The Minnow Family 239 



of the rod in the ground and retire out of sight 

 of the fish, watching the float meanwhile. They 

 use for bait, worms, maggots, and pastes of va- 

 rious kinds, and usually ground-bait the " swims " 

 to be fished, a day in advance. 



Where the carp are large, five or six pounds, 

 the rod, reel, and line recommended for black- 

 bass fishing will subserve a good purpose. A 

 leader three feet long, stained mud color, must 

 be used, with small hooks, Nos. 7 or 8, tied on 

 gut snells. One of the best baits is a red 

 earthworm. 



I think the hook can hardly be too small ; Nos. 

 10 or 12 would probably be more successful than 

 larger ones, as the fish is apt to eject the bait at 

 once upon feeling the hook concealed in it. 

 And this is especially important if such baits as 

 bread paste, hard-boiled potato, or boiled grain 

 are employed. 



The carp has a peculiar mouth, and feeds 

 much like the sucker. It draws in mud and 

 water and food together, strains the water 

 through the gills, expelling it by the gill-open- 

 ings, and probably macerates the residue by 

 means of the tongue and the cushiony lining of 

 the buccal cavity before swallowing it. During 



