82 



WHIFFING. 



Baits for Whiffing may be used both dead and living, 

 which affords a much wider range for choice than in drift-line 

 fishing. Living and dead Sand- Eels, small dead Freshwater 

 Eels (fig. 25) and Lampreys (fig. 26) from 4 to 6J inches, 

 Lob or large Earth-Worms, Lugs, Rag, Rock, or Mud- Worms, 

 slips of Long-Nose or Mackerel 3 to 5 inches long and f to J 

 wide, unsmoked bacon or pork skin, Gurnard or Bass skin, 

 and white leather or rag of the same dimensions, in addition 

 to artificial baits, as spinners and imitative Sand-Eels, with 



FIG. 25. Freshwater Eel (dead bait for Whiffing). 



white and red and fancy flies, including a rough kind of palmer 

 or caterpillar made of goat's-hair, which is especially good for 

 Bass. In addition to these, we have three valuable artificial 

 baits for Pollack, which owe their discovery to accident. The 

 first is the red indiarubber band, which was, it seems, tried by 

 an amateur short of bait, who happened to have one of them 

 as a fastening to his pocket-book. After cutting it he hooked 

 on one end, and took several Pollack whiffing. It is the 



FIG. 26. River Lamprey (dead bait for Whiffing). 



custom now to whip one end to the head of the hook (fig. 27), 

 instead of baiting it as a living Rag- Worm, to which it bears 

 a remarkable resemblance. The most useful size is about \\ 

 inch in diameter. There are two kinds of these indiarubber 

 rings, one lies flat when placed on a table, the other rests on 

 its edge. The right kind is that which lies flat like a quoit or 

 Saturn's ring ; and if my reader will divide one and hold it up 

 by one end, he will see at once the reason it should be pre- 

 ferred, as it hangs in a curl, which causes a rapid life-like action 



