THE CARP. 59 



very small mouths for their size, the most successful 

 carp-fisher I know uses a very large 'bait, larger 

 than a pigeon's egg ; and I have taken my best 

 carp with a bait of this size. There is something 

 in such a bait that a fish can see, and a preliminary 

 taste is given before the hook or triangle is boldly 

 sucked in. Carp are such suckers that anything 

 suspicious in the shape of a hook will cause them 

 to leave the bait alone ; and after a morsel or two 

 is swallowed, the remainder is taken with a gulp 

 and the hook goes home. Again, in most places 

 suitable for carp, we are obliged to fish at a great 

 disadvantage, as the bait cannot be seen easily 

 owing to mud or weeds, and the difficulty of placing 

 a bait before a carp in a place where he can see 

 it plainly is a hard one to contend with. I am 

 certain many carp-baits are resting quite out of 

 sight in very thin mud, particularly if the angler be 

 legering with a heavy bullet to get out a long way. It 

 is a mistake to draw the line and bullet towards you 

 when fishing in a mudd}' pond or amongst weeds ; let 

 the line rest exactly where it has fallen, pulling in 

 only buries it deeper than ever. I have never found 

 carp-fishing with a float much good ; legering pays 

 much better, particularly in shallow water. In 

 deep water, which can be fished close in, a float is 

 perhaps of service, but a good length of line should 

 rest on the bottom, and the float must travel well 

 under before striking. I have killed more carp 

 with brandlings than any other worm ; this worm 

 has a very strong smell, and certainly may be very 

 tasty to a carp. I have caught small carp freely 

 with gentles, but have never had the luck to land a 

 good one with this bait. Perhaps a good bunch of 

 wasp-grubs on a triangle would prove successful. 



