Chapt. v. Baiting on one treble hook. 49 



have the loach-like Ophiocephalus gachua to deal with, as 

 hereafter recommended, you may flip away at his head 

 for a long time without killing him, and though you may 

 half stun him, you will be horrified, when putting the 

 baiting needle through him, to find he is still alive and 

 kicking, whereas if you give him one good squeeze in 

 one hand so as to crush his internal organs, he will die 

 instanter. If he is too slippery for you, a little river-side 

 sand will soon get over that difficulty. 



You must not follow this same plan with the dace- 

 like fish however, for if you do, the silvery scales will all 

 come off, and it will at once look dreadfully dishevelled. 

 Moreover it is not necessary, for the dace-like fish have 

 as thin a cranium as a snipe, and a flip on the head 

 soon does for them, and with them it is that you must be 

 careful not to be too rough. 



Your bait being dead, then insert the baiting needle 

 point foremost at the anus, and bring it out at the open 

 mouth. Before pulling it through, hook the loop of the 

 gut on to the eye of the baiting needle. Then pull the 

 baiting needle out at the mouth, drawing the gut after 

 it through the fish till the hook comes home to the anus. 

 In doing this, humour the baiting needle by giving it a 

 turn, as a doctor does an instrument, so as to tear the 

 vent hole as little as possible in getting the loop through 

 it. I prefer a single treble hook of the sort described in 

 the chapter on tackle. When the hook is home to the 

 vent, embed one of the three thoroughly in the fish, so 

 that the two remaining hooks of the treble shall be lying 



