IfATUBAL Baits. 369 



lips are well adapted for {he hook. They are quife hardy 

 and lively. ,; , 



The young of Perca americana (yellow perch), are ex- 

 cellent baits on ponds and lakes, early or late in the season, 

 especially if the spinous dorsal fin be clipped off with a 

 sharp knife, or a pair of scissors. They show well in the 

 water, and often prove an attractive lure during the seasons 

 mentioned. 



As a rule, good-sized minnows should be employed, say 

 from three to four inches long. The large minnows are 

 livelier, more hardy, and live much longer on the hook 

 than the small ones. A half-pound bass will take the 

 largest minnow as easily and as readily as the smallest 

 one, so there is no fear of using minnows too large. It is 

 true, that at times, the largest bass seem to take to the 

 smallest minnows, but on these exceptional occasions they 

 are ofE their feed, to a certain exteiit, for, usually, the 

 largest bass takes the largest minnows. 



In baiting with the minnow, the hook should be entered 

 through the lower lip and out through the nostril ; if this 

 is. carefully done, the minnow will live a comparatively 

 long time. • Sometimes, with small minnows, the hook is 

 passed out through the socket of the eye ; but this should 

 only be done with dead minnows. Another excellent way, 

 especially with large minnows, is to pass the hook through 

 both lips, the lower one firsty and out through the upper 

 one. When minnows are hooked in either of these ways, a 

 •dead one is of ten ;;as -good as a' live one, for the moving of 

 the line causes them to move in a natural manner. Where 

 the water is Without, a currelit, as on ponds or lakes, and 

 where the inihnows arequite small, they may be, for still 

 fishing, but under no other circumstances, hooked just 



