Bait and Grounds A13 
Mullet is the popular bait for tarpon and a 
killing lure for almost any fish which preys 
upon its kind. At Fernandina, Florida, fiddler- 
crab is a valued bait, and I often drew on the 
preserves on the way to the fort, where there 
was always an endless supply, the struggling 
crab being a dainty that drum, sheepshead, chan- 
nel-bass, or sea-trout rarely refuse. At Aransas 
Pass, shrimp, taken with a fine-mesh cast-net, is 
a favorite bait for channel-bass, Spanish mack- 
erel, and others. 
In New England clam bait, both hard and soft, 
is popular, and the title “high-tide clam-digger ” 
was a term of derision applied by an old beach- 
comber of my fishing acquaintance to indicate 
the stupidity of a “tenderfoot.” Menhaden is 
excellent bait for various fishes in this region. In 
the Chesapeake crabs are so plentiful that they 
are often used, the common edible crab preferred, 
and various shellfish. 
In California waters baits of several kinds 
are used. Many fishermen use the meat of the 
beautiful shell abalone, Ha/zotzs, which is tough 
and eaten only after being vigorously pounded. 
The California crayfish, Painurus, ranks next, 
and is a killing lure, but already it is so rare 
