Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1922-06-30
WORMS AS BAIT.

the palate or all kinds OF fSh 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 fishworm,
and knighted as the greatest bait ever,
by the happy, bare-legged, knee-pants
angler of the Order of the Long Cane
Pole.
AS a 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 a glance.
Whether it is the fascinating wiggle
of the head and tail of the worm, which
should be hooked through the body q
couple Of times with the ends free,
or the delicious flavor of this choice
bit of fish food that makes it so popu-
lar, is a 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-
bers 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
like ring which is rather dark in color
and the toughest and best hooker of
the lot, found in garden soil. The
ringed worm with a ring around the
body q little above the middle, and a
1atter 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
til they are cleaned, do not make the
best bait. A fish likes the pink color
OF the cleaned worm, and 1t is a 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 scare of. the worm," wiring the |
moss thoroughly so that all water is
eliminated. The moss must be kept |
dry in order to extract the moisture |
from the body of the worms, and thus
tougher them for the hook.
The ringe' worm can be cleaned in |
two or three days while the other |
three take at least a week to put them
in clean pink shape. Every other day |
the worms should be examined and the |
sick looking brothers taken out, as |
well as the moss changed. Slip them |
a little food at the same time, slice |
OF bread broken into small pieces, and |
a spoonful of milk or cream poured |
OF the moss is plenty, and will keep |
'em while getting ready for the hook. |
Sounds J:Se a joke to wash and feed |
your pet werncs, bst if you never Of /
fered a clean worm 20 the fish, jast |
give 1t try-oHt and take 1t from me, |
old-timeI, you are certainly due for a |
surprise at the results. While the con- |
ditioning game is going on, keep the |
worm crock in p cool place.
Small Ones Great Bait.
When digging worms don't overlook
the small ones. 1t is a mistaken IDEA |
that only the big worms get the big |
fish, often the largest worm will fall |
q victim of the smallest fish. A small, |
clean, pink worm with a lively kick /
is more enticing to the big fellows than |
the big night crawler that you hunt |
with q lantern. When hooking the |
worm do not run the hook clear
through the body, but simply hook it
through the skin. About one-third |
way down the body, run the hook |
through the skin, then skip about q
third of the body and run the hook
through again, leaving about q quar- /
ter of the entire length of the worm
wriggling loose at the barb of the
hook. This keeps them lively and |
kicking and that attracts the big fell
lows, while a dead worm may get the !
smaller fish it don't appeal much to /
the kind you are generally after.
wv.