The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-07-25
WORMS AS BAIT.
My Dear Buck ::

the palate of all kinds of fish since
the first open season in the Garden of
Eden and caused more of him to grace
the frying pan than any other lure,
of the thousands in use, is the COM
mon old worm. Called by some, the
angleworm, by others, the fshworm,
and knighted as the greatest bait ever,
by the happy, bare-Egged, knee-pants
angler of the Order Of the Long Cane
Pole.
AS q still-fshing bait for all kinds of
fish the worm stands at the head of
the class and he can wiggle into the
affections of the fnny tribe when many
other bats don't even get q glance.
Whether it is the fascinating Wiggle I
OF the head and tail of the worm, which I
should be hooked through the body a /
couple of times with the ends free I
or the delicious flavor of this choice /
bit of fish food that makes it so popu-
lar, is q question that can only be set /
tied by the fish, but it is a sure enough |
fact that they take to worms like a
duck to water.
Four of Kind.
One big point in favor of the worm
is that it can be found in good num-
bCrs almost anywhere. A few turns
OF earth with spade gives YOU enough
bait for an afternoons fishing. -Four
species of worms are probably the
most useful in fishing the black-head-
ed worm without the band or knot
/ liI-n Vipry Y+hial, tba,. In rl- in
| and the toughest and best hooker of
| the lot, found in garden soil. The
! ringed worm with a ring around the
| body a little above the middle, and a
| tlatter looking worm which is found
under old manure heaps and such
/ places. This worm is softer and does
not make as good bait as the black
headed worm. The marsh worm,
| which has a whitish ring, and IS a
pale blue in color and is found under
stones and among decayed leaves and
under rotted logs.
| When worms are taken from the
ground they are full of earth and I'M
Ill they are cleaned, do not make the
best bait. A fish likes the pink color
o. the cleaned worm, and it is q sim
pie matter to doctor them into first
class fish food. AS soon as they are
dug up out of their home grounds they
should be washed well with water.
Put them in a painful of water and
stir them around with the finger, but
don't crush them or shake roughly,
then place them in an earthen crock
or jar and put in plenty of moss. And
! here is the big point to remember in
the "care of the worm," wiring the
moss thoroughly SO that all water is
eliminated. The moss must be kept
Cry in order to extract the moisture
from the body of the worms, and thus
! tougher them for the hook.
The ringed worm can be cleaned in
two or three days While the other
three take at least a week TO put then
in clean pink shape. Every other day
the worms should be examined and the
t sick looking brothers taken out, a:
Y wei as the moss changed. Slip then
e a little food at the same time, slice
oe bread broken into small pieces, ant
a spoonful Of milk or cream poured
OF. the moss is plenty, and will keel
). 'em while getting ready for the hook
: Sounds like joke to wash and fec
e your pet worms, but if you never of
i fered q clean worm to the fish, jus
give it a try-out ana take it from me
old-timer, you are certainly due for
surprise at the results. While the con
ditiOning game is going on, keep tn
y worm crock in q cool place.
Small Ones Great Bait.
p When digging worms don't ovcrloo
p the small ones. 1t is a mistaken ide
le that only the big worms get the bi
e fish, often the largest worm will IA
n a victim Of the smallest fish. A small
, clean, pink worm with lively kic
- is more enticing TO the big fellows tina
the big night crawlCr that you hun
f. worm do not run the hook clea
al through the body, but simply hook
1t through the skin. About one-thir
IS way down the body, run the hoo
through the skin, then skip about
- third Of the body and run the hoo
OF through again, leaving about qua
ter of the entire length of the worl
uriggling loose at the barb Of ii
hook. This keeps them lively an
kicking and that attracts the big fe
II lows, while a dead worm may get Il
smaller fish it don't appeal much /
!, the kind you are generally afte
u When hooking q new worm alway
a take off the small pieces of his pred
IS. cessor.
by When you have tried out everythir
es. else and the fish seem to be off Il
sh feed, slip nice worm on the hoo
$50 ard if that don't make them hungl
=. you can feel certain that you have dol
~ Your part in your effort to coax Il
al big fins out Of the water.
me DIXIE.
nm ------------
lie Four-ffths Of the worlds coffee is rails
III Brazil