THE SALMON FAMILY. 273 



him towards the shore and lift him out, or by slipping your 

 hand down the leader, grasp him by the nape of the neck, 

 and stick your thumb under his gill to make your hold more 

 secure. 



Allowing your bait to trip along under bushes that over- 

 hang the bank, or to float off towards the end of the rift, 

 sawing it backwards and forwards, is an effective way of bait- 

 fishing. 



"When fishing with a grasshopper, the sinker may be dis- 

 pensed with ; and with this bait the still parts of the stream 

 may be fished, where a Trout would be less likely to take a 

 worm than in brisk water. 



There are several ways of scouring earthworms ; the sim- 

 plest is to put them in a flannel bag, discarding those that 

 are mutilated, and parts of worms, and allow them to purge 

 themselves for five or six hours. They may be kept a day or 

 two in moderately cool weather ; the mouth of the bag should 

 be closed at night to prevent their escape. "When fishing, 

 the bag may be pinned or buttoned to the waistband of one's 

 pantaloons, with the mouth of the bag open. Four or five 

 inches of the toe of an old woollen stocking will answer in 

 place of a flannel bag. 



In fishing the ponds of Long Island, I have seen a float 

 used by some anglers. There is little need of a landing-net 

 in bait-fishing, for by giving time enough, and a little coaxing, 

 a Trout will hook himself very securely. 



Having said thus much on bait-fishing, I leave the subject 

 of fly-fishing for another chapter, assuring the beginner that 

 it is no abstruse science, notwithstanding all the learned 

 essays on the subject, and promising him, that after an 

 honest endeavor to master the rudiments, that he will lose 

 confidence in ground-bait, and resort to it, not for sport, 

 18 



