Fig. 29.—The Ragworm
Failing a supply of the marine worms just mentioned, the common earthworm may be used as a substitute, but it is decidedly less attractive to the fishes; and the same may be said of gentles—the larvæ or grubs of flies. The latter may be bred in large numbers by simply placing a piece of liver in the soil with only a small portion exposed. If this is done in the summer time, hundreds of eggs will soon be deposited on it, and in about a week or so it will be found to be a living mass of fat white grubs, perhaps more useful to the fresh-water angler than to his marine counterpart.
Among the so-called shell fish of the class mollusca, mussels, limpets, cockles, and whelks are all largely used for bait. The last of these are too large for our purpose, but form a splendid bait for deep-sea fishing, while the other three, and especially the mussels, are well suited for shore work. Mussels, in fact, provide one of the best possible baits for almost all kinds of shore fishing, the only drawback being the excessive softness of their bodies, which enables them to be easily torn from the hook. When small hooks are used, mussels of a small size may be used whole, or the larger ones may be divided into portions of suitable size; and in any case it will be found a good plan to tie the bait to the hook with a short piece of cotton thread.
Fig. 30.—Digging for Bait
Mussels are not easily opened without injury, and consequently some anglers give them a short immersion in hot water, to kill the animal and thus cause the shell to gape. As far as our own experience goes, the value of the bait is not deteriorated by this treatment, though some are of opinion that it is not so attractive after scalding. Mussels are opened, when alive, much in the same way as oysters, but the valves of the shell fit together so closely that it seems at first almost impossible to insert a knife between them. This, however, can be done with ease if one valve is first made to slide a little way over the other by pressing it with the thumb. This being accomplished, the two valves should not be separated by the mere force of the knife, for this would tear the animal within, and render it more or less unfit for its purpose; but first direct the edge of the knife towards the adductor muscle, by means of which the animal pulls its valves so firmly together, and then cut through this close to the inner surface of the upper valve. This valve can then be lifted without injury to the soft parts, and the whole animal removed from the other valve by cutting through the same muscle close to it.
