The Topeka state journal., 1903-06-29
FISHING WITH BAIT.
How the Finny Tribe Regards
Worms, Minnows and Grubs.


The angle worm seems to be a natural
bait for trout.
Some days. as every fisherman knows,
this royal fish will disdain the fly, no
matter what kind is offered him, but
will welcome the wriggling angle worm
heartily On other days he will show
favor to the fly. but he never entirely
ignores the worm.
The very large brook trout are the
only ones that seem habitually to de-
cline the angle worm. except early IN
the season. Then even the biggest ones
will accept it and appear to be glad of
It is a whim, also, of these larger
trout to scorn the fly on occasion, turn
their backs on the most tempting angle
worm, and promptly succumb to fat
white wood grubs presented to them IN
an artistic manner by anglers who
know there is something in fishing be-
sides eff1gies in feathers or nondescript
insects. In deep pools there are always
big trout that will neither rise to the
fly nor take worm or a grub. If
live minnow, or the pink belly fin of one
of their own kind. trOlled through their
haunts, will not tempt them TO the hook,
the angler may as we'll give up all hope
OF killing those trout by any legitimate
means.
1t is a good thing to remember, if one
is going to a fishing camp in the woods,
that while water may yield minnowS,
dobson or crawfish, and the woods and
the forest soil provide various insects
and their larvae, neither water nor
woods nor forest soil will turn out a
single angle worm. Angle worms are
never found except in soil under cultiva-
tion or where the land has been cul-
tivated at some time.
So the wise fisherman never goes into
the wildwood fishing camp without TAX
ing with him a good supply of these
worms No camp of this kind should
have on hand less than two quarts Of
angle worms. They should be kept in
damp moss and in a cool place.
While fly fishing is the very poesy of
angling, calling for the exercise of the
finest artistic instinct, bait-fishing is by
no means to be sneered at, and it is
worth knowing how to use bait to the
best advantage and most slxillfully.
To bait an angle worm properly it
should be taken, after it is secured III
the damp moss, which gives it piniSy,
transparent appearance. The hook
should be passed through the neck. half
an inch from the head. the loop of the
body then gathered up and the hook
passed through it again. and again,
until the shank as well as the head is
covered. leaving half an inch or so OF
free worm depending
Should the worm loop. or the head or
hanging tail of the worm be taken off
by fish, put on a fresh bait. Always
fish down stream when angling for
trout with worm or other bats.
In the case of fishing for trout with
through the minnow's back, under the
dOrsal fin but not so low as to break
the backbone. If dead minnow bait be
used. part of the minnoW should be cut
off just at the dorsal nm, and the hook
be inserted at the tail and pushed along
up the backbone untn the point of the
hook nearly reaches the cut end of the
bait. This will bend the bait to cor
respond with the curve of the hook. and
it will whirl attractiVely when drawn
poairsf the current.
There are abundant holes in all trout
streams where 1t is simply folly to at
tempt to cast a fly. The really good
ar=ler will not pass them by because
he scorns to kill save with a fly. He
will try them with worm or minnow.
need be, and the chances are that he
will land a prize or two to be talked
about for many day.
1t is the nature of a wood grub to lie
in its nest in the decayed log or stump
curled up, head and tail together. II
the hook is passed into the grub at the
til of the tail and all the way up to
the heavy jaws. the grub will be on
the hook in the position it was in the
log.
OF course, no trout ever saw grub
as it lay in a log, but that way Oh
batting a grub seems to be more ae-
ceptable than any other to a trout iIi-
clined to dine on such morsels.
The man who fishes only with a fly
should remember that it requires not
only just as much skill to be successful
with bait as it does with flies but also
a great deal more study and observa-
tion of the fish and its ways.-New
York sun.