ELLIOT'S COMPLETE ANGLER SHOWING HOW TO \ Take the Best Kinds of Fish : TO WHICH 13 ADDED A GUIDE TO BOTTOM FISHING, 'Si A CORRECT LIST OF '3 (IN THE VICINITY OF LONDON) Where Fish are to be Founds THE PROPER TACKLE AND BAITS REWIRED, THE LAWS OF ANGLING, H: I IsT T S TO .A.lsr G- Xi E IK S , &c. &c. &c. LONDON :— ELLIOT, 475, OXFORD STREET, BLOOMSBURY, W.C. And all Booksellers and Fishing-Tackle Makers in Town or Country. THE COMPLETE ANGLER; SHOWING HOW TO TAKE THE BEST KINDS OF FISH TO IVHICH IS ADDED AND A CORRECT LIST OF RIVEES, CANALS, AND PONDS, (in the VICINITT of LONDON,) WHERE FISH ARE TO BE FOUND ; ALSO, THE PROPER TACKLE AND BAITS REQUIRED, THE LAWS OF ANGLING, E[:zn:srTs to jlh^gxiShs. PRICE SIX-PENCE. LONDON:— ELLIOT, 475, OXFORD STREET, W.C; And of all Booksellers and Fishing-Tackle Makers. COlsTTinisrTS. IntroductioQ 3 Rivers, Ponds, and Canals, in the vicinity of London 5 Tackle for Angling 6 Rods ^. 6 Lines 7 Floats 7 Winches 8 Hooks 8 Baits 8 Ground Bait 10 Paste Baits 10 Artificial Flies 11 Hints to Anglers 12 Different Kinds of Fish 13 Salmon Trout 13 The Smelt 13 The Stickleback 14 The Bull Head 14 The Minnow 14 The Loach 14 The Bleak 14 The Grayling 15 Eels 15 The Roach 16 The Carp 17 The Perch 17 The Flounder 18 TheRudd 18 The Chub 18 The Tench 18 The Pike 19 The Dace 20 The Gudseon 20 The Barbel 21 The Pope, or Ruffe 21 The Bream 22 Salt Water Angling 22 Thames Angling 23 Monthly Guide for Bottom Fishing 25 Rules of the Thames Preservation Society 26 Laws Relating to Angling 27 ELLIOT'S INTRODUCTION Sir Henry Wotton, a late Provost of Eton College, a man of learning, wit, and experience, was a lover of Angling, and a frequent practitioner of the art ; speaking of which, he says : — " It was an employment for his idle time, which was then not idly spent, for angling was, after tedious study, a rest to his mind, a cheerer of his spirits, a diverter of sadness, a calmer of unquiet thoughts, a moderator of passions, a procurer of content- edness, and that it begat habits of peace and patience in those that professed and practised it." The studious man, of whatever profession, although perfectly conscious of the necessity of air and exercise to the preservation of health, has seldom sufficient resolution to tear himself from his accustomed pursuits, without some powerful stimulus to action, and, therefore, any pleasurable recreation that may induce exercise, and lead the sedentary to the enjoyment of a pure air, breathing over woods, meadows, and waters, cannot fail to be beneficial. I am not acquainted with any amusement in which this advantage can be enjoyed without considerable alloy, except the diversion of angling. The angler rises with the sun, and, therefore, has frequent opportunities of beholding the various beautiful phenomena which attend the advent of that glorious orb ; he hastens with buoyant spirits to his favourite stream , wending his way through flowery meadows, or to some lone mountain glen, where the congregated waters of the hills find a devious passage through 2067077 INTRODUCTION. rocks and woods, to the calm bosom of the expansive lake. AH ilie varieties of light and shade, of form and colour, are presented to his view, amidst a succession of sublime, pastoral, or romantic scenery ; and the botanist, mineralogist, and ento- mologist, may find ample room for observation on the borders of a mountain stream. Walton has very justly styled angling " the contemplative man's recreation ;" for the practice of it is, indeed eminently calculated to still the stormy passions of the breast, and lead to the calm and tranquil pleasures arising from frequent medi- tation on the beauties of nature. This delightful old author has so skilfully defended his favourite art against the sneers of ignorance and prejudice ; that I shall merely observe, that I believe the art of angling to be an innocent, entertaining, and a healthful pursuit, and calculated to be equally useful and amusing to men of studious habits and sedentary occupations. Sacred and profane history alike prove the antiquity of angling ; the Boak of Job and the prophet Amos speak of fish- hooks as well-known implements in the hands of ancient anglers; and Plutarch gives us a scene between the Queen of Egypt and her infatuated lover, which proves that Mark Antony, whatever might have been his personal accomplishments, was a very indifferent brother of the angle. Nor was this employ- ment then held to be cruel (and thence unjustifiable), for He who " went about doing good " chose the greater number of his apostles from amongst fishermen ; and, on one occasion, said expressly to a disciple, " Go thou to the sea and cast an hook, and take the first fish that cometh," which may surely be considered a sufficient answer to those whose extreme and some- what morbid sensibility may have been awakened by the poetic vituperations of Lord Byron, or the exaggerated descriptions of the clever Horace Smith. ELLIOTS COMPLETE ANGLER. RIVERS, PONDS, AND CANALS, IN THE VICINITY OF LONDON. The Thames contains all kinds of fish ; being under the juvis- diction of the Lord Mayor as far as Staines, up to that place no one is allowed to fish (under a penalty of twenty pounds), during the months of March, April, and May, as most iresh- water fish cast their spawn during those months. From Staines to Battersea, various parts of the river are staked out, and bailiffs appointed to see that the fish are not taken by improper means. The angler may, therefore, be certain of meeting with plenty of sport in those places. In the New River, which is free for any person to try his fortune in, from its source near Ware in Hertfordshire, to Isling- ton, very many fine fish may be found. The Lea river, which runs into the Thames at Poplar, abounds with fish. Some parts of the river are preserved, and for per- mission to angle there, you must pay a certain sum annually. The Eoding, which runs into the Thames at Barking, pro- duces an abundance of eels, cliub, perch, &c. There are many deep holes and favorable spots for angling in this river at Abridge, Woodford, Loughton, Ilford, Waubtead, and Barking. In the Mole, which empties itself into tlie Thames at East Moulsey in Surrey, many good fish may be found. The angler will find the best sport near Esher, Leatherhead, Cobham, Dorking, or Ryegate. In the Wandle, at Mitcham^ Merton. Carshalton, and Wands- worth, fine trout, &c. may be taken. On Chiselhurst common, in Kent, about twelve miles from London, are some ponds stored with cai-p and tench, &c. &c. The large pond near the King's Head Inn, is the best. A mile to the east of Shooter's hill, in Kent, there are some ponds on a common near the road side, containing carp, tench, &c. T ese ponds are free to all anglers. The Camberwell Canal contains pike, roach, carp, perch and eels ELLIOTS COMPLETE ANGLER. At Stanmore, in Middlesex, ten miles from London, there are two or three ponds on the common, in which perch, tench, &c. may be fonnd. Between these ponds and Stanmore Priory, about a mile distant, is a very fine piece of water called the Long Pond, which contains pike, &c. The Paddington Canal has chub, eels, gudgeons, perch, roach, and pike. The river Wey, in Surrey, which joins the Thames near Oat- lands park, contains barbel, ruffe, dace, gudgeons, carp, pike, and roach. Dagenham Breach, in Essex, is preserved for angling. The subscription is two pounds per annum. It is well stored with carp, pike, bream, eels, &c. The Lake in the gardens of Hornsey-wood house, contains perch, tench, roach, &c., and in which persons taking refresh- ment at the tavern are allowed to fish. The Ravensbourne, in Kent, contains good roach, chub, gudgeons, perch, trout, and dace. In the Colne, near Uxbridge and Denham, fine trout abound; but as the river is rented, you must obtain leave to fish, and pay so much per pound for what you catch. On Hampstead heath and Clapham common, are some free ponds, containing perch, carp, and a few other fish. The Surrey Canal Docks at Eotherhithe, contain plenty of good jack, roach, bream, perch, and eels. It is a subscription, water, and the terms are a guinea annually, or a shilling for each day's sport. In the Commercial Docks at Rotherhithe, bream, eels, &c. abound. You must procure an admission ticket from a director, before you can fish in this water. TACKLE FOR ANGLING. E D S . The rod being the staff upon which the angler's sport depends, we shall proceed to give some particulars respecting the choice aud manufacture of that essential article. ELLIOT S COMPLETE ANGLER. The rod should, when put together, taper gradually from the butt end to the top, and be perfectly straight and even. For general purposes, a rod of about twelve feet in length is the most convenient ; but in wide rivers, fifteen and eigliteen feet rods are sometimes required. A bamboo rod with several tops of different degrees of strength, is exceedingly well adapted for general purposes, and a cane rod surpasses every other for fine fishing. If the young angler wishes to turn rod manufacturer, he may use ash for the butts, and lancewood for the tops, and so make extremely good two piece rods ; or crab tree for the stocks, with hazel or yew switches for the tops. A whalebone top is an extremely good, although not an indis- pensable article ; it shoidd have a strong loop of horse-hair whipt on it. It is a good plan to have a rod for each kind of fishing, as by such an arrangement they can be kept in complete order, and ready for immediate service. The rods shoiild be ringed to guide the line from the reel. LINES. The best and most serviceable lines are those made of horse" hair, for such as are composed of hair and silk, from retaining the water, soon become rotten. Good lines should be perfectly twisted, round, and even, without any little irregularities, and in point of colour those which are of a light grey, brown, or white, are perhaps the most useful; some anglers, however, prefer a light serrel tint. The bottom, or casting line for fly fishing, which is affixed to the line on tlie reel, must be of gut at the top, and very fine at the dropper or bottom, and before any flies are made upon it, it should be picked and tried to see that it is of an uniform thick- ness throughout. It is never worth a lad's while to attempt manufacturing fishing lines, as they may always be purchased more neatly finished, and even at a much cheaper rate than he could pos- sibly contrive to make them. When fastening the line on the rod, the loop of the line should be passed through the ring at the end of the top joint, carried over the ferrule, and then drawn up to the top again, by which plan the loop will be secured. ELLIOT S COMPLETE ANGLER. FLOATS; Floats can always be procured ready-made of all sizes and eveiy variety of shape. For small fish and slow streams, porcupine, swan, goose, or Muscovy duck quill floats, will be found the best ; and in strong and rapid rivers, or for the larger kinds of fish, cork floats must be used. If the young angler prefers exercising his own ability in making cork floats, to purchasing them ready made, he must procure a piece of extremly fine-grained sound cork, and bore a hole through it with a small red-hot iron, then put in a quill which will exactly fit the aperture, and afterwards cut the cork into the shape of a pear. When this is finished, he must grind it smooth with pumice- stone, and paint and varnish it. As it is essentially requisite that the float should swim perpendicularly in the water, that it may betray the slightest nibble, it must be carefully poised by fastenins a few shot on the line. WINCHES. A winch is one of the most useful additions to your angling apparatus which you can procure. With its assistance you may reach parts of a river you could not otherwise attempt. HOOKS. Of hooks there are four kinds, the Limerick, the Kendal, the Kirby, and the Sneckbend ; which fashion or shape is the best, is a question very difficult to settle, as almost every angler has a predilection in favour of one sort, to the prejudice of all the others. BAITS. The ash-grub is found in the rotten bark of a tree wlxich has been felled some time ; it is an excellent bait for grayling, chub, dace, or roach, and may be used all the year round. It should be kept in wheat bran. The brandling, or gilt-tail, is found in old dung-hills, tanner's bark, rotten earth, and cows' dung. It is an admirable bait for BLLIOT S COMPLETE ANGLER. percli, tencb, bream, gudgeon, and indeed for almost any kind offish. The cabbage worm is a good bait for chub, dace, roach,or trout. The caterpillar also is employed for the same fish as the cab- bage worm. The locality of the crab-tree worm is indicated by its name. It is a good bait for roach, dace, trout, and chub. Flag or dock worms inhabit the fibres of flag roots in old pits or ponds. They are excellent baits for tench, bream, bleak, grayling, carp, perch, dace, and roach. Gentles, or maggots, are bred by hanging up a piece of meat until it putrifies ; they should be kept on flesh, and when they have arrived at their full size, a little bran and damp saud may be put in the vessel in which they are immured, for the purjiose of scouring them ; they will be fit for use in a day or two, and are tempting bait for all kinds of fish. When putting a gentle on the hook, you must insert the hook at one end of it, and bring it out at the other, and then draw the gentle back until it completely covers the point of the hook. The meadow or marsh worm is found in marshy places or on the banks of the rivers Oak worms may be gathered on the leaves of the oak tree. The tag- tail may be procured in meadows or chalky lands, after rain, or in the morning, during the months of March or April ; it is accounted a good bait for trout in cloudy weather, or when the water is muddy. White grubs, or white bait, are much larger than gentles, and may be found in sandy and meadow lands. In order to scour and preserve worms, you must procure some very fresh moss, wash away all particles of earth from it, and squeeze it, but not too dry ; then put it into a jar and press it closely down, and place worms upon it. Wasp grubs may be taken from the nest ; they require to be hardened in a warm oven, and will prove a good bait for such fish as take gentles. House crickets are good to dib with for chub. Beetles are good also for chub ; they may be found in cowdung. Miller's thumbs, bleaks, minnows, dace, gudgeons, loaches, sticklebals, smelts, and roach, are used as baits for some of the larger fish. Grasshopper's are good baits during June, July, and August, for roach, grayling, chub, and trout ; their legs and wings must be taken off before they are put on the hook. 10 ELLIOT S COMPLETE ANGLER. Palmer worms, or cankers, are found on herbs, plants and trees. Salmon spawn is an excellent bait for trout and chub ; you may purchase it at the shops ready for use ; but if you wish to prepare it yourself, you must attend to the following instructions: About September or October, purchase a pound of salmou spawn, boil it for a quarter of an hour, wash away the blood, and pick out all the pieces of skin ; next add to it two ounces of salt and a quarter of an ounce of saltpetre, and bray them all up together in a mortar ; put it in little jars, and pour over it mutton suet melted ; cover the mouths of the jars with pieces of bladder, and the spawn will be fit for use at any time, and may be kept for two years. GROUND BAIT. Ground baiting is a most essential part of angling and ought never to be omitted, as success in bottom or float fishing cannot be expected, unless the proper means for drawing the fish toge- ther are resorted to. For barl)el, it is necessary to make the lumps of ground bait large in proportion to the strength of the current in which you fish. For carp, teuch, eels, perch, and bream, fresh grains will be found very serviceable. They must be perfectly fresh, for if they have the slightest laiut of sourness, the fish will not touch them. PASTE BAITS. When W'orking up paste baits, be particularly careful to have clean ha.ids, and knead your pastes thoroughly, so that all the materials may be well incorporated. Sheeps' blood and satfron make a good paste for roach, bleak, &c. For barbel, an excellent paste may be made by dipping the crumb of new white bread in the liquor in which chandlers' greaves has been boiled, adding a little of the greaves, and working it up till it is stiff. Paste baits are not at all adapted for swift, running streams, but for quiet brooks, ponds, or very still rivers. Elliot's complete angler. 11 ARTIFICIAL FLIES. There are upwards of a hundred different kinds of flies suit- able to this species of angling, a full description of the method of making each, would far exceed our limits ; we shall, therefore, describe some of the most usual only. The cow-dung fly may be used from the 1st of April, and will kill till September. Its wing should be made of a feather of the land-rail, its body of yellow camlet mingled with a little fur from the brown bear, and its legs of ginger blue dun, is an excellent fly during March and April, and should be used in the middle of the daj\ The dun fly's wings must be made of a starling's feather, body of blue fur from a water rat, mixed with a little yellow- cohmred mohair, and its tail, which is forked, of two fibres from the feather which you use for the wings. The black gnat makes its appearance about the latter end of April, and will be found useful till the close of May. A black ostrich's harl must be used in making the body of this fly, and starling's feather for the wings ; it should be trim- med fchort and thick. This fly is reckoned a good killer when the water is rather low. The violet fly is also used in April ; it is made of light dun- coloured bear's hair mixed with violet stuff, and winged with the grey feather of a mallard. The stone fly, which may be used with success during May, especially in the mornings, is composed of dun bear's liair, mixed with brown and yellow camlet, putting more yellow on the belly and tail than on any other part, a grizzled hackle for the legs, and a mottled feather from a hen pheasant, or blue cock's hackle for the wings, which must lie flat. The green drake, or May fly, is, perhaps, the best that can be procured for trout fishing. Its wings should be made of the light feather of the grey drake, dyed lemon colour, its body of yellow-coloured mohair, neatly ribbed with green silk, head of a peacock's harl, and its tail of three long hairs from a sable muff. The yellow sally is an approved fly from the early part of May to the end of June. Its body must be made of yellow l2 Elliot's complete angler. unravelled worsted, mixed with some fur from a hair's ear, and its wings of a hackle dyed yellow. The grey drake appears about the same time as the green drake, which, indeed in shape it very closely resembles. The purple fly is made of purple wool mixed with light brown bear's hair, and dubbed with purple silk, is useful during June and July. The red ant's wings must be made of a light feather from a starling, its body of a peacock's harl, and its legs of a ginger coloured hackle, and be careful to make its body thick at the end. This fly first appears in June, and continues to August ; it is a capital killer from eleven in the morning till six in the evening. HINTS TO ANGLERS. It is generally understood that when two or three persons are angling in the same stream, there shall be a distance of thirty yards between them. If the learner wishes to become a complete angler, he must u