many of them, I do not 

 employ them in angling for the Black Bass. 



For trolling or spinning, none of them are so effective 

 as the spoon-baits; while for casting, they are not to be 

 compared with the natural minnow, alive or dead. I will 

 merely name some of those that are best known, and more 

 generally used : Caledonian, Phantom, Flexible, Jointed, 

 Devon, Protean, Shadow, Pectoral, Unique, Professor, 

 Metal, Glass, Pearl, Silver, and Gilt minnows, and the 

 Dace, Gudgeon, Trout, and Kill Devil. 



ARTIFICIAL INSECTS, ETC. 



Artificial insects, as bees, grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, 

 May-flies, dragon-flies, and likewise artificial frogs, craw- 

 fish, hegramites, shrimps, worms, etc., are now made which 

 resemble the original creatures very closely. They are to 

 be used in surface fishing, in the same way as artificial flies, 

 and must be kept in constant motion, otherwise the Bass 

 soon discover the deception ; but if skillfully used, they 

 are often quite successful baits. They certainly have the 

 recommendation of cleanliness and general convenience as 

 compared with their original prototypes. 



