56 



of every fish in the place, and then you feel disappointed because 

 they wiU not bite, as you felt confident of a first-rate day's sport 

 when you commenced so successfully: The fish have gone off 

 biting, but there are still plenty in the place which you must 

 have caught had you ground baited judiciously. Tears ago I 

 used to do this sort of thing myself, but experience has taught 

 me better, and I now feel convinced the system is bad. I will 

 give you my style of ground baiting whilst fishing. Supposing 

 the place has been baited the day before with fifteen hundred 

 worms (I allow twenty hours to pass after ground baiting, before 

 I commence fishing), I expect a good stock of fish to be col- 

 lected together, say fifty Barbel, which I have often found to be 

 the case, after a baiting of this sort. There is one point in 

 which I am very particular, that is in calculating, when I throw 

 in the first few worms, what distance tlwy will swim before they 

 get to the bottom, so that I may catch the fish ten or fifteen 

 yards below me — no nearer, for as I told you befra-e, they will 

 bite longer and better by keeping them at a distance. I throw 

 the first few worms in one place, so as to keep the fish within 

 as small a space as possible. I never spread them about more 

 than I can help, if I did it is evident the fish would be feeding 

 in all directions. I should never know what part of the swim 

 was the best to fish for them ; besides, having got the proper 

 depth for one particular part of the swim, I can fish no other 

 portion of the swim without altering my float to suit the various 

 depths ; so to save time and trouble and to ensure sport, I throw 

 the first few worms in that part of the swim I have selected and 

 got the depth of. By thus doing I keep the fish in one channel. 

 I am sure many a baiting has been ruined and the sport spoiled 

 for the day because this point has not been properly attended to. 

 "Well, I have supposed fifty Barbel to be in the place selected. 

 I commence by giving them twenty dew worms, each cut into 

 four bits. 'Now what effect will twenty dew worms when cut 

 into eighty pieces have upon fifty hungry Barbel ? I should say 

 a general scramble takes place among the fish, each endeavouring 

 to get more than his neighbour : some have got two or three 



