THE LIBRARY

THE UNIVERSITY

OF CALIFORNIA

PRESENTED BY

PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND

MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID

ILVER

THE MODERN

PRACTICAL ANGLER

A COMPLETE GUIDE TO

FLY-FISHING, BOTTOM-FISHING & TROLLING

H. CHOLMONDELEY-PENNELL

INSPECTOR OF FISHERIES

AUTHOR OF " THE ANGLER-NATURALIST" " THE BOOK OF THE PIKe" ETC

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LONDON
GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND SONS

THE BROADWAY, LUDGATE
NEW YORK: 416, BROOME STREET

/.4- LL P

LONDON :

SAVILL, EDWARDS, AND CO., PRINTERS, CHANDOS STREET,

COVENT GARDEN.

LNb,

JOHN FRANCIS WORTH, Esq.

OF WORTH, DEVON,

ONE OF THE MOST THOROUGH SPORTSMEN OF THE DAY
WITH HORSE, ROD, OR GUN,

THESE PAGES ARE DEDICATED

HIS SINCERE FRIEND,

THE AUTHOR.

fvi35S43'6

OPINIONS OF THE PRES

"The ' Modern Practical Angler' is the latest, though let us hope not the last, of Mr.
Cholmondeley-Penneli's contributions to our angling literature. The purpose of the work
is twofold : first, to suppl}' the demand which exists for some general and complete angling
manual, bringing the subject up to the mark of modern art ; and secondly, to introduce
the author's views on the subject of fly-fishing, which not only differ vvidely from hitherto
received canons, but, if accepted, will practically revolutionise, in the direction of
simplifying, the whole system both of making and using artificial flies. Our readers will
hardly need our assurance that the first object has been thoroughly and ably fulfilled.
.... In regard to the second portion of the book, which relates to fly-fishing, the result
of Mr. Pennell's teaching is ' the substitution of six typical flies — three for salmon and
grilse, and three for trout, grayling, &c. — for the whole of the artificial flies now used.'
This is indeed a ' revolutionary measure,' and one in which every fly-fisher is directly and
personally interested ; for who would not be glad to dispense if he could, once and for all,
with the cumbrous assortment of furs, silks, and feathers with which the orthodox
practice now loads his tackle-box, and the thousand-and-one patterns of flies enjoined by
Tackle-makers and angling writers as necessary for each variety offish, river, and season?
To the disciples of Mr. Pennell's school this will be all changed. His three typical trout-
flies, which are new both in principle and construction, can be made, he assures us, by the
merest tyro ; and both these and the salmon-flies— dressed, of course, of different sizes —
will readily stow away, with the materials for making them, in the compass of an ordi-
nary bait-box. The 'glorious uncertainty' as to 'which is the right fly,' and the loss of
precious time in experimental changes, are also obviated under Mr. Pennell's system,
which we look forward with great interest to testing by the river-side on the first opportu-
nity. The prospect seems almost too tempting to be realised ; but it cannot be denied
that the author's theories and conclusions are the legitimate deductions from an argument
logically and even severely worked out ; and we can hardly conceive that Mr. Pennell,
whose 'fame is on many waters,' would peril his reputation by putting forward in so
deliberate a manner theories which he had not himself thoroughly tested in practice.

"Mr. Pennell is not only well known as a se7iior angler, but as one of the straightest
riders and straightest shots in England, and whatever he writes is well worthy of the
consideration of Sportsmen." — Baily's Magazine.

"The book is adapted as a vade-7nenim to all classes of anglers." — Land and Water.

" Mr. Pennell is so well and so favourably known as a fishing author, that anything which
comes from his pen is sure to deserve and secure serious consideration from an angler's
point of view. What Mr. Pennell's politics may be we do not know, but in matters
piscatorial he is undoubtedly an awful ladical : he insists on the most complete revolution
in all things, and he is a philosophical radical to boot, for he gives reasons for the faith
that is in him .... we have no doubt that this, the latest addition to angling literature,
will take a high place in the estimation of the public." — Field.

" Written by an angler of long and varied experience, the ' Modern Practical Angler'
is certainly the best modern fishing guide that has come under our notice. The work is
full of practical information. " — Gentleman' s Magazine.

"The book is clever and handsome, containing much that will interest old anglers and
instruct new ones, and also a little that will rouse some of those fierce yet pleasant
controversies to which votaries of ' the quiet art' are fully as prone as their brethren of
other sports, who do not deny being more noisy. Mr. Pennell has fished in many places,
in many ways, with many men ; he has an eye for natural scenery^ and a knowledge of
natural history ; and he has proved himself the possessor of an elegant and sprightly pen
both in prose and \Gr&&."— Scotsman.

" We have no need to certificate the author's thorough knowledge of a sport which, as
he justly observes, is becoming every day more a matter of difficulty and of fine art
.... Mr. Pennell covers ably the whole field of angling pursuit. "—i?a//y Telegraph.

PREFACE,

The rapid advance of late years of theoretical and
material knowledge has produced a corresponding im-
provement in the practice of most of the arts and
sciences ; and the professors of the gentle art, though
in a quiet and unobtrusive way, have been by no means
behindhand in the general progress. The result is, that
the fisherman's library, for all practical purposes, consists
only of some dozen books, all, or almost all, being
the works of living authors. The names of Stoddart,
Peard, Francis, and Stewart, as preceptors in the use of
the rod and line ; and in the cognate departments of
ichthyology and angling belles lettres, those of Russel,
Westwood, and Buckland, are household words wherever
English anglers are to be found.

With such a phalanx of authors already in the field,
however, it may be not unnaturally asked, Why is the
present volume published "i The answer is, that the
admirable works of the writers referred to are, with one
exception,"^ so far as the practice of angling is con-
cerned, monographs, or treatises on particular branches
only of fishing ; and that there is a demand for some
general and complete angling manual, bringing the

* " A Book on Angling/' by Francis Francis, Esq Longman
and Co. 15s.

vi PREFACE.

subject up to the mark of modern art, and saleable at a
price not beyond the reach of the masses. . The present
work is an attempt to supply this desideratum.

In regard, moreover, to the theory and practice of the
most important branch of angling, viz., Fly-fishing, I
have arrived at conclusions not only differing widely
from hitherto received canons, but which, if accepted,
will go far to revolutionize, in the direction of simplify-
ing, the whole system both of making and using artificial
flies.

The question of tackle, also, has for many years
occupied much of my attention ; and the details of this
subject — especially as regards hooks — are entered into
with a minuteness which may perhaps seem to require
apology. The apology is, that the whole art of angling
consists really of an aggregation of minutiae, and that
upon the difference between, say, a hook of one pattern
and a hook of another, often depends, in effect, the
difference between a good and a bad day's sport.

The present opportunity is taken of submitting to the
judgment of anglers a new pattern of hook, constructed
on mechanical principles, and the result of some thought
and experiment.

In the department of Trolling — using the term in its
widest sense — almost the whole of the tackle described
is original, and might properly be called new, but that
some of it has already appeared in the " Book of the
Pike." Amongst the additions are an improved form of
spinning-lead, an artificial trouting-minnow, new flights

PREFACE. Vll

for Spinning the eel-tail bait for Pike and Salmon, and,
as I hope, a satisfactory solution of that long vexed
problem, the " Preserved Bait" question.

In Pond and Float-fishing generally, modern practice
and precept have not perhaps left much to be said that
is in the strict sense of the term new ; but on these
subjects I may at least claim that nothing is put for-
ward which I do not myself know to be true.

It happened to me, in fact, owing to a combination of
circumstances, to have graduated in turn in every branch
of fish-catching, from Sticklebacks to Salmon; and
perhaps few men have wandered further over the
United Kingdom in search of sport than I have, or
dipped their flies into wilder or more varied waters.
Lodging often for weeks together in shepherds' huts
and cabins, and sometimes with no lodging but the
heather, and no companion but my rod, I have fished
Scotland, river and loch, from Coruisk to the Tweed,
and back again to the Ness. Ireland I know from the
Bush to the Blackwater. I have taken Salmon from
the Welsh Conway, and Trout from the grass-covered
basin of Llyn Ogwen ; and many a time has my creel
grown heavy amongst the fairy foams and brawling
shallows of the Dartmoor and Exmoor streams, or by
the teeming waters of the Itchen, the Avon, or the
Thames, on whose banks I have spent many of the
pleasantest years of my life .... But I need say no
more on this point — if, indeed, I have already not said
too much. My book will be judged, not by who writes

Vlll PREFACE.

it, but by what is written- in it ; and I am not now
addressing an angling audience for the first, though it
may probably be for the last — time.

For the rest, no attempt is made in these pages at
fine writing. Flowery periods and apposite quotations
occupy space ; and, I take it, if any one reads this
book it will be with the desire of getting as much in-
formation as possible in the plainest and most con-
densed form.

It may be added that the Engravings of fish with
which the several chapters are illustrated, have been
taken from carefully selected specimens, obtained in
every instance from the localities most celebrated for
each particular species, and have been executed under
my own eye.

Woodlands, Weybridge,

Ij/ januatj, 1870.

CONTENTS.

PART L— TACKLE.

GENERAL REMARKS, p. I.

CHAPTER I., pp. 5—15.

HOOKS.

Imperfections of hooks ; bend, over-fineness of wire and 'springing,' shank

point, barb, p. 6.
Proper mechanical theory 0/^— penetration, holding-power, strength, lightness,

neatness, p. 9.
Existing lends of hooks — Sneck, Sproat, Limerick, round, Kirby, and their

defects ; ' hog-backed' hooks, p. 9.
Neio pattern of hook described, p. 10.
Hooks for trolling tackle — Triangles and double hooks, tail and reverse hooks.

Lip-hooks, with gimp loops and metal loops; faults of existing patterns,

new patterns described, p. 14.

CHAPTER H., pp. 16—22.

SPINNING TACKLE: FLIGHTS, LEADS, AND SWIVELS.

Flights — Loss of fish, &c., with old-fashioned flights. New flights, flying

triangles, p. 18.
Kinking — Causes of, defective leads ; the remedy, improved leads, p. 20.
Sivivels — Number, arrangement; double swivels, 'loop swivels,' p. 22.

CHAPTER HI., pp. 23—38.

LINES AND REELS.

Trolling lines and dressing for, p. 26.

Reel-lines for Jly fishing — Dressed line, silk and hair, spun cotton, p. 27.

Reel-lines for bottom fishing — ' Nottingham line,' p. 28.

Gut lines — Choice of gut, ' drawn gut.' Staining gut — Defective stains ; one

general stain recommended; 'red water' and other stains, p. 31.
Hair — Objectionable for every kind of fishing; staining : dyeing feathers, p. ^^.
Gimp — Different qualities and sizes ; method of staining, p. 34.
Reels — Wooden reels or 'pirns,' multipliers, plain reels, check reels, aluminium

reels. A suggested improvement in reels, p. 38.

X CONTENTS.

CHAPTER IV., pp. 39—52.

RODS AND ROD MAKING.

Observations on rod woods : Solid — Hickory, greenhart, ash, willow, fir, p. 43.

Hollow — East India, or mottled bamboo, white cane, Carolina cane, jungle

cane, p. 45.
Rod rings. — Upright rings recommended for all purposes; 'pronged rings,*

proper shape for bottom and top rings, p. 48. Ferrules — ' Tube-cut,*

' hammered,' ' Brazing' of joints — To separate * stuck' joints, p. 49.
A general rod described, p. 52.

CHAPTER v., pp. 53— 64.

MISCELLANEA.

Knots for lines and gut — Lapping over ends, fisherman's knot; some new

knots described, p. 55.
New knots for Salmon and Trout drop flies, &fc., p. 59.
Famishes — Green varnish ; rod and tackle varnish, p. 60.
Bait-cans — Essentials of ; new 'shoulder' bait-can ; preserving live baits, p. 62.
Disgorgei-s — Disgorger blades, a 'fishing knife,' p. 63.
Landing-nets and gaffs — A new pocket-net described, p. 64.

PART II.— FLY-FISHING.
CHAPTER VI., pp. 65—78.

ARTIFICIAL FLIES.

Present systems of artificial {Trout) flies — 'Colourists' and 'formalists'; both

theories unsound in part, p. 70. Fishing up-stream, &c., erroneous, p. 71.
True theory of artificial Trout flies, and Application of to practice — form,

colour, size, p. 76.
Three typical Trout flies described aiid recommended to be substituted for all

others for Trout, Whitetrout, and Grayling fishing, p. 76.
Theory of Salmon flies — The argument applied; three patterns of flies for

Salmon and Grilse recommended to be substituted for all others, p. 77.
Theory of Whitetrout fi,ies, p. 77.
Summary — Six flies only necessary for every description of fly-fishings p. 77.

CHAPTER VII., pp. 79— 86.

BROWN-TROUT.

ARTIFICIAL FLY-FISHING IN RIVERS AND LAKES.

Salmon and Trout fishing contrasted, p. 79. River-fly-fishing — Casting;

* switching,' p. ^^.
Drop. flies — Theory of; more than one a mistake. How to work the drop-fly, p.84.
Striking and playing ; when and where to fish, p. 86.

CONTENTS. XI

CHAPTER VIII., pp. 87—104.

TROUT-FLIES.

Typical flies described — * Green/ ' brown/ and ' yellow' ; new principle of

construction. A colourless wax, p. 90. Prevailing colours of natural flies.

Colours of hackles ; dyed hackles best. All flies should be carried in a

box, p. 93.
Selecting of Jlies — Size; colour. Fly rods and tackle. Fishing with the dry

fly, p. 98.
Lake Jiy-Jishing — Choice of flies j size, colour, &c., p. 100.
^Fishing with natural flies — 'Creeper* and stone-fly fishing; blow-line fishing

with the May-fly, p. 104.

CHAPTER IX., pp. T05— 113.

WORM-FISHING.

Modern and old systems contrasted. Proper times and places for worm-fishing,
p. 106.

Existing tackles; theory of. New tackle described — Suitable for river-
bottom fishing generally? p. iii.

Trace. Best worms; management of bait, &c., p. 113.

CHAPTER X., pp. 114— 129.

RIVER AND LAKE MINNOW-SPINNING FOR TROUT,

Spinniiig with the natural bait. — The essentials of a perfect minnow tackle;

how to be combined in practice; a 7iew minnow tackle described, p. 117,
Artificial baits. N'ew metal minnow described, p. 119.
Great Lake Trout ; how, when, and where to spin for; tackle, p. 122.
Lake-Spinning for Brown Trout ; tackle, natural and artificial baits, p. 124.
Thames Trout-fishing, with the spinning bait and with fly; Tackle, &c.

Decrease of Thames Trout, p. tisQ.

CHAPTER XI., pp. 130—135.

WHITE-TROUT FISHING.

Different species of White-Trout and their habitats, p. 131.

U hite-Trout flies — "Green," "brown," and "yellow" typical Trout flies,

with the addition of tinsel, recommended also for White-Trout. ,

Observations of Jiy-fshing and spinning for. Rod, tackle, &c., p. 134.

xil CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XII., pp. 136—144.

GRAYLING FISHING.

Grayling rivers and haunts. — The * Grayling country;' spawning j growth-
rate, and nomenclature, p. 139.

Artificial fly-fishing andjiies. Uselessness of the great number of Grayling
flies .; typical Trout Jiies recommended to he substituted. Tackle, when
and where to fly-fish, p. 140.

Grasshopper fishing — best tackle, and mode of using; time, place, p. 144.

Grayling fishing with the gentle, p. 144.

CHAPTER XIII., pp. 145—173.

SALMON FISHING.

Outline of Salmon history and nomenclature, p. 148.

Fly-fishing: two principal difficulties, the 'rise' and the 'stroke'; casting

and working the fly. Salmon haunts, p. 152.
Changing fiies, and casting for second rise; wading, &c., p. 154.
Salmon and Grilse Jlies : three universal flies described — ' Silver,' ' gold,*

and * rainbow.' New method of construction — Head-hackles, &c., p. 160.
* Loops'" ; and how to fasten flies to casting-lines, p. 162.
Rod, reels, lines, and hooks. Gaffing, p. 166.
Spinning — Eel-tail bait and tackle, p. 169.
Worm-fishing and tackle, p. 173.

PART III.— "TROLLING,"— OR PIKE-FISHING.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS, p. 1 74.

CHAPTER XIV., pp. 177—199.

SPINNING.

Theory of spinning. Spinning fights — The Author's patterns; directions for

baiting, p. 180; details of construction, p. 182.
Traces — leads. Rod, reel, and reel-line for spinning and Pike fishing generally,

p. 184.
How to spin — Casting; 'Nottingham method;' striking; playing; landing,

p. 191.
Spinning-baits — Natural baits; Bleak, Dace, Gudgeon; the Eel-bait, tackle for

and how to catch. Preserved bait. Sea-fish as baits. Artificial baits,

Pv T96.
fVhe?i and where to spin — Pike haunts and spawning time, p. 199.

CONTENTS. Xlll

CHAPTER XV., pp. 200—208.

TROLLING WITH THE DEAD GORGE BAIT.

Tackle and hooks — New leads; improved fastening for bait. The trace, p. 204.
Working the gorge bait — and management whilst gorging. Gorge baits, p. 208.

CHAPTER XVI., pp. 209—218.

LIVE-BAIT FISHING.

Snap live-bait tackle — Defective tackles; essentials of a perfect flight. New
pattern and trace described ; mode of baiting, and baiting needles, p. 212.
Floats ; new system of, p. 213. Baits, and how to catch, p. 215,
How and where to use the live bait. Live gorge bait. Receipt for cooking Pike,
p. 217.

PART IV.— BOTTOM OR FLOAT-FISHING.
CHAPTER XVII., pp. 219—225.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS.

'Old' and 'new' (or 'Nottingham^) methods of bottom-fshing, p. 220.
Ordinary float-Jishing — Rods, lines, hooks, floats, shot, reels, &c., p. 223.
Nottingham Jishing — specialities of, and tackle, p. 225.

CHAPTER XVIII., pp. 226—236.

BAITS, BAITING, AND GROUND BAIT.

Baits — Worms; brandlings, lob-worms, where to get and how to preserve;

Gentles, greaves, pith and bullock's brains. Hasp-grubs ; easy method

of taking wasp-nests. Pastes. Miscellaneous baits — Caddice: grasshoppers;

meal-worms; earth-grubs, p. 232.
Ground baits — Theory and practice of ground baiting; gentles, paste, bran,

bread, meal, greaves, grains, rice, worms, p. 236.

CHAPTER XIX., pp. 237—244.

PERCH.

Natural and artificial baits — Spinning andjly-fshi7ig,p. 238.
Live-baiting, 'paternostering' and 'roving,' p. 242.
Worm-Jishing in lakes, ponds, and rivers. Spawning season, p. 244.
The Pope or Ruffe, p. 244.

xiv CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XX., pp. 245—254.

BARBEL AND BREAM.

Habits of barbel and 'ground swimmers' generally. Bottom fshing — tackle

and baits. Leger fishing and tackle, p. 248.
Ground baits and baiting — Worms and clay-balls j how to use, p. 250.
Habits and Haunts of Barbel — Torpidity in great cold, p. 251.
Different species of Bream — Carp Bream; White Bream, or Bream flat;

Pomeranian Bream : their habitats, and how to be distinguished, p. 252.
Bream fishing — Tackle, baits. Ground baits. Spawning time, p. 253.

CHAPTER XXL, pp. 254—261.

ROACHANDRUDD.

Roach and Rudd are distinct species — how to be identified. A new variety of
Rudd. Habitats of Roach and Rudd. Spawning season, p. 257,

Best baits and ground baits in running and stagnant waters, and how to use
them. Tackle. Other species of the Roach genus, p. 261.

CHAPTER XXII., pp. 262—271.

DACE AND CHUB.

The two species contrasted — Distinguishing marks, — habits and haunts, p. 265.

Dace fishing — Baits; ground baits, tackle, &c. Fly-fishing, p. 266.

Chub fishing with the fly : theory of Chub-flies. Useless multiplication of

patterns : only one necessary. A new pattern described, p. 209.
Floatfishing — Caterpillars and grcisshoppers; live minnows; pith and bullock's

brains, p. 271.

CHAPTER XXIII.,pp. 272— 278.

CARP AND TENCH.

The two species contrasted— Alleged healing powers of Tench. Longevity and

growth-rate of Carp. Habits and haunts of the two fish, p. 276.
Carp and Tench fishing — Tackle, baits, ground baits, &c., p. 278.

CHAPTER XXIV., pp. 279—288.

ON SMALL FISH PRINCIPALLY USED AS BAITS.

Bleak — How to fish for with the fly, gentle, and cast-net — How to cook

Gudgeon and Gudgeon fishing, p. 283.
Stone Loach — Miller's Thumb, Minnows and Sticklebacks, p. 286.
All anglers should be Ichthyologists, p. 288.

AGENTS FOR SUPPLYING TACKLE.

The tackle, &c., described in the following pages may
be obtained at most good fishing-tackle shops, but the
following Manufacturers of long standing have been
specially appointed agents, and have undertaken to
make and supply it strictly according to pattern.

I have found some arrangement of this kind indispen-
sable, in consequence of the frequent alterations, or so-
called '' improvements," introduced into the tackle sold
under my name by inferior makers — the effect of such
alterations being usually mischievous, and often destruc-
tive. I would therefore urge upon fishermen who may
be inclined to try the flies, hooks, spinning-flights, &c.,
herein recommended, to compare them closely with the
illustrative patterns and diagrams, and to reject them
if inaccurate. H. C.-P.

I^IST OF A.GENTS.

ENGLAND.

(London.)

Mr. Charles Farlow, 191, Strand, W.C.

Bernard and Son, 4, Church-place, Piccadilly; S.W.

Mr. Thomas Aldred, 126, Oxford-street, W.

Miss Phoebe Maria Jones, iii, Jermyn-street, S.W.

Mr. John MacGowan, 7, Bmton-street, New Bond-street, W.

XVI

LIST OF AGENTS.

Messrs. Eaton and Deller, 6 and 7, Crooked-lane, E.G.
Gowland and Co., 3 and 4, Crooked-lane, E.G.
Chevalier Bowness and Son, 12, Bell-yard, W.C.
Messrs. Bowness and Bowness, 230, Strand, W.C.
Alfred and Son, 54, Moorgate-street, E.C.

Winchester .

Worcester

Shrewsbury

Manchester

Cheltenham

Edinburgh .

Glasgow . .

Aberdeen . .
Inver?tess

Kelso . . .

Dublin

(Provincial.)

Mr. J. Hammond, Great Minster-street.

Mr. Frederick Allies, 13, St. Nicholas-street.

Mr. Henry Shaw, 45, High-street.

Mr. John Chorlton, 81, Piccadilly.

Mr. James Ogden, 28, Winchcomb-street.

SCOTLAND.

Mrs. F. Hogg, 79, Princes-street
Mr. Phin, 80, Princes-street.
Mr. J. D. Dougall, 23, Gordon-street.
Mr. WilHam Brown, 36, George-street.
Mr. Hugh Snowie, 83, Church-street.
Forest and Sons, Kelso.

IRELAND.

. Martin Kelly and Son, 56, Lower Sackville-street.

Cork . . . Mr. William Ashton Hackett, 2>^, Patrick-street.

„ . . . Mr. WilHam Haynes, 62,, Patrick-street.

Castle-connell Mr. John Enright.

MODERN

PRACTICAL ANGLER.

PART I.— TACKLE.

GENERAL REMARKS.

We live in times in which, as we are constantly being
told, the "schoolmaster is abroad," and certainly the
dwellers in what the late Mr. Hood described as the
" Eely-Places" have come in for their full share of educa-
tional advantages. No well-informed Pike or Trout is
now to be ensnared by the simple devices which proved
fatal to his progenitors in the good old days of innocence
and Izaak Walton : and were we to sally forth with the
gear bequeathed to us by our great-grandfathers of
lamented memory we should expect to see the whole
finny tribe rise up to repel with scorn the insult offered
to their understanding. Owing doubtless to the rapidly
increasing popularity of fishing of late years, there are

2 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

but few waters on which the shadow of the rod or glitter
of the bait is not more or less familiar, and as a conse-
quence fish are everywhere becoming more wary and
more difficult to catch. If, therefore, we would make as
large baskets as we used, we must " subtilise" more and
more our deceptive arts, so as to keep pace with the growth
of fish-intelligence ; and to this end the most obvious,
and on the whole the most important means, is to be
sought in improving and refining to the uttermost every
part of our fishing tackle. Other circumstances being
equal, it n^ay be safely asserted that the man who
" fishes finest" will also catch most ; and if we would
ensure the presence of the greatest number of "fish-
diners" we must offer them a recherche menu. The
most primitive cookery and the coarsest bill of fare
will, it is true, be sufficient to attract the very lean or
very hungry ; but we want to entice also the fat
and well-flavoured gourmand, the fellow who has just
been breakfasting on a souchet of water-shrimps, or
making a prolonged luncheon on that bonne bouche
of the fish-epicure, the dainty and succulent little
May-fly.

It is with fish, in fact, very much as with ourselves :
the more daintily a repast is served up the more we
feel inclined to partake of it. Half-starved, or fast-
ing, the lords, ay, and ladies too, of creation can
relish anything — even the ponderous, antiquated joint,
or unprepossessing pea-soup ; but when once the edge

GENERAL REMARKS. 3

of hunger is taken off we require something gusta-
tory — highly-spiced entrees, jellies, creams, ices, — and
finally, to stimulate the jaded appetite, man's original
tempter, fruit, in which form and colour are called in to
assist taste.

To sum up the argument, therefore, I say that to
" fish fine" — finer if possible than any one else on the
same water — and to tickle the piscine palate to the
utmost, is the most certain way of making the heaviest
creel. As it has been well paraphrased : — " Tell me
what your tackle is, and I will tell you what your
basket is."

Nor is it only as regards the basket that fine-fishing is
to be commended : it is the only mode of killing fish
that deserves the name of sport. To land a twenty
pound Salmon or Pike by a single strand of gut, almost
invisible as it cuts the water like a knife, is a performance
to be proud of ; to lure " from his dark haunt beneath
the tangled roots," the pampered monarch of the brook
— to raise, strike, and steer him by a thread like gossamer
through fifty perils by bank, bush, and scaur, and finally
to lay the massive beauty gurgling on the green-sward
with the microscopic hook still unshaken from his jaws,
is a feat which taxes every nerve and the powers both of
mind and body to accomplish. But what skill or
pleasure either can there be in hauling out a miserable
animal by sheer brute force, with a machine like a cart-
rope and a clothes-prop .^ There is no '' law" shown to

B 2

4 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

the fish, and not the slightest prowess by the fisherman.
It is fish-slaughter — murder — anything you like — but it
is not *' sport." The essence of sport consists in the
amount of skill, difficulty, or danger to be exerted or
overcome in its pursuit.

CHAPTER I.

HOOKS.

General obser'vat'ions — Mechanical imperfections of hooks, bend, over-
fineness of wire and ' springing,' shank, point, and barb. Proper
theory of hooks — Points of a perfect hook, how to be attained : pene-
tration, holding-power, strength, lightness, and neatness. Existing
bends of hooks — Sneck, Sproat, Limerick, round, Kirby, and their
defects; 'hog-backed' hooks. Ne^ pattern described. Hooks for
trolling tackle — Triangles and double hooks, tail and reverse hooks.
Lip-hooks, with gimp loops, metal loops ; fault of existing patterns,
new patterns described.

Too much importance cannot be attached by the fisher-
man to everything that concerns hooks. They are to
the angler what the main-spring is to the watch, or the
crank to the steam-engine — the very alpha of his craft.
The whole art and paraphernalia of angling have for their
objects first to hook fish, and secondly, to keep them
hooked. And yet, extraordinary as it may seem in such
a mechanical age as ours, we cannot go into a tackle
shop and buy a hook in which one or more glaring
defects — or offences against the first principles of me-
chanics — cannot be pointed out. The most common
fault of all perhaps lies in the shape of the bend. I
have shown, when alluding to this subject in the Book of

6 MODERN PRACTICAL .ANGLER.

tJic Pike, how great is the difference in the penetrating
powers of different bends. Between the two extremes
it amounts to no less than cent, per cent. ; and yet even
the best of these fall below the point of efficiency which
ought to be attainable. Another obvious fault is over-
fineness in the wire, from which it results that when the
point comes sharply in contact with a bone or other
hard portion of a fish-s mouth, or even on the sudden
jerk occasioned by striking softer material, it "springs'*
— that is, yields by a widening of the bend outwards —
and so fails to penetrate. On the form of the shank
of the hook, again, depends to a considerable extent in
fly-fishing, the proper and even swim of the lure ; and
whilst the point and barb are the first portions of the
hook to be brought into requisition in practice, it would
seem that they are the last on which any theoretical
consideration has been bestowed.

The theory of hooks, as based simply on mechanical
principles, should probably run somewhat as follows : —

1. What are the objects to be aimed at in a perfect

hook ?

a. Penetration.
h. Holding power.

c. Strength.

d. Lightness and neatness.

2. How are these to be attained and combined ?

Penetration. — Cateris paribus, the penetrating power of any hook
will be greater in proportion as the angle of impact — the angle, that

HOOKS. 7

is, at which the point of the hook strikes the fish's mouth — coincides
with the direction of the force applied (i.e. the pull of the line) : or
to illustrate this by a diagram :—

DEFCCTIVE HOOKS

FIG .1

The dotted line a e represents the direction of the applied force ; the
penetration will be greater as the direction of the line of the point c d,
is coincident with that of a e. In figure i these two lines actually
correspond, and if there were no other matters to be taken into con-
sideration this hook, so far as penetration depending on bend is con-
cerned, would be mechanically perfect. Figure 2 represents a hook
in which the converse of the above principle is illustrated.

These principles hold good equally in the case of hooks the points
of which are crooked or turned sideways, as in the Kirbys and Snecks,
the penetration diminishing as the point is turned from the direction of
the applied force ; and accordingly this is the one particular in which
the Limerick is superior to the other bends. The sproat and round-bends
have also a similar advantage. In all these hooks the angle of impact,
such as it is, is direct.

The above arguments are based, it will be observed, on the assump-
tion that in all other respects except the bend, the hooks under compa-
rison are equal. But in fact hooks are divided into two broad divisions,
the one possessing and the other lacking an element which has an
obvious bearing on the penetrative power. I refer to the shape of
the shank, whether straight or * hog-backed ' (curved). The substi-

8 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

tution of a necessarily more or less yielding and elastic curve for a per-
fectly straight and rigid shank, cannot but affect adversely the pene-
trating powers. As regards the penetration of the point itself, it is
clear that, other circumstances being equal, the smaller the hole to be
made the less will be the force required to make it ; and also that a
long straightly tapered point, like that shown in figure i, will penetrate
more easily than a shorter and " blunter," or hoUo'wed-out point of the
form represented in figure 3. This latter principle, is merely, in fact,
a converse application of the mechanical truism, that what is gained in
speed is lost in power. If two barbs are of the same maximum
diameter, and one is twice as long as the other, the longer barb will
for practical purposes penetrate with half the pressure required by the
shortei-.

Again, with regard to the " point-side" of the barb (r d in diagram), it
is obvious that in order to insure a firm and deep penetration this side
must be of a proper length. The want of length in this part of the
hook is one of the faults of the " Sproat-bend" which is exaggerated
for sake of illustration in figure 3.

Holding po'voer, — To illustrate this I shall take a case which is both
the most common in practice and will admit of a theoretical demonstra-
tion : that of the hook having penetrated quite through the lip of the fish,
so that the point protrudes. In this case it is evident that, when once
hooked, the nearer the point approaches the shank of the hook, the
less chance must the fish have of escaping. This will be seen by car-
rying the principle to the extreme limit — and assuming that the point
was so bent in after hooking as actually to touch the shank ; the fish's
lip would then be enclosed in a complete triangle, from which, of
course, there could be no possible escape.

Strength. — It is obvious that those portions of the hook w^hich are
nearly or quite in the same line as the penetrating cr holding force, have
little or no strain to bear. This is the case with the shank and with
the short or point- side of the hook shown in the engraving fig. i. The
strain, therefore, is thrown on the top side, and more especially on the
angle yj and it is precisely in this point that the common sneck-bends
have hitherto failed in practice. So marked has been this failure
that I have known three Salmon to be lost within an hour, with sncck
JioolvS, all by breakages at the angle in question.

Lightness and neatness. — The lightest form of hook, other points

HOOKS. 9

being equal, must evidently be that in which, whilst retaining the re-
quisite thickness of metal at the portion subject to strain, the parts not
so subject— that is, the shank and " point-side"— are tapered away to-
wards the ends. Hooks so tapered are also neater when employed for
flies, and more convenient for general use.

The patterns of hook which at present most nearly
fulfil the conditions indicated by a practical application
of the foregoing theory are the sneck and sproat-bend
hooks ; the former is however marred by two faults, the
turning to one side of the point, and the lack of strength
above described ; and the latter by the want of depth
and power in the point-side, the hollowed out or
blunted shape of the barb, and the curved or " hog-
backed" form of the shank. Appearance, or neatness, is
of course a matter of taste, but whatever other claims the
sproat-bend has upon our suffrages they can hardly, I
think, be urged on the score of beauty. The Limerick
hook also has the disadvantage, though in a less ex-
aggerated form than the " sproat," of being hog-backed,
which, as I have shown, prevents the fly swimming
straight and even, and gives it an inclination to turn in
the water, like a miniature spinning-bait. The round
and Kirby bends are very deficient in penetrating power,
and disproportionately short in the shank as compared
to their breadth of bend, either for appearance or use,
more particularly in the matter of flies.

In the pattern of hook which is now being manufac-
tured by Messrs. Hutchinson, of Kendal, under m}^
name, I have endeavoured to hit the medium bcLvvcea

MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

theoretical and practical requirements, and to com-
bine as nearly as possible the advantages of the
various bends referred to, and especially of the sproat
and sneck bends, whilst avoiding what I believe to be
their faults.

Diagrams both of this hook and of the other hooks
described, are appended, and by applying to them
the principles advocated, my readers will be able to
form their own conclusions as to how far the pattern
I recommend fulfils the ideal sketched out. In this

1 1

1 1
I I

KIRBr LIMERICK

SPROAT

diagram the dotted lines show the directness or other-
wise of the angle of impact, and in this point it will be
seen that my hook is slightly inferior to the spr oat-bend.
In order however to obtain this extra-directness, both
the depth and therefore strength of the hold, the shape
of the barb, and generally the elegance of the whole
hook have in the sproat-bend been sacrificed. In my
pattern the angle of impact is quite direct enough to
ensure penetration, whilst the slight additional " rank-

wis

HOOKS. 1 1

ness" of the point makes it less likely to miss hooking
than if it were turned more inwards.

Fac-similes of the several sizes of my hooks are re-
presented in the annexed plate, and the numbers given
under each are those by which they are distinguished
by the manufacturers.

Hooks used in Trolling Tackle. — Triangles
AND Double Hooks.

Whatever is the best bend for single hooks is a fortiori
also the best for every description of triangles.

All triangles should invariably be brazed {i.e. soldered)
together, so as to form a single piece. This has a very
great influence upon their killing power, principally, no
doubt, because triangles which are only whipped to-
gether are liable to slip or yield, when brought into
sudden and violent contact with a fish's jaws.

Triangles of various sizes composed of my pattern of
hook, as also double hooks for gorge-live-baiting and
other purposes, are now being manufactured by Messrs.
Hutchinson, the shank, in the larger sizes, being made a
trifle shorter for the sake of neatness and lightness.
The numbers correspond with those of the single hooks,
according to the width of bend.

Tail- Hooks.

When my attention was first directed to the subject
of Spinning-tackle, I found that one of the chief draw-

12 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

backs of the old flights was that after a few casts the
strain on the bait's tail was apt to work out the fixed
hooks — set in the usual way point upwards — and thus
to destroy the curve of the bait on which its spinning
depended. This was combined with other minor
defects which need not be recapitulated. In order to
remedy these, I substituted for the small single tail
hook a long-shanked round-bend hook with a smaller
reverse hook lapped on to the end of the shank, so that
when the latter was fixed in its place, the " pull" of the
two hooks counteracted each other, and the bait both
spun more brilliantly and lasted very much longer than
under the old system. For readier manipulation these
hooks were subsequently made in a single piece, and in
this form are now very generally adopted by spinners.
In the plate annexed fac-similes of the sizes most
commonly in use are given for convenience of reference,
the numbers being those of Messrs. Hutchinson.

In tail-hooks the round bend is preferable to any
other, as it is more easily slipped under the skin of the
bait and gives it a more perfect curve, and consequently
a more rapid and regular motion. Directions for baiting,
with other detailed instructions for the use of these hooks,
will be found under the head of Pike-spinmng.

Lip-Hooks.

The lip-hook is a very important portion of the
spinning-flight, as upon it depends the proper position

HOOKS. 13

of the bait and flight. The chief objects to be aimed at
in this hook are durability and neatness combined with
ease in shifting when required, and complete fixedness
or immobility at other times. The three last desiderata
were all ver>^ fairly fulfilled by the old-fashioned lip-
hook, composed of gimp loops whipped on to an ordi-
nary lip-hook. The construction of this
lip-hook is shown below (figure 2). The
two little loops are formed by doubling a
piece of fine wire or gimp (figure i), and
laying it on the upper side of the shank of
the hook, and then lapping over all except the two ends.
When complete, the end of the gimp or gut to which
the flight is tied should be passed upwards through the
lower loop, then twisted two or three times round the
shank of the hook, and again passed upwards through
the upper loop and drawn tight.

To shift the position of the lip-hook higher or
lower, it is only necess^^ry to loosen the coils round
the hook by pushing the gimp upwards or down-
wards through the loops and then tightening from the
other end.

In the other essential of durability, however, it was
less satisfactory, and consequently various plans have
been tried for some years to remedy this deficiency by
making lip-hooks entirely of steel, one or both of the
loops being brazed to the shank. Hitherto, however,
these have been practical failures, as owing to the slip-

14 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

periness of the polished steel the line could not be
twisted round it tight enough to prevent its shifting its
position with the slightest strain, such as that, for
instance, which would be occasioned by its catching in
a weed. It became a slzp-hook, in fact, instead of a
/^/'-hook.

The manner in which the loops were set also caused
the gimp to stand out at each end in a manner that was
both unsightly, and which tended to lessen the direct-
ness of the line of pull, at the point where it was espe-
cially necessary, I have lately, however, had a metal

lip-hook made in which these

METAL LIP -HOOKS ,.„ , . mi t i i- t

difficulties will I believe be
found to have been overcome.
By leaving the shank of the
hook rough (unpolished) in-
stead of smooth, the gimp no
longer slips when once fixed in
position, and by some slight
changes in the position of the
steel loops it is made to hang

WEW PATTERN • OLD PATTERN

quite straight. The results of
the two systems in regard to this latter point are shown
in fac-simile in the engraving.

Diagrams of the several sizes of these lip-hooks likely
to be really wanted in the construction of spinning tackle
are given in the last plate (p. 12), with their numbers of
reference. All lip-hooks should be made small rather

HOOKS. 15

than large, as they comparatively seldom touch a fish,
and they show more than any others on the flight.
It is also desirable to keep the bait's mouth shut as
closely as possible. The hook figured in the wood-
cut at page 13 is about the number suitable for a
medium-sized gudgeon.

l6 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

CHAPTER II.

SPINNING TACKLE : FLIGHTS, LEADS, AND SWIVELS.

Flights — Drawbacks to spinning : loss of fish ; causes of losses ; old-
fashioned flights, flying triangles, new flights. Kinking — Causes of
kinking, defective leads ; the remedy, improved leads. Sivi've/s^-
Number, arrangement ; double swivels, * loop swivels.'

In spinning, both for Pike, and for lake or Thames
Trout, two great drawbacks were formerly experienced :
one the large proportion of fish lost after being struck ;
and another the " kinking," or crinkling of the line, to
which both sport and temper were not infrequently sacri-
ficed. The average of fish lost after being struck with
the old-fashioned tackle was computed at from fifty to
sixty per cent, — an estimate which has been generally
admitted to be under rather than over the mark.

Flights.
The above result was attributable mainly to the large
number of hooks and triangles — the latter ranging from
three to five — formerly employed on a good-sized flight.
These were not only useless, but distinctly mischievous,
both as regards the spinning of the bait and the basket-
ing of the fish when hooked. Upon the bait they acted

SPINNING TACKLES. 17

by impairing its brilliancy and attractiveness, rendering
it flabby and inelastic. Upon the fish they operated
only as fulcrums by which he was enabled to work out
the hold of such hooks as were already fast. The great
size also, and the defective bends of many of the hooks
used contributed materially to swell the proportion of
losses, as it should be recollected that to strike a No. 20
hook fairly over the barb, requires at least three times the
force that is required to strike in a No. 10 ; and that this
disparity is increased when the hooks are used in triangles.
A Jack, say, has taken a spinning-bait dressed with a flight
of three or four of these large triangles, and a sprinkling
of single hooks — perhaps eleven or twelve in all. The
bait probably lies between his jaws grasped cross-
wise, and therefore the points of at least six of
these hooks will most likely be pressed by the fish's
mouth, whilst the bait also to which they are attached
is held firmly in his teeth. The whole of this combined
resistance must be overcome — and that at one stroke^
and sharply — before a single point can be buried above
the barb.

The grand principle in the construction of all spinning-
tackle is the use of the flying triangle as distinguished
from that whipped upon the central link. A flight con-
structed with flying triangles can never fail to be
tolerably certain, in landing at least, a fish once struck.
There are, however, many degrees of excellence in such
flights, even in the item of " landing ;" and as regards

1 8 MODERN TRACTICAL ANGLER.

the " spinning," not one in a hundred of those that have
come under my notice has been in the least calculated
to make a bait spin properly.

In order to ascertain the best combination of hooks,
&c. for this purpose, I carefully experimented upon
every part of the spinning flight and trace ; including
the number, shape, size, and arrangement of the hooks,
leads, and swivels, with the various materials out of
which a trace can be composed, in every case carefully
testing theory by practice, and sparing no pains or
trouble to obtain reliable results. The several arrange-
ments of spinning flights which these experiments
proved to be most suitable to the different varieties
of baits and flsh are given in the chapters devoted
to each. Some of the flights have already been de-
scribed in my former works and are now very generally
used.

Kinking.

If the large proportion of fish lost was one great
drawback to the popularity of spinning, " kinking," or
the twisting up of the line into knots and loops, was cer-
tainly a still greater one. Trollers generally imagined
that kinking was the fault of the running line, or its
dressing ; and all their attention was accordingly
concentrated on these points, which, however im-
portant in other respects, had seldom anything to do
with the real question. The vice lay not in the line

SPINNING TACKLES. I9

but in the lead. No moderately well dressed line
ought ever to kink with a lead constructed on proper
principles.

The lead, however, was always fastened to the trace,
by the latter passing throicgh a Jiole in the centre y and the
result was that it offered no resistance worth mentioning
to the rotatory motion of the bait, the effects of which,
instead of being confined to the trace below the leads,
consequently extended upwards to the running line, and
produced kinking. Kinking is in fact only another
word for twisting ; abolish twisting, and you abolish
kinking also.

The seat of the disease being thus ascertained, the
cure was easy. By a reference to the annexed diagram

a. Lead, c h, Lioe of trace, d. End nearest bait.

it will be observed that the lead, instead of resting as
usual 071 the line, hangs horizontally tmderneath it ; and
it is in the application of this principle that the only
permanent remedy for kinking is to be sought. By
changing the centre of gravity the resisting power or vis
inerticE of the lead, is, for the purpose in question, more
than quadrupled, without any increase of weight ; the
proper action of the swivels is insured ; and all danger
of kinking obviated.

C 2

20 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

Since I brought the above subject under the notice of
anglers, in iS6i, I have had the satisfaction of seeing
thi^ principle adopted by the large majority of trollers,
and its efficacy as a complete cure for kinking generally
admitted. The engra\-ing below represents the final result

of my experiments to reduce the principle to practice in
the simplest possible form. I think it will be found that
the arrangement of lead as shown in the diagram meets
whatever objections have been urged against this tackle,
on the ground of its liability- to catch in weeds, un-
sightliness, &c. In attaching the lead to the trace, all
that is necessary is that at the point where it is to
remain, \'iz., just above the swivel, it should fit the trace
tightly, so as not to shift its p>osition.

The lead is greatly impro^-ed by being varnished, or
painted, a dark green, or weed tint, as lead is a very
showy colour in bright -water, and I have on more than
one occasion kno\%-n fish to run at and seize the lead,
instead of the bait An excellent varnish for this
purpose is made with pKDwdered dark green sealing-wax,
and spirit of wine, mixed to about the thickness of thin
treacle:

SPINNING TACKLES. 21

Swivels.

From four to six swivels form the ordinary, and indeed
necessary complement to each set of spinning gear,
where the lead is suspended on the old plan ; and these
being distributed at intervals up and down the trace
make a great show and stir in the water, frighten the
fish, weaken the tackle, and are withal expensive.
With the lead arranged as above a single really good
swivel that works freely, fastened immediately below the
lead, is usually sufficient for every purpose. The spinner
is thus enabled to get a clear 2 or 3 feet of gut or
clouded gimp between the bait and the lead — a very
material assistance to fine-fishing. The danger of kink«
ing, however, from the result of rust or otherwise is di-
minished by the use of a double swivel which I have had
made for some years past with this object {vide cut).
Blue swivels show less in the water than bright
ones, and are less liable to rust. There are several
swivels now made with a spring loop at one end,
to or from which the loop of the line or trace
can be attached or detached in a moment by
the hand, and these are of great practical con-
venience in the manipulation of almost all kinds of spin-
ning and trolling trackle. One of the simplest forms is re-
presented in the diagram at p. 20. Theoretically it might
seem that there would be danger of the loop of the trace
or line twisting out of these spring loops, but in practice

22 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

I have never found the difficulty to arise, provided
the loop is only just large enough to slip on to the
swivel. Swivels work best and last longest when of
medium or small size, like that represented, and they
should always be well oiled before and after being
used.

CHAPTER III.

LINES AND REELS.

Trolling lines — Ancient lines, dressings for trolling lines. Reel-lines for
fly fishing — Dressed line, silk and hair, spun cotton. Reel-lines for
bottom fishing — ' Nottingham line.' Gut lines — Choice of gut,
' drawn gut'. Staining gut — Defective stains ; Mr. Stewart's stain
recommended red water-stain ; other stains. Hair — Not to be re-
commended ; for any kind of fishing ; mode of dyeing ; dyeing
feathers. Gimp — Different qualities and sizes ; method of staining.
Rxels — Wooden reels or ' pirns,' multipliers, plain reels, check reels,
aluminium reels. A suggested improvement in reels.

Reel Lines for Trolling.

Very little seems to be known about ancient lines,
whether for trolling, or any other fishing. We learn,
however, that they were sometimes made of hemp,
sometimes of horsehair, and perhaps also occasionally of
byssits — a stringy substance by which certain species of
mussels and pinnae adhere to the rocks, — but certainly
not of gut. That they were finely twisted, however, the
epithets ^^ eiiplokavws!' '' linostrophos',' &c., sufficiently
indicate. Finally they were very short ; often barely
the length of the rod, which was itself shorter than ours.
Amongst our own predecessors in the gentle craft
great differences of opinion existed as to the qualities

24 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

which a trolling line should possess, and every conceiv-
able variety of material has been at one time or other
recommended for its composition, from " sheep and cat-
gut," to " silver and silk twisted." Even amongst more
modern authorities some peculiar divergencies are ob-
servable. Palmer Hackle (Robert Blakey), for instance,
recommends horsehair, pur ct simple ; — a recipe which
I cannot think likely to prove very successful, as it is
within the experience of most troUers that, even with
the addition of a proportion of silk, twenty yards of
ordinary fly-line cannot be induced to run out through
the rings of a jack rod. A few lines further on, however,
Mr. Blakey explains that " there are other sorts kept by
the tackle-shops, but — he has never tried them ;" and,
therefore, he "will back a hair-line against them all at a
venture." The bare material for a trolling line of
genuine horsehair 80 yards long, would cost from 25s.
to 30s.

Three qualifications are essential to a trolling line :
strength ; a certain amount of stiffening ; and impervi-
ousness to water, without which no line can be prevented
from swelling and knotting into tangles when wet and
uncoiled from the reel. And here it may be at once ad-
mitted that these conditions are all very fairly fulfilled
by the ordinary 8-plait dressed-silk trolling lines sup-
plied by the tackle makers. Some discussion has re-
cently taken place as to the merits of catechu, india-
rubber, and other waterproof dressings, especially in

LINES AND REELS. 2$

securing greater durability, and I shall hope at a future
opportunity to go more fully into this question with
reference to a few experiments which I have carried
out, — but I am satisfied that up to the present time no
practical application of either of these dressings has been
arrived at, or, at least, made public, which, having regard
to the numerous points to be considered, will bear com-
parison with common 8-plait oiled silk, and I recommend
the use of this line — of course of different sizes — for all
sorts of Pike and Salmon fishing, paternostering, leger-
fishing, and Minnow-spinning.

It cannot be denied, however, that there is always
some little uncertainty in the effect of oil dressings,
especially when manipulated by amateurs ; and I have
on several occasions had lines returned after re-dressing
— and that too from very careful hands — which for some
reason or other seemed to become in parts almost imme-
diately rotten, a result as far as I could judge, only
attributable to the effect of the new dressing.

One great safeguard against premature decay we
know ; and that is, never to put by a line until it has
been thoroughly dried. Attention to this simple pre-
caution will save some expense, and not a few of those
precipitate partings between fish and fisherman, which
are so painful to at least one of the parties concerned.

From 60 to 80 yards will be found the most convenient
length of trolling line for general use ; as to sub-
stance, a medium rather than a very fine or very stout

26 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

plait ; and for colour the pale green tint which is now
very properly preferred to the yellow, as showing less in
the water. A heavy line will impair the " play" of the
bait at any considerable distance.

Reel Lines for Fly-fishing.

During the last few years it has become a not uncom-
mon custom amongst fly-fishers to use for the fly the
same 8-plait dressed silk line just described as most
suitable for trolling purposes ; and in v/indy weather the
extra weight of such a line as compared with its bulk is
an unquestionable advantage. Perhaps, however, the
dressed line has made most converts owing to the
equally unquestionable shortcomings of the mixed silk
and hair line which was commonly the alternative.
Nothing can well be worse than this line. It is expen-
sive ; wears out quickly ; is never really strong even
when new ; " kinks" on the slightest provocation, and,
owing to the protrusion of numberless points of hair, has
a special inaptitude for running freely through rod-rings.
For these reasons no one who values pocket or comfort
should use a silk and hair line, whether twisted or
plaited. Until recently I have myself for some years
used the dressed silk line, and found it at least strong
and smooth-running — two great advantages, it must be
admitted, — but during the past twelvemonth a new de-
scription of line made of spun cotton has been sent to
me for trial, which whilst inexpensive as compared with

LINES AND REELS. 2/

the dressed silk line, is equally strong and more durable.
This line is what is termed " cable-laid " — twisted, that
is, in the same manner as a ship's cable, — the principle
of which is that whilst the cable itself is twisted, say
from right to left, the separate ropes of which it is com-
posed are twisted from left to right. The result of this
is that the two twists counteract each other in their
mutual inclination to kink, and when wetted the cable
instead of swelling hardens and contracts. The spun-
cotton lines are made on the same principle, of sizes to
suit all sorts of fish, including Salmon, and answer per-
fectly both for fly-fishing and ordinary bottom fishing.

They are not dressed in any way, but are stained a
good neutral, or slate colour. Specimens were also sent
me of the same lines dressed in various ways with india-
rubber and tar for purposes of trolling. Neither of the
dressings, however, properly effect their object ; and if
they did, would still be useless, as in a single day's
spinning the whole of the dressing wears off. The
Company,^ however, informed me that at my suggestion
they were about to try experiments with oil dressings,
with what result I have not yet heard.

Reel Lines for Bottom-fishing.

A line of exceptional lightness, and with a disinclina-
tion to " kink" when wetted, is essential for the most
successful and scientific method of bottom-fishing,

* " The Manchester Twine-Spinning Company."

28 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

known as the " Nottingham style." Long casts have to
be made with so light a bait and tackle, that unless the
line is almost as fine as gossamer, and runs very easily,
it will not pass through the rod rings without great
trouble. It must also be " un-dressed," or it will sink
instead of floating, and thus render it impossible to
strike a bite effectively at long range. I have in my
possession a line made at Nottingham which fulfils ad-
mirably all these conditions. It is composed of six or
eight of the finest possible strands of silk, plaited some-
what in a square shape ; and in thickness does not
exceed that of ordinary " Holland thread," one hundred
yards weighing exactly three-eighths of an ounce. And
yet, fine as it is, it will lift a dead weight of between 6 lbs.
and 7 lbs., which is double the strain that it is ever likely
to be subjected to.

This line is the best that can be used on the reel for
every description of bottom fishing, with the exceptions
mentioned under the head of TroUing-lines.

There is a twisted silk line, sold in the tackle-shops,
which is cheaper, but which kinks directly it is wet, ren-
dering it useless for Nottingham fishing.

Gut-lines.

Gut lines are to be preferred for every description of
bottom and fly-fishing, and, especially in the latter case ;
it is important that they should be carefully and evenly
tapered from top to bottom. The three chief points to

LINES AND REELS. 29

be looked to in selecting silk-worm gut, are roundness,
evenness of substance, and above all transpai^ency ; and in
the case of very fine gut, to seeing that it has not been
scraped, or artificially fined down in any way. Gut so
treated is what is termed " drawn-gicty Its appearance
is not so glossy as the natural material, and it frays and
wears out almost directly when exposed to moisture and
friction of any sort. Exceedingly fine, round, natural
gut is, of course, somewhat expensive, and not always to
be obtained without some trouble, but it is essential in
many kinds of fishing, and will in the end be found
really much more economical than gut artificially fined.

Staining Gut.

Stained or clouded gut is much to be preferred to gut
unstained, because it is less visible in the water. Diffe-
rent fishermen afiect dift"erent stains, some preferring
what is termed the " red- water stain," others a neutral
or slate tint, and others a blue. The most important
point in the staining of gut is to remove the gloss, which
catches the light, and on a sunny day glitters through
the water in a manner that must produce no little as-
tonishment among the fish, and which would probably
equally astonish the angler himself could he obtain a
bird's-eye, or rather fish's-eye, view of his line.

In this cardinal point, however, all the ordinary stains
used by the tackle makers signally fail ; the tints of
colour produced being moreover by no means the best

30 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

obtainable. It is to be remembered that the fish sees
the gut usually from below, and that therefore, especially
in fly-fishing, the colour of the water hardly affects the
question. A colour which without being glossy will
assimilate best with the sky-tint for the time being is
that which would be theoretically perfect if obtainable,
but as the sky-tints change perpetually, dark alternating
with light, and sun with shade, so as to make it impos-
sible in practice to keep the colours actually matched,
the next best thing is to employ a colour which har-
monizes best with the largest number of the most com-
monly prevailing cloud-tints. This colour appears to be
a sort of greyish-green, but I have never met with any
single stain which will produce it. It seems to require
the blending of several separate tints, and that may
probably be the secret of the success of the following
receipt, for which I was originally indebted to my friend
Mr. W. C. Stewart :—

The first step in the process is to impart to the gut a lightish tint of
the common " red-water stain." For this purpose take a teacupful of
black tea, and boil it with a quart of water : keeping the gut steeped
in the mixture until it has acquired the necessary tint. This process
will sometimes take only half an hour or even less, and sometimes
several hours, according to the strength and staining power of the tea :
when sufTiciently stained, rinse the gut well in cold water. When dry,
take a handful of logwood-chips (obtainable at most druggists), and
boil Ihcm in a quart of water till the latter is reduced to about a pint.
Then take it off the fire, and put into it a small piece of copperas, (sul-
phate of copper) about the size of a hazel nut, powdered, stir the mix-
ture, and when the copperas is dissolved, which it will be in a few
minutes, dip the gut into the mixture until it has got the dirty greyish-

, LINES AND REELS. 3 1

green tinge described. Very often a few instants' immersion will be
sufficient, and in order to ascertain the exact amount of the stain, as
well as to avoid overstaining, it is best always to keep a basin of water
clos^ at hand to rinse the gut in, the moment it is taken out of the dye.

This method of staining involves a Httle extra trouble,
but it is trouble well bestowed, and will tell on the
baskets. The removal of the gloss is I think due to the
action of the copperas. Every description of gut used
in fishing should be stained in this manner.

To produce the common stains already mentioned : —

Red-^ater stain. — ^Use tea-leaves as above described : or coffee, pre-
viously charred in a fiying-pan and ground, will answer instead of tea.

Walnut-juice, I understand, produces a similar colour,
but as I have never tried it, I cannot speak from expe-
rience.

Slate stain. — Soak the gut in a mixture of boiling water and ink.
rinsing it well when stained.

Gut can be stained almost any colour by the use of
"Judson's aniline dyes',' or the "popular dyes," which
are kept by most large chemists. Directions for use are
given on the bottles, but the angler will find it conve-
nient in every case only to use half the proportion of
water recommended : and some of the stains have the
effect of destroying the texture of the gut.

All gut stains can be reduced in intensity by boiling
the gut in clean water.

32 modern practical angler.

Hair.

Horsehair cannot be used with advantage for any-
kind of fishing-line. I have already explained its in-
convenience when employed in the reel, or running-line ;
and employed as a substitute for single gut it is equally
a mistake, the latter being both finer, stronger, and,
when stained as directed, much less visible in the water.
This process of staining gut in fact takes away from hair
the one real advantage it ever possessed, viz., that of not
glittering in the water. It is a peculiar feature of hair
that it will break on a long-continued strain, even though
the actual weight be gradually rather lessened than in-
creased. A strand of gut that will fairly lift a 5 lb.
weight will commonly suffice to keep it suspended, if
necessary ; hair on the contrary will break in a few
minutes on a strain less than that which it originally
supported with ease. The best hair is obtained from the
tails of stallions.

Staining Hair.

Stained hair is seldom used, the natural brown colour
being usually preferred. Before it can be properly stained
the greasiness must be removed by what is termed by
dyers a " mordant." A good mordant for the purpose, as
well as for the dyeing of feathers, is obtained by dissolving
about a quarter of an ounce of alum in a pint of water,
and slightly boiling the hair or feathers in it

LINES AND REELS. 33

• The dyeing of feathers is, however, a very nice and
comphcated business, and even after much trouble the
amateur can seldom succeed so well as persons who
make dyeing their single profession. Moreover their
dyes are in many cases secrets, not known even to the
tackle makers who employ them, and from whom I
advise all anglers to obtain their supplies of feathers
ready-dyed.

Gimp.

The thicknesses of the various sizes of gimp required
in fresh-water fishing, and the trade numbers, are shown
in the annexed engraving,
the sizes and numbers
being those of the best
gimp manufactured by
Messrs. Kenning, of Little
Britain, London.

There are great diffe-
rences in the quality and
value of gimp, and it will
commonly be found the
wisest plan to obtain the
most expensive, as the difference between good and
bad cannot be judged by the eye and is often not
discovered until the discovery has cost the loss of
a good fish. The best rough and ready test is the
strength.

34 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

The best gimp is commonly made on pure white
silk — a yellow colour is generally an inferior quality.

To Stain Gimp.

Nothing can be worse, as regards fine-fishing, than the
common glittering gimp ; indeed so great is the draw-
back that some authors have actually recommended the
troUer to take the trouble of lapping it over from end to
end with waxed silk like the shanks of hooks. I there-
fore tried various ways of staining or clouding it, so as
to remove the glittering appearance complained of with-
out impairing the strength of the gimp, and the following
will be found to answer every purpose so far as the finer
requirement is concerned, though I am by no means
sure that the gimp is quite so strong after staining,
especially when put by for any length of time : —

Soak the gimp in a solution of bichloride of platinum — mixed in
about the proportion of one part of platinum to eight or ten of
water — until it has assumed the colour desired.

I find this stain is now very generally used in the
tackle shops. Captain Robinson tells me that sulphide
of potassium is a good permanent stain.for both brass
and silver gimp. He says :

Sir, — In your Book of the Pike, which I have lately read, bichlo-
rate of platinum is recommended for staining brass gimp. This I
failed to obtain in a county town, but being convinced of the im-
portance of staining gimp, I thought of trying sulphide of potassium. .
As I find this gives a permanent stain to both silver and brass gimp,
I take the liberty of mentioning it to you. Sulphide of potassium
made by dissolving a Httle Lapis infernalis in water, mixing flowers

LINES AND REELS. 35

of sulphur with it, and heating in a Florence flask. I believe quick-
lime in boiling water will also dissolve sulphur.

W. Robinson.

jgth ytdy, iSyj. Late Captain Bojnbay Army.

Winches or Reels.

Reels may be broadly placed in two divisions — metal
and wooden. The latter I dismiss as being unsuited to any-
thing but " Nottingham fishing," of which more hereafter.
The former, as every fisherman knows, are divided into
three classes : — " plain," '"check," and " multiplying." Of
these I think there can be no doubt that the "multipliers"
combine the greatest number of disadvantages with the
fewest recommendations, as they are expensive, very apt
to get out of gear, and almost useless either for winding in
a large fish, or for giving line to one of any other size.

The " plain" brass reel has at least the merit of bctJig-
plain — in the sense of simpleness and inaptitude for get-
ting out of order ; but it has two great drawbacks, which
exist also and to a still greater extent in the wooden
reel, or pirn as it is called in Scotland, viz., that when
the line is pulled out strongly either by hand, or by a
fish, the wheel twists so rapidly as to " over run" itself,
thus producing a sudden check, w^iich at a critical junc-
ture is very likely to cost the loss of the fish and the
tackle. It is also, for another reason, very unsafe when
playing a fish, as, should the pressure of the hand be for
an instant removed from the line, the latter runs out so
freely as to produce sudden slackness, — an evil perhaps

36 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

greater even than the other, as nothing is more certainly-
disastrous than a slack line, and nothing more probable
than the occurrence of the contingency referred to when
fish have to be followed rapidly over broken ground.
These are radical faults — vices would not be too strong a
term — inherent in the principle of all "plain" reels, and
inseparable from them.

They are, however, entirely obviated by the cJtcck
system ; and check reels should therefore be the only
ones ever employed for any kind of heavy fishing,
whether with bait or fly. With this reel the line is
entirely independent of the hand, by which indeed it is
very seldom desirable that it should be touched in any
way. All that the hands have to do is to keep the point
of the rod well up, and a steady strain on the fish ; and
eyes and attention are thus left free to take care of their
owner's neck — a practical advantage which those who
have chased a salmon down the cragg'd and slippery
channel of a Highland river, or a strong Pike along the
margin of a Hampshire '* Water Meadow" will know
how to appreciate. A check winch, in fact, does two-
thirds of the fisherman's work for him, and may almost
be left to kill by itself ; it acts upon the golden rule of
never giving an inch of line unless it is taken, and when
really required pays it out smoothly and rapidly to the
exact extent necessary, and no more. The even check
prevents the line "over running" itself in the one case,
or sticking fast in the other ; and when it becomes

LINES AND REELS. 37

necessary to wind up a fish, the check reel is in every
way as direct and powerful a lever as the plain old-
fashioned wheel. The point to guard against is having
the check too strong.

I defy any man to fairly wind in a heavy fish with a
multiplying reel. It is the old mechanical principle
again of losing in power what is gained in speed ; and a
reel that gives four turns of the axle to one of the
handle, loses exactly one-fourth of its strength for each
turn — that is, has one-fourth only of the direct power of
a check winch.

Beautiful reels for all kinds of fishing are now made
on the check system ; some of plain brass, some of brass
stained black, some — for the sake of lightness — of wood
and metal combined, and some which are lighter than
either, of aluminium. The saving in weight thus secured
by the two last-named materials is very considerable,
and they therefore present advantages to men who are
not strong, and who may find the weight of a Salmon
or trolling rod and reel tell upon their muscles, but
for ordinary work and taking the chances of wear and
tear and knocking about, I should give the preference
to simple stained brass. Moreover, a heavy reel ba-
lances a long rod better than a light reel.

Within the last few years a considerable improvement
has been introduced into the form of reels generally, by
the substitution of narrow grooves and deep side-plates
for the old-fashioned shallow-plated, broad-grooved

38 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

winches. The advantages thus gained are increased
speed and power ; speed, inasmuch as the diameter of
the axle on which the hne is wound is enlarged ; and
power, because the handle being further from the axle
a greater leverage is obtained. Whilst speaking of
handles, I would here most strongly recommend those
attached to the side-plate of the reel itself, without any
crank, as they obviate the constant catching of the
line which takes place with handles of the ordinary
shape.

One serious drawback, and so far as my experience
goes, one only, is common to every reel hitherto made ;
namely, that the line is apt to get caught or hitched
under the posterior curve of the reel itself, thus involving
a constant trifling annoyance, and in the case of trolling
and Salmon fishing, a serious danger. To obviate it I
have had a small spring attached to the last of the lateral
girders, or supports, and so arranged that when the

reel is in its place, the spring
presses closely on the wood or
fittings behind. This spring,
of which a diagram is annexed,
is very inexpensive, and can
be attached with ease to any
properly made reel, and I venture to think that no-
troller or fly-fisher who has once found the practical
convenience of such an antidote to *' hitching" will ever
use a reel without it.

CHAPTER IV.

RODS AND ROD MAKING.

Ancient rods — Observations on different rod woods. Solid rjjoods —
■ Hickory, greenhart, ash, willow, fir. HoIIo^u ^oods — East India, or
mottled bamboo, white cane, Carolina cane, jungle cane. Rod
rings — Upright rings recommended for all purposes, 'pronged
rings,' proper shape for top ring. Ferrules — ' Tube-cut,' ' ham-
mered.' 'Brazing of Joints — To separate 'stuck' joints. A
general rod described and recommended.

Whatever we may think of the skill of our forefathers
in the gentle craft, it can hardly be denied that the im-
plements they used were in every way vastly inferior
to our own, and indeed, it may be added, generally such
as to make any great display of what we understand as
science out of the question.

Of the mechanical knowledge and ability which have
led to these improvements, probably more have been
lavished upon the rod than upon all the rest of the
fisher's equipment put together, and if the fulfilling of
every requirement which the most fastidious can
demand be admitted as proof of excellence, we may
very fairly congratulate ourselves on having arrived as
nearly as may be at perfection in this one item at least.

40 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

That in none was there more room for improvement
may be gathered from the recipe for the construction
of a trolling rod given by Juliana Berners in the brown
old " Boke of St. Alban's," published about i486,
wherein the implement is recommended to be of at
least some 14 feet long ; the " staffe," or butt, measuring
a " fadoom (fathom) and a half," of the thickness of
an " arm-grete," or about as tJiick as a man's arm ;
and the joints being bound with long "hopis of yren"
(iron hoops).

There are eight woods more or less universally em-
ployed by rod manufacturers ; four of which grow solid,
viz., hickory, greenhart, ash and willow ; and four
hollow — East India bamboo, Carolina or West India
cane. White cane, and Jungle cane.

Of the "solids" the most valuable, until greenhart
came so much into fashion, was hickory. This wood
grows in Canada, and is sent over in what are called in
the tackle trade "billets," that is, longitudinal sections
of a log ; each log being sawn from end to end through
the middle twice or three times, so as to cut it up into
4 or 6 bars V shaped — having three sides. On their
arrival in England the billets are transferred to the saw
mills, where they are again cut up into planks ; and these
planks are then put carefully away in a warm dry place
and left for a year or two to season before being touched.
After seasoning they are re-cut roughly into joints,
sorted, and put away again for three years more, — some-

RODS AND ROD MAKING. 4I

times for as much as ten years, — when they are finally
worked up into rods.

The inferior billets, which are rejected by the larger
manufacturers, are cut up at once into joints and sold
about the country by hawkers, w4io make it their regular
business to supply the small country makers with wood
for their rods. The same thing takes place as regards
bamboo. After this insight into the iina penetralia of
the rod-making trade, no one I fancy will feel inclined
to grumble at having to pay a good price for a really
good rod, or will be surprised at the comparative
worthlessness of the rods turned out by inferior
makers.

Hickory is the heaviest wood used in rod making,
with the one exception of greenhart ; and the purpose
for which it is most commonly employed is the middle
joints of rods, and for solid butts where weight and
strength are required. In hollow butts it is never used,
as it will not stand being bored.

Greenhart, which is an export from the West Indies,
demands the next place, or rather I should have said
the post of honour, in the rod maker's table of prece-
dence. In all kinds of rods and in every different posi-
tion it is to be found, whilst in some cases, as in the
Salmon rod of Castle Connell, and many other Irish
rods, it forms the sole material employed. Its speciality
is, however, for tops ; and here it is simply invaluable,
as it is the only wood sufficiently stiff and at the same

42 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

time elastic to admit of being used in such small bulk
in a single piece. Thus in light trouting rods it will
very often be found in slips a yard long and tapering off
at the end to a substance little thicker than that of a
stout darning needle, whilst a 7-foot joint averaging about
the circumference of a swan-quill, is the very common
" lash" of a Castle Connell.

In consequence of its great weight, greenhart is only
used for butts when they are very slender or tapered
rapidly off from the handle, as in the rods turned out by
the Irish tackle makers.

Joints of this wood are hardly ever perfectly straight
when fresh cut. They are bent or " warped" straight
by hand pressure over a charcoal fire, and when cool
retain, at any rate for a long time, their symmetrical
shape, much as does the originally straight walking-stick
handle its crooked one after a somewhat similar process,
— though I believe in this latter case the softening
medium is water and not fire. Notwithstanding this
" ductility" of some, indeed most, woods, there can be
no doubt that the straighter a joint comes ori-
ginally from the steel of the sawyer, the straighter will
it remain in the hands of the fisherman. A joint
that comes out straight from its seasoning hardly ever
becomes permanently crooked afterwards, and per
contra, one which is radically warped at the end of
this process will as seldom be made really straight, or
remain so for any length of time, however it may

RODS AND ROD MAKING. 45

be twisted or bent over the charcoal of the tackle
maker.

The other solid rod woods are ash and willow. The
former, which in weight is between willow and hickory
(willow being the lightest of all), is extensively used for
hollow butts of bottom and trolling rods, as it bores well
and is of good medium strength. It is also used for the
solid butts of salmon rods. For middle joints it has been
found too weak and yielding, the difference in strength
between ash and greenhart being such that a top made
of the latter would be as strong, or very nearly, as the
joint next below it of the former.

Willow is a good deal used for the butts of common
rods, as it '' bores" more readily than any other wood ;
indeed its centre is little harder than the pith of a reed.
In seasoning, both ash and willow require more care to
make them " usable" than do the heavier woods. Fir is
also occasionally used for solid butts.

I now come to the hollow woods, or canes and bam-
boos. Of these by far the most valuable, indeed the
only one which can be used properly in either trolling-
or fly-rods, is that grown in the East Indies — commonly
known as the " mottled" bamboo — which has a consider-
able thickness throughout its length, and in the upper
parts is almost solid. There is another East India cane,
which is quite solid but lacking elasticity. It goes
amongst the tackle makers by the expressive name of
" puddeny."

44 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

In the case of hollow woods there Is, of course, no
preparatory sawing or planing to be gone through, as the
bamboo comes from its native jungle in pretty much the
same state, barring the mottling, as that in which we
find it in our rods ; but even here the joints have to be
''warped" as in the case of solid woods, and thoroughly
seasoned, and much depends upon a judicious selection
of the original stock and in subsequent careful matching
and tapering of the various pieces of which the rod is
composed.

I was never more puzzled than when admitted as a lad

to the warehouse of a great London tackle maker to

choose a cane to be made up for my " particular own."

Well do I remember how my fingers glowed with

pleasure and excitement as I lifted and poised one

tapering beauty after another, uncertain among so many

wooers which to take, and feeling, like the Captain in

the Beggars' Opera, —

" How happy could I be with cither,
Were t'other dear charmer away !"

Like its schoolboy master, the rod built from the cane
then chosen has since had many a narrow escape " by
flood and fell," and not a few damaged " tips," ay, and
"joints" too ; but its main timbers are as sound as ever,
and may yet be destined to wave death over many
a pikey pool and glittering torrent when the hand that
chose them is no longer able to do justice to their supple
graces.

RODS AND ROD MAKING. 45

But my pet rod is leading me into inadmissible digres-
sions. To return. — The White cane, which comes prin-
cipally from Spain and America, and is a fragile delicate
creature compared to its swarthy Indian cousin, is used
for roach rods, — " White cane roach rods," as they are
temptingly described in the catalogues — and is fit for
nothing else. For this one purpose, however, it is per-
fection.

The Carolina cane is also quite inferior to the East
Indian. It is much lighter, and longer between the knots,
and is employed only in the more common bottom rods.

Last on the list comes the Jungle cane, a Chinaman
principally, but found also in many other parts of Asia.
It grows as thick as a man's body, and is put to every
variety of use by the Chinese, who amongst other things
hollow out the pith and convert the skin into water-pipes.
It is this skin or rind only which is of value to the rod
maker, and that must be taken from a cane about as
thick as a man's wrist. This is split up into narrow slips,
and these slips when planed and smoothed down become
the solid, grained-looking pieces of wood, so constantly
forming the upper splices of top-joints. Some very
beautiful rods, composed entirely of spliced cane, are
manufactured by Mr. Thomas Aldred, of Oxford-street,
London. Some of my readers who are in the habit of
using bamboo and cane rods on the ground of their sup-
posed much greater lightness, will perhaps be surprised to
learn how small the difference in this point really is. I

46 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

weighed a 12-foot solid ash and greenhart trolling rod
against one of stout East India bamboo, and the weights
were: — Solid rod, i lb. Sjoz. ; Hollow rod, i lb. 4 oz. —
difference, i J oz.

At the close of every season, rods which have had a
great deal of wear and tear should be re-varnished to
preserve the wood ; or, in the absence of varnish, well
rubbed with oil (linseed is the best) before being finally
stowed away.

Rod Rings.

Four considerations must regulate the question of
rings : (i) That the material, especially of the top and
bottom rings in trolling rods, should be hard enough to
resist considerable friction ; (2) that the top and bottom
rings should be so shaped as to prevent the line catching
round or over them ; (3) that the rings generally should
be large enough to let the line run through them with
perfect freedom, and (4) — and this is by no means an
unimportant point — that there should be enough of them
on the rod to prevent the weight of the line " bagging"
in the intervals, and yet not so many as unnecessarily to
increase the wearing friction on the line passing through
them, or curtail the length and freedom of the cast.
For every description of fishing I recommend strongly
the use of stiff or " upright" rings ; the difference in
weight is quite insignificant ; and in addition to many
other great practical conveniences, the rings last much

RODS AND ROD MAKING. 4/

longer without coming off or getting broken. In all
general rods rings of the ordinary diameter, but made of
steel wire, in the form shown in the engraving, Avill be
found most convenient. Rings of this shape v/ill not

answer, however, for the bottom ring of

all, as the line has a constant tendency to
be catching round that ring in making a
cast. The bottom ring should, therefore, be made in
the form that is called '' pronged," out of iron wire,
twisted into a ring, in the form and of about the size
shown in the woodcut annexed,
with separate side-pieces brazed
on. The perpendicular sup-
ports or arms being a good deal
wider apart at the base than at

the apex, throw off instantly any curls of the line
which may be inclined to twist round them. This
will be found a really great practical advantage
in every description of fishing, and especially in
spinning.

Of even greater importance, however, is the form of
the top ring, as this is both more liable to catch in the
line, and proportionately more difficult to clear at the
distance of from 12 to 20 feet from the fisherman ; (the
material, as in the case of the lowest ring, should be of
steel wire). In order to remedy this catching of the line
over the top ring, the great point is the avoidance of all
projections over which the line can possibly hitch itself;

48 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

and this condition will, I believe, be found to be fulfilled
by the pattern of ring of which the engraving, enlarged
for the sake of illustration, is a copy —

This is, in fact, to a certain extent, a modification or
adaptation of the principle of the pronged ring recom-
mended for the bottom joint. After being lapped over
to within about half-an-inch of the ring, the wire is made
to branch out in the shape of a V, the upper points or
sides forming a continuation of the ring itself These
sides act as a sort of guard to the ring to throw off the
line, if it should curl over, much as the sloping sides of
a gate, on a barge walk throw off the towing-line ;
whilst the position of the ring — ^at of inclining in-
ivards toivards the butt of the rod, instead of outwai'ds
from the point — makes it almost impossible for the
line by any effort of ingenuity to get above it so as to
" hitch," — the head of the ring, in fact, forms an acute,
instead of an obtuse angle with the rod.

Ferrules.

One word as to ferrules. These should always be
"hammered," and not "tube-cut." To show the vast
difference which there is between a good and a bad rod,
even in such an item as ferrules, a brief explanation of

RODS AND ROD-MAKING. 49

the mode of manufacturing the two descriptions of
ferrule referred to, may be given.

Ferrules used for common rods, or tube-cut ferrules,
are simply cylinders, of the same size at both ends, and
cut off, 2 or 3 inches at a time, as required, from a piece of
common soldered brass piping. These, of course, cost
next to nothing, and break or bulge with the first strain
put upon them. The ferrules used in really good rods
are made, each one separately, out of sheet brass, hard-
soldered or brazed; and then hammered out cold into the
proper shape upon steel triblets — a process which though
somewhat expensive and tedious makes the ferrule in the
end very nearly as hard and strong as the steel itself.

A gentleman who does not wish his name published,
but who has a large and practical acquaintance with the
subject of rod-making, writes to me : —

I am inclined to think that the cases (referred to in your
"Modern Practical Angler") where the brass ferrules of rods
" bulge " and give way, are to be thus explained. The best tubing
is mandrel-drawn, and I do not think any hammering would pro-
duce a density of metal so hard as that which results from well-
drawn tubing : but it often happens (too often) that the tube and its
correcter do not fit with that nice accuracy which is essential. In
such case what does the ferrule-maker do ? I will tell you, he
anneals his tubing, and then with the furnisher adapts it to its
fellow. For all practical uses its strength is then gone.

My own impression is that mandrel-drawn tube not tampered
with, is (caeteris paribus) denser and harder than hammered tubing
is, and no hammered tube could be so uniform.

I hope you will forgive this criticism of a work with which I am
really charmed, but I shall be only glad to find that you accept it
as it is meant, in all courtesy.

50 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

The bottoms of all joints should be " double brazed "
— i.e., covered with brass — not only round the thick part
of the joint where it fits the ferrule, but also round the
thinner end, or plug below it.

This is a very useful precaution, as it tends to prevent
the joints swelling and sticking fast. If the joints are
only half brazed or not brazed at all, the best way to
avoid sticking is to grease or soap them before use.
Joints which have become stuck, may in general be
easily separated by being turned slowly round and
round at the " sticking point " in the flame of a candle
for sopie seconds, or until it is found that the joints will
come apart. This process does not damage anything
but the varnish of the ferrule.

A General Rod.

Considering the great diversities of tastes which prevail
on the subject of the exact shape and material of which
rods for different kinds of fishing should be made — some
fishermen preferring hollow woods, others solid — some
stiff rods, others pliable ones — it is impossible that I
can within any reasonable limits give a detailed raisonnc
account of what is in my opinion the best description
of rod for each description of fishing : nor if I should
do so could I expect my brother fishermen to adopt
my taste instead of their own. In other parts of the
book, and wherever it seemed necessary — especially
under the head of Salmon-fishing — I have made such

RODS AND ROD-MAKING.

observations as occurred to me : and all that I have pro-
posed to myself under this head, is to give most general
information in regard to rods and rod-making, as may
enable those who are not already acquainted with the-
subject to select their rods for different purposes with a
knowledge of the qualities and capabilities of the various
woods of which they are made.

The following are the description and measurements
of the several joints of a general rod, which may be
found convenient by those who do not care to carry a
variety of rods about with them : —

Length of joints ; measured from top

of ferrule to bottom of plug.

(Butts ash : other joints and tops

greenhart.)

Circumference at

Circumfe-

bottom above
ferrule.

below
ferrule.

Inches.

3| at largest \

part (be- f

o •'5

low winch

-16

fittings) J

3i (above)

winch fit- r

tings) J

t12

jlO

I <5

T 3

^16

T 1

^32

...

No. of Rings
(all of single
steel wire.)

No. I Butt 3 ft. 2| in.

No. 2 Butt 3 ft. 2 1 in.

1st Joint 3 ft. 2| in. . . .
2nd Joint 3 ft. 2^ in. . . .
3rd Joint 3 ft. 2 1 in. . . .

1st or"trolling"top2ft. 10 in.

2nd or " fly" top 2 ft. 10 in. .
3rd " worm or bottom fish- 1

ing" top 2 ft. 3 in. . . .J
4th " minnow-spinning" top

ift. 3iin

!i 'pronged'
ring just
below fer-
rule.

ditto.

2 rings.

3 „

4 „

f 5, including
i top ring
6 „

5 »
3 V

Total length of double-handed fly-rod 15 ft. i| in.

Total length of single-handed fly-rod 12 „ 4 „

Total length of trolUng-rod 12 „ 4 „

52 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

By changing the top joint of the double-handed fly-
rod for top No. 3 it becomes a suitable rod for worm or
creeper fishing ; or by substituting top No. 4, for Trout
minnow-spinning, or light paternosting. On a substi-
tution of the stiff top for the two upper joints, it becomes
a trolling and spinning rod.

On replacing the original joints, and taking off the
large joint and butt, and substituting the smaller butt, a
single-handed fly-rod is formed ; and by a slight change
of tops this can be made suitable for float or punt-
fishing.

CHAPTER V.

MISCELLANEA.

Knots for lines and gut — Lapping over ends, fisherman's knot, some
new knots described. Ne^u knots for Salmon and Trout drop-fies.
Varnishes — Green varnish, rod and tackle varnish. Bait-cans —
Essential points of ; the ' shoulder' bait-can, preserving live baits.
Disgorgers — Disgorger blades, a ' fishing knife.' Landing-nets and
gaffs — A pocket net described.

Knots for Lines and Gut. — Gut-knots.

Everything, however minute, that conduces to " fine-
fishing" should not be without interest to the fisherman
who is not merely satisfied with doing a thing passably,
or even well, but who wishes to do it as well as possible ;
and of such minor mysteries of the gentle art there
are none which are of more importance to the neatness
— and therefore fineness — of tackle than the mode of
knotting gut. In Salmon and other heavy fishing,
moreover, this point frequently becomes a practical
matter involving the loss or capture of fish — and those
commonly the largest.

I make no apology, therefore, for considering this
subject, in a book which it is my object to make com-
plete and exhaustive of everything really essential to
successful fishing.

54 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

And first with regard to the very common practice of
lapping the ends of the gut at each side of the knot. I
am at a loss to explain the origin of this custom, which
must be as troublesome to the maker as it is objectless
to the user. Indeed it is worse than objectless: it is dis-
tinctly mischievous. It adds weight, so far as it goes,
•and clumsiness to what ought to be as light as possible ;
and it dots with opaque " splotches," at regular intervals,
what would otherwise be a transparent, gossamer-like
:strand from end to end. Indeed in bright clear weather
I have frequently seen both Trout and Grayling rise at
the knots on a fisherman's line who showed post (query
Jfropter?) no inclination whatever to meddle with his
flies. It is hardly necessary to point out that for practical
purposes the lapping of the short end of the gut outside
the knot adds nothing whatever to the strength of the
line.

For all fishing where exceptional strength is not
required, the common single fisherman's knot, un-
lapped, is sufficient for every purpose, and the neatest

and strongest that can
be used. It is made by
tying a half knot round
each strand of gut with the end of the other strand, in
the form shown in the cut ; then drawing both knots
tighty and lastly drawing them closely together and cut-
ting off the ends.

In the exceptional cases adverted to, when extra

SINGLE FISHERMANS KNOT

MISCELLANEA. 55

strength is really essential, as in the case of Salmon
casting - lines and gut -traces used for Pike - spinning,
a simple modification of the above knot will be found
useful. It is tied thus : — ^Join the strands of gut in an
ordinary single fisherman's knot, pulling each of the half
knots as tight as possible ; but instead of drawing them
together and lapping the ends down on the oittside, draw
them only to within about an eighth of an inch of each
other, and lap hctzvccn them with light-coloured silk, or,
still better, fine gut previously well soaked in water.
This lapping relieves the knot itself of half its duty, and
on any sudden jerk, such as striking, acts as a sort of
buffer to receive and distribute the strain. It is one of
the simplest possible forms of knot ; and from its being
much neater and nearly twice as strong, may be substi-
tuted with advantage for the ordinary whipped knot in
Salmon casting-lines. As commonly tied I find that
stout Salmon gut will break — at the knot — on a steady
strain of from 12 to 15 pounds : tied as suggested, it will
break at any other place in preference, no matter how
great the strain may be. Facsimiles of the two knots,
tied with the same strands of gut, are annexed.

New knot. Ordinary knot.

MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

New Knots for Gut Loops and Drop-Flies.

salmon drop-flies.

Whilst on the subject of Salmon lines I may here
mention a method of fastening drop-flies on Salmon
casting-lines (when such flies are used) which I have
found very successful. The object sought to be attained
is, of course, that the fly should reniain for the longest
possible time standing clear from — in fact, almost at
right angles to — the line, with the least amount of
knotting or thickening, and the greatest facility for
changing. To secure the first, it is necessary that the
casting-line should be stiffened at the point of inter-
section. This is effected by joining the two halves of
the line in a single fisherman's knot, leaving about half

an inch over at each end. The knot having been drawn
straight and close, these two ends should be lapped
down to the line with a few turns of light coloured silk
as shown in figure I of the accompanying engraving ;
and the effect of this arranofement will be found to be

MISCELLANEA. 5/

that the casting-line at that point is trebly stiffened, with
scarcely a perceptible increase of thickness or clumsi-
ness. Over the central knot the loop of the drop-fly
should be passed and drawn close in the manner shown
in figure 3.

For the tying of these loops, and all others used in
fishing, I have, I believe, succeeded in hitting upon a
new and considerably improved form of knot, — the
ordinary loop being both clumsy and crooked (a serious
drawback to the perfect set of the fly), and, in thick
gut, very difificult to manipulate. My knot (fig. 2, and
X in fig. 3) is simply a new application of the principle of
the ordinary single fisherman's knot, thus : a half-knot
is made, about an inch and a half or two inches from
the end of the gut, but not drazvn quite tight ; the end
of the gut is doubled" over and passed back again from
above through the opening ; and then again, with this end,.
a second half-knot, embracing the main link, is made be-
low the first. Both half-knots are then separately pulled
tight, and drawn together. This produces the smallest
possible knot, and one which will never draw and is
perfectly straight. [I am indebted to the courtesy of
Mr. Van Voorst for the use of the woodcut, which
originally appeared in the Angler-NatiLraiist^\

TROUT DROP-FLIES.

There are several ways recommended by angling
authors for attaching the drop-fly to the casting-line.

MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

but most that I am acquainted with fail either in neat-
ness or in strength, and all in rapidity. By one method,
for instance, the drog-fly can be properly attached only
wh^n the casting-line itself is made ; by another, the
knots of the casting-line have to be pulled asunder at
the point of junction, and so on. My plan is as follows :
Take the casting-line in the left hand a little above
the intended point of junction, thick end upwards ; then
take the drop-fly, and with the same hand hold it along
the casting-line, the fly end upwards ; then, with the

other end, make a
knot round the cast-
ing-line, in the form
shown in the engrav-
ing; draw it tight, and
push it down on to
the next knot of the
casting-line below.
This knot, which in prac-
fic.3 I tice is the simplest possible,

may perhaps be called a
"double half- knot." The
only difference between it and
the ordinary single half-knot is, that after the gut has
been passed once round the main line, and through itself,
it is passed round the line once more, and thivugh the same
loop again, before being drawn close.

The preliminary configurations of the knot are shown

MISCELLANEA. 59

in figs. I and 2 in an enlarged form. Fig. 3 is a fac-
simile of the actual knot when finished, as tied with
fine gut.

Knot for Fastening Reel Lines to Casting-
Lines, &c.

An engraving of the simplest knot for this
purpose is annexed, and the mode of tying it
will probably be better understood from the
diagram than from a verbal description. In
the case of stiff or dressed lines the small ter-
minal knot on the reel line can be omitted
with perfect safety. This knot has the ad-
vantage of being both tied and untied with
great ease and rapidity.

Varnishes.

Green Varnish. — A most convenient and durable var-
nish, for colouring leads used in all kinds of fishing is
made from powdered dark-green sealing-wax dissolved
in spirits of wine, or, better, in some of the spirit var-
nish for which the receipt is given below. This varnish
dries quickly.

Rod and Tackle Varnish. — As a good varnish for rods,
and generally for varnishing lappings of hooks, &c., the
following, used and commonly supplied for the purpose

60 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

by most of the tackle manufacturers, will be found use-
ful :—

Spirits of Wine, -^q.

Orange Shellac, ■j3_.

Gum Benjamin, a small piece, about ^l.

Allow the mixture a fortnight to dissolve before using.
A varnish of some sort over the lapping is exceedingly
valuable in all tackle, as it protects the silk from the
effects of the water. In gimp tackle it is especially im-
portant, owing to the corrosion produced by wet brass
and steel coming in contact.

This varnish dries almost immediately.

* Bait-cans.

The most important point in a live-bait can is that it
should be so constructed as to have the effect of keeping
baits alive ; and to this end it is highly desirable that
it should have a double lid, for the purpose of keep-
ing out the sun and keeping in the water. The absence
of this appliance will very frequently kill the baits in
hot weather, and when the weather is cold its presence
will preserve the legs of the carrier from a perpetual
sprinkling of half frozen water. Another advantage of
double lids is, that a small hand-net can be carried be-
tween the upper and lower one, which will save much
time, and avoid the probability of poking out the bait's
eyes with the operator's thumb-nail.

The above desiderata have already been to some

MISCELLANEA.

extent fulfilled in the bait-cans sold at the tackle shops.
But there is still a want, which, so far as I am aware,
has never been successfully supplied — I mean the pro-
duction of a can of such form and construction t/iat it
may be conveniently carried, zuhen full, by a strap across
the fisJierman s shoulders. The want of such a can often
makes the whole difference between comfort and dis-
comfort in live-bait fishing. With the old can, the soli-
tary angler has at best a choice of evils : on the one
hand he may stop fishing and carry his can along with
him, or, on the other, he may leave his can and continue
his fishing operations, every step of which carries him
farther away from his baits. Live-baiting, in fact, except
from a punt or with
an attendant, thus be-
comes much like a game
of battledore, in which
the fisherman, who is of
course kept perpetually
moving, forms a not
inapt representation of
the shuttlecock.

To remedy this in-
convenience I have had
a bait-can constructed (somewhat on the principle of
the ordinary pannier or creel), as shown in the engrav-
ing, which can be strapped comfortably over the shoulders
and carried by the fisherman, without fear of his losing

62 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

his baits on one side or his fish on the other, and getting
wet through between them. The strap passes through
the rings at the back, and over the shoulder.

To preserve baits ahve for any length of time, they
should be placed in some shady spot (in a running
stream if possible), in a box not less than 3 feet square,
with large gratings in several different places, and
especially at both ends. The box, of which a portion
ought properly to be out of water, should be kept clean
and well scoured from slime and rubbish ; and food, in
the form of worms, gentles, or chopped liver, should be
scattered into it every day or two. Dead baits should
be removed from the box as soon as discovered.

DiSGORGERS.

A disgorger is one of the most desirable, though not
perhaps absolutely essential, items of a fisherman's
equipment. In fly-fishing the use of a disgorger pro-
longs the life of the fly, and in every description of fishing
shortens the time wasted in extracting the hooks, and
saves the fingers. The most convenient way of carrying
the disgorger is to suspend it by a short link from one
of the breast buttons of the coat. In Pike-fishing espe-
cially, a disgorger is a si7ie qua 11011, and the longer it is
the better. The ordinary disgorger is too short for the
purpose ; and in consequence of the inconvenience ex-
perienced in extracting Pike-hooks with it, I had a
" disgorger blade," if I may so term it — made, of course,

1. Box containing minnow-needle and 5. Pricker, for loosening drop-flies, sepa-

baiting-needle. rating feathers, &c.

2. Hole for pricker (marked 5). 6. Minnow-needle.

3. Blade for crimping or other purposes. 7. Baiting-needle.

4. Disgorger.

FISHING-KNIFE.

[Tofacep,Q3.

MISCELLANEA, 6j

without edges of any sort — inserted in my fishing-knife,
by which means the length of the disgorger was doubled,
and its power and readiness for use very greatly in-
creased. The advantage of this arrangement of the dis-
gorger, in trolling as well as in other fishing, suggested
the advisability of extending the principle so as to em-
body in the same knife the rest of the angler's imple-
ments, and thus spare him the necessity of collecting
and stowing each article before starting for the river.

The engraving represents the form and arrangement
of a fishing-knife which will, I believe, be found to con-
tain all that is really required, viz. : — a powerful blade
suited for crimping or other general purposes ; a " dis-
gorger blade ;" a minnow needle ; an ordinary baiting
needle, — the last two slipping into a box in the handle
of the knife, — a sharp-pointed pricker (a useful instru-
ment for unpicking knots, loosening drop-flies, separating
feathers, &c.) ; and last, not least, a strong corkscrew.

Landing-nets and Gaffs.

A gaft'" is generally the most convenient implement for
use in Pike-fishing, when the angler is alone, or a net, if
he has one large enough — say 2 feet in diameter — when
attended. In Salmon-fishing also, except luhen iJiere is
danger of killing foid fish, a gafi" is generally to be pre-
ferred, though even here I have found a large net to
save time.

In Salmon-fishing, however, the fisherman is seldom

MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

without an attendant, and therefore no great difficulty-
occurs whichever instrument is em-
ployed, and in Pike-fishing I have
landed many hundreds of fish from
boat and bank without either net or
gafif. The case is different with the
solitary Trout and Grayling fisher.
The absence of a net often costs him
the best fish of the day, whilst the
nature of the work renders a net or
gafif of the usual size an intolerable,
not to say impossible burden.

The engraving gives a representa-
tion of a net suited for this fishing,
which being made entirely of wood
and weighing only 3 oz., can be car-
ried without any inconvenience,
whilst the handle, ij feet long, can be passed under a
small strap attached to the coat, under and behind the
left arm, and thence into the pocket, so as to be entirely
out of the way. With this net, the measurements of which
are given in the cut, a fish of 3 lbs. can be readily landed.
The net should be made of dressed silk.

When wading with the fly, or worm-fishing for Trout, a
net which the angler can carry with him into the water,
and use without getting out of it, will be found a really
great practical advantage, and save the loss of much time
and many fish.

-i-.

PART II. — FLY-FISHING.

CHAPTER VI.

General Observations,
the system of artificial flies.

Present systems of artificial flies — ' Colourists' and * formalists' ; both
theories unsound in part. Fishing up-stream, &c., en'oneous.
True theory of artificial flies — Application of to practice ; form ;
colour ; size. Three typical Trout flies described and recommended to be
substituted for all others for Trout, Whitetrout, and Grayling fishing,

Salmon flies — The same arguments applied ; theory of Salmon flues \ three
patterns of flies for Salmon and Grilse recommended to be substi-
tuted for all others. Theory of Whitetrout flies.

Summary — Six flies only necessary for en^ery description of flyfishing.

Englishmen are as a race decidedly conservative in
their habits, and very slow to move out of the beaten
track — phlegmatic is the term used by their continental
critics, — and I shall be sorry if anything I am about
to write should give offence to this in many respects
excellent instinct. Conservatism, however, in the largest

66 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

sense of the term implies contentment with what is ;
and if that were my condition in regard to the theory
and practice of Angling, and especially of fly-fishing,
this book would certainly not have been written. The
measures which I am about to submit to the general
parliament of anglers are decidedly radical — revolu-
tionary would not be too strong a term, — for they aim
at revolutionizing the fundamental principles of the fly-
fisher's 'constitution' — the very alpha and omega of
his craft — I mean the system of artificial flies.

Trout fly-fishers may nowadays be divided roughly
into two parties, which may be described as the
" colourists," or those who think " colour " everything
and " form " nothing ; and the " formalists," or '' entomo-
logists" as they have been sometimes termed, who
hold, with the late Mr. Ronalds, that the natural flies
actually on the water at any given time should be
exactly imitated by the artificial fly used, down to the
most minute particulars of form and tinting. The latter
class includes probably the very great majority of
anglers — both apostles and disciples — who have probably
in most cases imbibed their opinions, until recently
unchallenged, almost unconsciously and without ever
questioning their soundness. The " colourists " are still
but a section, though an increasing one, of the general
fly-fishing community, and are represented by a few
enterprising spirits in advance not only of their age, but
also of the truth. The theories of both I hold to be dis-

THE SYSTEM OF ARTIFICIAL FLIES. 6/-

tinctly unsound ; and if my reader will follow me in the
next few pages, calling to mind, also, his own fly-fishing;
experiences, I have little doubt that he will arrive at a
similar conclusion. In fact the arguments of the two*
schools are mutually destructive..

The position of the *' formalists " is as follows :—

Trout take artificial flies only because they in some-
sort resemble the natural flies which they are in the
habit of seeing ; if this be not so, and if colour is the
only point of importance, why does not the 'colourist''
fish with a bunch of feathers tied on the hook ' pro-
miscuously ?' why adhere to the form of the natural
fly at all 1 Evidently because it is found, as a matter of
fact, that such a bunch of feathers will not kill ; in other-
words, because the fish do take the artificial for the natural
insect. If this be so, it follows that the more minutely
the artificial imitates the natural fly the better it will kill ;
and also, by a legitimate deduction, that the imitation of
the fly on the water at any given time is that which the
fish will take best.

To the above argument the " colourists " reply : —

Your theory supposes that Trout can detect the
nicest shades of distinction between species of flies>
which in a summer's afternoon may be numbered
actually by hundreds, thus crediting them with an.
amount of entomological knowledge which even a pro-
fessed naturalist, to say nothing of the angler himself,,
very rarely possesses ; whilst at the same time you draw
your flies up and across stream in a way in which no-
natural insect is ever seen, not only adding to the impos-

F 2

68 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

sibillty of discriminating between different species, but
often rendering it difficult for the fish even to identify
the flies as flies. The only thing a fish can distinguish
under these circumstances, besides the size of a fly, is its
colour. We therefore regard form as a matter of com-
parative indifference, and colour as all-important.

Now in each of the above arguments there is a part
that is sound and a part that is fallacious ; and it is from
the failure in distinguishing the true from the false,
that what I believe to be the erroneous practice of both
these opposite parties springs. Each argument, however,
is sound so far as to be an *' unanswerable answer " to
the other : — It is clear — as stated by the " formalists" —
that colour is 7iol everything in a fly, because if it were,
a bunch of coloured feathers tied on anyhow to the hook
would kill as well as an artificial fly, whereas by their
practice the colourists themselves admit that such is not
the case. On the other hand, the argument of the "colour-
ists," th2Ltfro7n the way the artificial fly is presented to the
fish it is impossible they can distinguish minutice of
form and imitation, equally commends itself to common
sense and common experience. This is the point, in
fact, in which the entomological theory entirely breaks
down. Because Trout take the artificial for the natural
fly, the formalists argue that the one should be an exact
counterpart of the other, ignoring the fact that tJie two
insects are offered to the fish tinder entirely different
conditions. The artificial fly is presented under water

THE SYSTEM OF ARTIFICIAL FLIES. 69

instead of on the surface ; wet instead of dry ; and in
brisk motion up, down, or across stream, instead of pas-
sively floating. No doubt if the flies could always be
kept dry and passively floating — that is, as they are
seen in nature — the exact imitation theory would (though
only up to a certain point) be sound enough ; but as in
practice this is impossible, we are perforce driven to arti-
ficial expedients to extricate us from the "unnatural"
dilemma. Thus at the very outset we find ourselves
compelled to simulate life instead of death in our flies ;
and for this purpose impart to them a wholly unnatural
motion whilst swimming : again, because " flufly" mate-
rials when wetted lose much of their strength of colour,
fly bodies are constantly made of hard silk instead of soft
dubbings ; and as it is found that a naturally propor-
tioned insect is deficient in " movement," an unnatural
quantity of legs (hackles) are added to it — in the
smaller species the wings being often omitted en-
tirely. In short, we are launched upon an altogether
artificial system, in which experience must to a great
extent supersede nature as a pilot.

The colourists take advantage of this undeniable
position to assail the whole system of " form" as a
blunder, and in doing so themselves make a blunder still
greater ; they not only draw from correct premises an
erroneous conclusion, but they draw a conclusion the
very opposite of the logical one. For if it be admitted
{a)y that Trout do take the artificial for the natural fly,

70 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

*ind {b), that from the way in which the fly must be pre-
•sented to them it is difficult to be recognised ; the
logical deduction is, not that form is of no consequence,
but on the contrary that it is of the utmost consequence,
and that the fly should be as " fly-like" and characteristic
.as possible, so that, notwithstanding its rapid and un-
natural movements, it may be at once and immistakably
ddentijied as a fly.

I do not see any escape from this position, which if
:accepted puts the colourists as entirely *^ out of court"
as by the previous argument are the formalists.

The superadded theory of the latter, that the imitation
of the natural fly on the water at any given time is that
which the fish will take best, falls as a logical sequence
with the proposition on which it was based. As might
be expected, this theory was never found to stand the
test of practice, the experience of every fly-fisher teach-
ing him that when a particular natural fly is on the
water in abundance. Trout will commonly take better an
artificial fly imitative of any other species. To this
principle there is only one exception — namely, the case
of *' May-fly fishing with the dry fly." In this case, owing
to the large size of the fly, it is possible to really simulate
nature by presenting the artificial insect literally dryy and
Jloating passively. Thus the exception proves the rule.

Mr. Stewart, who has written one of the most able
books of modern times on Trout fishing in clear water,
founding on the same sound proposition as Mr. Ronalds

THE SYSTEM OF ARTIFICIAL FLIES. 7 1

— viz., that Trout take the artificial for the natural fly —
argues that because the natural dry fly usually floats
passively down the stream, the artificial fly — zvct — should
do the same. This is another analogical fallacy, the
error of which would seem hardly to require an almost
universally opposite practice for its demonstration.
Ninety-nine men out of a hundred find it best to give a
slight movement to the fly in the water.

I fear we must include in the same "unproven" cate-
gory, and for the same practical reason, the theory that
flies should usually be cast up stream, rather than down

To sum up the foregoing arguments therefore, the true
rationale of the matter seems to me to be as follows : —

T. Whatever Salmon, et Jioc genus, may do, Trout cer-
tainly take the artificial for the natural fly.

2. But as the artificial fly is necessarily presented in
an abnormal condition — namely, wet instead of dry,
sunk instead of floating ; and as the resemblance which
wet feathers and silk under water bear to dry insect-
down, flufl", and wings on the water, is imperfect, — (3)
it is necessary for the purpose of hiding the counter-
feit, and partly also to hide the hook, to give the fly an
unnatural, life-like movement in the water ; adding to it
also an unnatural quantity of legs (hackles) which open
and shut, and move with the movements of the fly.

4. These " movements " and alterations, however,
make it quite impossible for Trout to discriminate

72 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

minutely between the various unnatural imitations oi
natural flies, whether in form or tint ; (5) and render it
doubly important that the imitation insect should be as
characteristic and '' fly-like" as possible in shape, lest the
fish should fail to perceive the resemblance altogether.

6. General shape, general colour, and size, are all that
can be distinguished by the fish. These are the points,
therefore, to be kept in view in the construction of arti-
ficial Trout-flies.

The next step is to reduce these propositions to prac-
tice ; and the argument seems naturally to take some-
what the following form : — If when presented to them in
the only manner in which we can present them, nice
varieties of imitations, and shades of shape and colour
cannot be distinguished by Trout, the great mass of
flies now used are obviously unnecessary, and where
either the colour or outline is confused, are mischievous.
It would be better on every ground to select two or
three of the most favourite and distinctive families of
flies, and imitate them only ; not in their varieties, or
even species, but, as it were, in their types, — and using
those colours only which represent the prevailing tints
in the selected families. What, then, are the most
favourite families of flies — most favourite, that is, in the
eyes of the Trout } Without question the Ephemerida:
and Phryganidce,—dind for a very good reason, as with
hardly an exception they are all bred in the beds, banks,

THE SYSTEM OF ARTIFICIAL FLIES. 73

and reeds of the waters over which they afterwards fly.
To the first-named family belong, roughly speaking, the
whole collection of the "duns," and "spinners," — the
drakes, or May-flies, the dark mackerel, the sand-fly, and
the March brown ; whilst the latter includes the cinna-
mon, the grannom or green-fly, the willow-fly, and,
more important than any, the stone-fly, or "water
cricket," which in the early part of the year is so plenti-
ful on many rivers. From these two great families, in
fact, some of which are on the water every day of the
year, fully three-fourths of the contents of most fly-
books will be found to consist ; they therefore commend
themselves as the families from which our typical flies
should be made.

As regards form or shape no question can arise, as the
selected families are all unmistakably and characteristi-
cally flies, in the proper sense of the term, having wings,
legs, and, I think without an exception, " whisks," or
hair-like appendages at the tail. These whisks are not
only very "fly-like" and distinctive features, but are
also easily imitated, and assist materially to disguise the
hook, as well as to make the fly swim straigJit. This
last is an important point, as the effect of the extra
weight at the bend of the hook, unless counteracted by
some additional "float," is to make the fly swim tail
downwards.

The great majority of the most favourite river flies
belong to the order Neitroptera, or nerve-winged insects.

'J^ MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

or less crude and imperfect — but the theory as ulti-
mately elaborated, examined by the light of the theories
of others, and worked out, tested and re-tested by my-
self during some twenty years' practical experience of
fly-fishing on many of the principal rivers and lakes in
the three kingdoms.

With regard to Salmon-fishing the arguments ad-
duced against a multiplicity of flies apply, and with
even greater force, inasmuch as it is not pretended by
any one that Salmon-flies really imitate the colour or
form of any known insects, but are rather spontaneous
evolvements from the internal consciousness of anglers
and tackle makers. They are certainly more numerous
in their endless variety of colour and pattern than even
Trout-flies, and are proportionately more useless, except
to those who are paid for making or selling them. The
result of my investigations is, that there is only one
essential in the construction both of Salmon and Grilse-
flies, and that is bi^illiancy and strength of colouring ; and
that in proportion as they fulfil these conditions arc
their killing properties. Size is on the contrary an ele-
ment constantly varying from local circumstances. A
large river or lake usually demands a large fly, and vice
versdy and this again should be larger or smaller ac-
cording as the weather is dark or bright, windy or calm.
These are all points requiring the exercise of judgment,
for in their combinations they present considerable

THE SYSTEM OF ARTIFICIAL FLIES. 7/

variety ; but the essentials of the flies themselves never
vary. Nor is the rationale of this difficult to understand.
The Salmon admittedly does not take the fly for any
living insect, or food which he can have previously met
with. Then for what and why does he take it t For its
beauty and tempting appearance. Probably it has an appe-
tizing effect. To borrow a familiar illustration from our-
selves, how few schoolboys would have been flogged for
stealing apples but for the fascination of their rosy cheeks t
In the Chapter on Salmon-fishing I have given three
patterns of Salmon-flies which combine the real essen-
tials as above described, in what my experience leads
me to believe to be the most perfect form.

White or sea Trout, and their congeners, appear in
their tastes, and habits of feeding, to be somewhat inter-
mediate between Salmon and brown Trout ; and the
Trout-flies described, with a slight addition of tinsel,
will kill them, both in still and running water, better
than any others with which I am acquainted.

// will thus be seen that I propose to substititte six typical

flies — three for Salmon and Grilse, and three for Tronty

Grayling, &c. — for the whole of the artificial flies now tiscd.

That there are a great number of existing patterns of
flies for each different kind of fish, most anglers are pro-
bably aware, but perhaps few have any very distinct

yS MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

notion of what the number really is. In a small collec-
tion of my own, consisting of so-called "standard" flies
only, and those for Salmon and brown Trout alone, I
find there are I2i distinct patterns, or " species." But
these are a mere drop in the ocean. Besides Salmon
and Trout-flics proper, there are the endless varieties of
flies for Grilse, Salmon-Trout, Bull-Trout, Grayling, &c.,
the general total having been estimated by a recent
writer at more than one thousand patterns. In fact their
name is simply " legion." With most, if not all, fish may
no doubt occasionally be killed, and with some, excellent
baskets made ; but yet painful as the admission must
be to the accomplished student of angling entomology,
and fiercely as it will be contested by many a gallant
veteran of the old 7'egime, it is nevertheless true that
nine-tenths — or rather ninety-nine hundredths — of these
graceful combinations of furs, silks, and feathers represent
so much wasted time, money, and ingenuity.

Indeed when I think how great that ingenuity has
been, — how much has been written, and charmingly
written, for the last two centuries to teach how to make
and use what I have been exhorting my readers to dis-
card as useless ; and what a complicated and nicely-
balanced system has been thereon elaborated, it is
not without a pang of regret I have undertaken the
ungracious task of writing what may perhaps eventually
prove to be its epitaph.

H
O

o
o

3:^

CHAPTER VII.

Brown Trout.

artificial fly-fishing in rivers and lakes.

Salmon and Trout fishing contrasted. Ri'ver fly-fishing — How, when,
and where to fish. Drop-flies — More than one a mistake; theory
of. Striking and playing.

In thus placing Trout-fishing before Salmon-fishing, I
invert the usual order of sequence. I do so deliberately,
because, both as a sport, and as indisputably the most
popular branch of angling, it seems to me to be entitled
to precedence. With no assistance but his rod and no
guide but experience, the Trout-fisher wanders down the
bank of the untried lake or stream, selecting by intuitive
perception the most likely casts, and if he raises a heavy
fish has many a heart-quake and many a moment of
breathless suspense, before he transfers the shining beauty
to his creel. No Salmon-fisher, on the contrary, however
skilful, can select for himself the places where he ought
to fish, Salmon apparently being guided by the merest
caprice in the choice of location, so that the very stone
behind which the fly must fall to give a chance of

8g modern practical angler.

success, has often to be pointed out by the local
assistant ; whilst the tackle used is so strong, and gene-
rally the nature of Salmon casts so open, that with
ordinary skill a fish once fairly hooked has little chance
of breaking away. The chief glory of Salmon-fishing
lies in the " rise" — which is certainly magnificent — and
the only difficulty of the capture, as a rule, consists in
the " stroke." So much is this the case, that I have
known veteran Salmon-fishers, who, when Salmon were
plentiful, made it a habit to resign the rod into the hands
of an assistant after checking the first rush or two. But
who ever heard of the Trout-fisher adopting such a
practice ? Not that I blame the Salmon-fisher ; for
though I never could bring myself to follow in this
respect the example of men who were doubtless better
anglers tlian myself, still, it must be confessed that there
have been moments when I felt sorely tempted to do so.
Wielding a 19 or 20- foot rod for five or six hours con-
secutively is apt to tire even the strongest muscles ; and
as I have said, as a rule, the cream of the sport is over
when the fish is fairly struck, and his first wild rush or
two met and mastered. Still Salmon-fishing is a gallant
game, fit for the persevering spirits and strong arms
that play it ; and it has, too, its gleams of triumph and
excitement, the more intensely bright perhaps partly
from their very shortness.

But to return to the first part of my subject, — Trout-
fishing. For the sake of convenience I shall divide this

ARTIFICIAL FLY-FISHING IN RIVERS AND LAKES. 8 1

into its several branches — River fly-fishing, Lake fly-
fishing, Worm-fishing, Minnow-fishing, Lake and River
Spinning, Fishing with the natural fly and "creeper,"
and Fishing with the dry-fly.

River Fly-fishing.

There has been much excellent writing devoted to
describing How, When, and Where to fish for Trout in
rivers and streams ; and this is one reason — want of
space another — why I shall not go very minutely into
those questions. It seems doubtful also whether anglers,
as a rule, read, or if they read, remember so as to derive
practical benefit from the detailed maxims and rules
laid down on these subjects.

With regard to particular states of the atmosphere,
for instance, some writers think the presence of ozone
in a greater or a less proportion may probably make
one day more favourable than another for fly-fishing.
But what then .'' Nine men out of ten fish just the
same, and make the best basket they can, whether
they know, or think they know, the day to be good
or bad ; whilst as to " Where" to fish in any par-
ticular river, the only really available knowledge is
to be gained by experience, and the most general
instructions are all that can be given or recollected.

Again, as regards the " How." The proper movement
of a fly-rod is very difficult to describe intelligibly, and
I advise all tyros who do not understand the art to get

82 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

a lesson from some one who does. I can only attempt
to give an outline, which may facilitate the acquirement
of details.

How TO Fjsh.

CASTING.

The flies and some of the line being in the water, and
the rod held by one or both hands (in the latter case the
right hand being above the left), the rod should be
raised rapidly yet steadily, with a backward motion
over the right shoulder, so as to fling the line well ont
behind into the air ; and then brought with a circular
sweep round the head to the left, and propelled lightly
forward, with force proportioned to the length of cast to
be made. A short line will of course be best for the
first essay. The shape of the curve described by the rod
in casting is nearly that of a horse-shoe. In completing
this movement the point of the rod must not be allowed
to approach too near the water, but should be kept well
up ; and even, at the moment the line is falling, a little
upward springy movement of the point should be given.
This has the effect of making the flies light softly, and
before the line — two most important points.

As soon as the flies have touched the water, the rod
should be gradually raised towards the perpendicular,
the flies being kept in motion by gentle upward move-
ments of the rod point.

Each cast will of course be only a repetition of the

ARTIFICIAL FLY-FISHING IN RIVERS AND LAKES. S^

above process ; but as skill is acquired, the fly-fisher will
soon learn to cast the flies either over the right or left
shoulder with one or both hands, and from any position.

" Switching " is another most useful method of cast-
ing, as by it water othenvise inaccessible, owing to trees
or banks, can often be fished satisfactorily.

The modus operandi is as follows : —

By raising the rod to the full stretch of the arms
the flies are drawn in until they are nearly below the
angler's feet. Then with a very sudden, strong, circling
movement of the rod they should be cast straight out
again, up, down, or across, and the first process repeated.
" Switching " requires practice, but it is well worth the
trouble of learning.

As a rule the best mode of fishing rivers is to cast
doivn and across the current, beginning under the further
bank if possible, and ending under the near one. In
spite of Mr. Stewart's able advocacy, most anglers have
now arrived at the conclusion that fly-fishing tip streaniy
always, or even generally, is a mistake in practice. In
my general observations on fly-fishing I have pointed out
one or two of the reasons which led me to consider it so
in theory also. With a strong wind up stream it is
sometimes a necessity, though, even then, I cannot but
think an unfortunate one.

G Z

84 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

WORKING THE DROPPER.

Some angling authorities recommend the use of three
flies, and some even four.

The objections to this practice are many ; but perhaps
the most important are, that it is more difficult, especially
in windy weather, to cast three than two flies ; that it
is more difficult to work them properly when they have
been cast ; and that when fish have been hooked
there is more danger of entanglement in weeds, 8ic.
Vexations, in short, are multiplied and efficiency im-
paired. The fact is that only one dropper ca7i be properly
Avorked, the perfect working of a drop-fly consisting in its
skipping, or " dribbling " along the surface of the water
amongst the ripples, and thus offering a sort of imperfect
representation of a half-drowned insect endeavouring to
rise from the water. Cross lines and others are more
killing than any other form of fly-fishing, only because
all their flies work in this manner. The point, however,
is more important in lakes than in streams.

A description of an improved method of attaching
the dropper, new knot, &c,, is given at pp. 57-8.

STRIKING AND PLAYING.

After striking, ivhicJi cannot be done too rapidly, the
point of the rod should be kept well up, and a steady
though yielding pressure brought to bear on the fish,
until he is killed. With a proper check reel, such as

ARTIFICIAL FLY-FISHING IN RIVERS AND LAKES. 85

that described in the chapter on Tackle, it is better
when playing a fish, to remove the hand altogether from
the line, so as to allow of its yielding freely to any
hidden springs or rushes.

When to Fish.

1. Some rivers and lakes are early and some late,
whilst there are a few, like the Devonshire " Otter," in
which it is said the Trout rise best in a snow-storm.
This of course is a very exceptional case ; but, taking
the ordinary run of early and late waters, there are few
months of the year from early spring to late autumn in
which the Trout-iisher cannot find sport somewhere or
other.

2. In all Trout fly-fishing, whether on lake or river, a
moderate, rippling breeze and a chequered sky are great
advantages ; principally, doubtless, because they help to
conceal the counterfeit fly, and lessen the glitter of the
gut.

3. A bright sun, a dead calm, or water that is very
low and clear, are always bad, for the converse reasons.

4. Water that is thickened by rain or other cause is
always bad. It prevents the fish seeing the flies on the
top, and brings down with it a quantity of ground-food
which fixes their attention on the bottom.

5. The rise that precedes, and the fall that follows a
flood zuhen the ivater has cleai'ed, are generally favourable,
more particularly after drought.

S6 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

6. The presence of any large quantity of natural flies
on the water is usually exceedingly bad.

7. About sunrise and sunset are commonly the two
best hours of the day in hot weather, as the fish are then
on the look-out for the flies which oftener come out at
those hours than at any other. In cold stormy weather,
however, the converse rule often holds good.

8. As settled weather is very favourable, so change-
able weather generally prognosticates uncertain sport.

Where to Fish.

The best places to fish in any river are usually not
where there are most fish, but where they can be most
easily caught. These places are moderately rapid runs ;
scours, or " stickles," where the water is of a medium
depth, and carries a brisk ripple or curl ; pools, with a
current through them ; and mill-tails, weirs, and eddies.

Deep, stagnant, lagoon-like reaches can only be fished
with success when there is a good breezy ripple on
them.

CHAPTER VIII.

TROUT-FLIES.

Three typical flies described — 'Green,' 'brown,' and 'yellow'; new-
principle of construction. A colourless <T.uax. Prevailing colours of
natural flies. Colours of hackles; dyed hackles best. All flies
should be carried in a box. Selecting of flies — Size ; colour ; fly
rod and tackle. Fishing with the dry-fly.

Lake fly-fishing.

Fishing '^joith natural flies — ' Creeper' and stone-fly fishing; blow-line
fishing with the May-fly.

Typical Flies : Dressing of.

I HAVE explained in the preliminary chapter to this
part, the reasons which lead, I think incontrovertibly, to
the conclusion that for all practical purposes only a
few typical flies, of the most common insect-colours
and distinctive forms, are required for Trout-fishing,
whether in lake or stream.

Such flies it has been further shown should naturally
be three in number, embracing the three most common
insect colours, green, brown, and yellow ; and in form
imitating the phryganidce and ephemeridcSy which are the
most favourite families of river flies, and the most distinc-
tive and " fly-like " in their form. Several other desiderata
with regard to colour, &c., have also been pointed out.

The frontispiece shows the form and colouring of

S8 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

the three flies which I recommend as fulfilling the
conditions indicated. They can be made of any size,
from that used in the smallest and clearest of our Derby-
shire streams to the largest sized lake-fly : nothing being
required to be varied but the size of the hook, the
length of the hackle, and the thickness of the silk with
which the fly is tied. These flies are both simple in
construction, and more easily and quickly tied than any
flies hitherto made public, so far as I am aware. For
the construction of an ordinary " March brown," for
example, at least two feathers and three silks are
required : in the brown fly shown in the plate, which
is quite as good an imitation of the insect in theory, and
a better one in practice, only a single strand of coloured
silk, and a single hackle feather is used ; and the other
flies are made in the same way. The principle of their
construction is as follows : —

A strand of common coloured sewing;- silk (not floss),
of the required thickness having been waxed in the
manner presently described, take two or three turns over
the end of the hook-shank and gut ; lay the hackle on
the back of the hook, hollow side upwards, with the
large end towards the hook-bend ; lap over it with three
or four turns of the silk ; spin the hackle on over these
turns {the same zvay ronnd as tJie silk), leaving some of the
hackle over ; then fasten the hackle off with the silk,
continuing to work upwards towards the bend of the
hook, and lapping over the hackle until the body is
of sufficient length ; then fasten off the silk and cut the

TROUT-FLIES. 89

stem of the hackle off so as to leave the fibres in the
V-shaped form shown in the engraving. These latter
form the whisks. By leaving and lapping over the
stem of the hackle and the end of the silk, or by
" stripping " the former and cutting the latter off close,
the body can be made thick or thin as desired.

It will be seen that the body of the above fly is made
of the same strand of silk with which the gut is tied on,
and that the ** whisk '■' is made of the same feather that
forms the legs, or hackle. A fly thus constructed cannot
break until the hackle or body silk is actually worn
through, and will last twice as long as one made on
the ordinary plan, where the hackle, wings, &c., are
constantly slipping or coming undone at the head.
The saving in time in tying a fly (say a March brown)
thus, as compared with the common method, is about
400 per cent. ; which I have proved by having frequently
tied the fly on my plan complete in forty-five seconds,
whilst in the ordinary method it cannot be tied by even
a professional hand under three minutes. The whole pro-
cess is, moreover, so exceedingly simple that a single
lesson ought to be sufficient to impart it to the merest
tyro.

The difficulty which gave me the most trouble to
overcome was the body-silk. In order to use this for
whipping on the hook, &c., it was of course necessary to
wax it ; but I found that the ordinary '' cobbler's" wax
quite destroyed the colouring of the yellows and greens.

90 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

It was also necessary in some way to dress the silk
with a waterproof coating to obviate the loss of colour
to which flies tied with undressed body-silk are subject.
The yellows particularly lose in this manner. After
a good many experiments I hit upon a colourless wax,
which fulfils both these conditions, and is moreover more
convenient to manipulate than the ordinary cobbler's
wax, which in cold weather becomes brittle and " chippy.'*
A receipt for the colourless wax is appended : — j

Receipt for Coloicrless Wax. — Burgundy pitch, 120 grains
(J of an oz.) ; white resin, 60 grains ; tallow, 20 grains.
Having reduced the resin and pitch to a mixed powder
and placed them in some clean receptacle (an egg-cup |
will be found very convenient), put them into an oven,
and when quite melted add the tallow, stirring the whole
thoroughly up together for several minutes. The wax,
which when cold will be quite hard, will be ready for use
in about twelve hours. The above quantities will make
a lump of wax as large as a walnut.

The wax should be kept perfectly free from dust and
dirt, and in using it for dressing the yellow flies, it is
very desirable that the fingers of the tyer should also be
quite clean.

For the body-silk of the brown fly the colourless wax
over brown silk does not answer entirely, as the tint
given by the brown silk is rather dead and " unfly-like."
I find, however, that by waxing very dark orange silk
with ordinary cobbler's wax an excellent rich colour is
obtained. The silk whilst fresh waxed should be drawn

TROUT-FLIES. 9I

tightly between the finger and thumb ; by this means
the wax is almost removed from two sides of the silk^
and massed on the other two sides, producing a mottled
yellowy-brown appearance in the fly somewhat like that
seen in the March brown and other principal brown
varieties, as the stone-fly, great and lesser red spinner,
dark mackerel, &c., which are mottled with yellow or
orange ribbings. The yellow and orange flies, on the con-
trary, as the cinnamon, yellow sally, fern, sand, and cow-
dung fly, are all either plain yellows or oranges, or if
ribbed at all are ribbed with different tints of the same
colours. The oak-fly is an exception.

With regard to the heads of flies, these can, on the
above principle of tying, be made almost microscopic
without any sacrifice of strength ; but I advise the
angler, notwithstanding, to have them dressed large.
The heads of Trout-flies are usually made much toa
small — much smaller, that is, than they are in nature,
and smaller therefore than is desirable ; because it should
be the aim of the fly-tyer rather to exaggerate than to
diminish in the artificial imitation all the prominent
features of the natural insect, so that on a quick glimpse
the resemblance may be unmistakeable;. This last obser-
vation applies also to the "whisks" or tails, in exaggerating
which there is an additional advantage, inasmuch as the
larger the whisk the better and straighter will the fly swim.

The following is the formulary for the three typical
flies described : —

MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

Hackle.

Body.

Whisk.

I. 'Green'

Dark green . .

Darkish green 8ew-\
ing silk, lightly

Cut end of

waxed with co-

hackle.

lourless wax . .

2. * Brown'

'Fiery' (or cin-

Dark orange sew--

namon) brown,

ing silk, well

(not ' claret

waxed with cob-

brown') . . .

bler's wax, and -
then drawn tightly

Cut end of

hackle.

between the finger

and thumb . . .,

3. 'Yellow'

Darkish 'golden

' Golden yellow '

olive' ....

sewing silk lightly

Cut end of

waxed with co-

hackle.

lourless wax . .

It is almost unnecessary to observe that the colour of
a hackle can only be judged by holding it between the
eye and the light — the position also in which it is per-
ceived by the fish. The cinnamon or "fiery brown"
hackle when thus examined becomes shot with smoky
yellowish lights, and the golden olive with transparent
golden yellows. The green hackle also, if properly
dyed, should, when thus examined, assume a lighter and
more liquid tint of green. Natural coloured hackles do
not present these beautiful effects, and therefore for all
flies hackles artificially stained are to be preferred. For
small flies "neck" hackles are preferable to "saddle"
hackles, as they are softer in the fibre, and thus show
more movement in the water.

Floss silk will not answer at all for dressing these

TROUT-FLIES. 93

flies, as it loses all glossiness and strength of colour.
For convenience in tying them several different thick-
nesses of sewing silk are requisite, from ordinary sewing
silk — which is of the proper thickness for small flies — to
silk of about the substance of hoUand thread, which is
the size most suitable for lake flies.

All flies should be carried in a box, instead of being
pressed together in a book, a process which robs them
of half their elasticity and play of hackle, and to which
they should never be subjected even for a moment.
This is a most important point. Tackle makers think
that the fly regains its full elasticity as soon as it is wet,
but I have convinced myself by repeated practical ex-
periments that this is not the case.

Selection of Flies.

SIZE.

It is a curious fact, but nevertheless an indisputable
one, that the size of the flies to be used in any given
river or lake generally depends, within certain limits, not
upon the size of the fish, but upon the size of the water,
modified by the condition of the wind and sun. There
are occasional exceptions to this rule — as to most others
— but in the absence of local knowledge or guidance,
which on this point is often useful, the fisherman
acting upon it will find himself right in nineteen cases
out of twenty.

In most Trout streams^ properly so called, in either

94 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

portion of the United Kingdom, the best sizes of hooks
are Nos. 2, 3, or 4, {vide plate), a larger or smaller size
being used as the day is more or less dark or windy, or
the water high or low. In the Derbyshire streams. No.
I or 2 will generally be found the best sizes. Smaller
hooks are sold in the tackle shops, but I have not in-
cluded them in my patterns because I regard them as
practically useless, No. I being small enough for every
purpose usually required.

COLOUR.

In small rivers and streams I recommend the use
of the " green," as the tail-fly, or stretcher ; and the
'' brown," as the bob-fly, or dropper to begin with, both
of course dressed small to suit the size of the water :
if either fly does not appear to kill, substitute the
yellow as the dropper, and the best of the others for
the stretcher ; in larger waters the same flies of a larger
size.

In deep lagoon-like reaches of river water, with a
breeze on them, and especially in Scotland or Ireland, I
recommend commencing with the "yellow" as the
dropper, and the " green" as the stretcher. If either of
these flies does not kill substitute the " brown."

Local Anglers will probably, and that almost without
an exception, tell the fly-fisher that no flies but local
ones are of any use on their lakes or streams, but this
opinion is usually based on a very slender experience,

TROUT-FLIES. 95

limited most likely to that gained on some half a dozen
lakes or rivers in their own neighbourhood.

Local prejudices are, however, by no means confined
to professional fishermen. Even first-rate amateur per-
formers are often imbued with the notion that no flies
but those they have been accustomed to consider the
correct thing on particular rivers and streams will kill in
them. I remember once fishing the most famous
Trouting loch in Scotland, in company with two of her
most celebrated (and justly celebrated) anglers, and when
I showed them the flies I meant to use, they assured me
that they " would never kill fish in Loch Leven !" At the
end of the first day, however, my basket, which included
seven Trout weighing I4lbs., was found to be heavier than
both theirs. This result I attribute of course solely to
the flies, not, be it well understood, to the fisherman.

I will not go so far as to say that there may not be
exceptional occasions — or even exceptional rivers, though
that I should much doubt — on w^hich some local pattern
of fly may not prove more killing than the three typical
flies I recommend ; but I am quite satisfied that taking
the average of waters and weathers, and the great saving
of time in the avoidance of experimental changings of
flies, my patterns — which have been tested frequently
against the best local flies on half the principal Trouting
waters in the British Islands — will kill more fish in the
course of the year than any others at present generally
known.

g6 modern practical angler.

Fly-rods, Lines, Hooks, &c.

As regards fly-rods it is difficult to give any opinion
upon a matter which is so much one of taste, and de-
pendent to a great extent on the strength and height of
the individual angler. As far as my experience goes, a
twelve-foot rod inclined rather to stiffness than to pliancy
will be found the most generally efficient weapon. It is
also convenient to have a hollow butt, so that one or
two shorter tops — one for Minnow spinning, and one
for worm-fishing — may be carried in it.

The single-handed fly-rod contained in the general
rod described at page 51, will be found to answer the
above description. A square ring of india-rubber slipped
half way down the butt will throw off the rain-drippings,
which would otherwise run down the rod on to the
angler's hands and sleeves.

Full observations on the subject of Reels, Reel-lines,
Gut-lines, and how to stain gut, hooks for flies, nets, &c.,
are (^iven in the preliminary chapters on tackle.

FiSHIiNG WITH the DRY-FLY.

The object of the dry-fly is evident from its name — it
is made to float dry on the water like the natural insect,
thus affording the solitary instance of the " formalist" or
entomological theory being carried to its legitimate
result. The peculiarities in the construction of the fly
to enable it to fulfil this ro/e, are first its wings, which
generally consist of the whole tops of feathers (mal-

TROUT-FLIES. 9/

lard, generally), set nearly back to back, and pointing
upwards and outwards ; and secondly, its body, which is
composed almost entirely of materials unabsorbent of
water, such as mohair and hackles.

The method of using the dry-fly on the Stour and a
few other rivers, where its use is best understood, is very
peculiar. A large fish, say, is known to inhabit some par-
ticular hole or eddy. The spot is watched by the angler
until he sees the fish rising, and then the fly is cast so as
to fall a foot or two above him, and allowed to float (dry)
passively over him. On the fly becoming wet, which
happens after every cast, it is dried by being rapidly
thrown to and fro, or " spread" in the air, when it is ready
for another cast ; but this is seldom made until the rise
of a fish is seen, or his haunt known. Some fishermen
who use the dry-fly consider it is not properly dried
without a little crack or " flick" taking place at the
end of the spread ; but this " flick," though doubtless
very artistic, often whips off the fly. A stiff rod with a
tolerably pliant top is the best for the purpose. The dry-
fly being presented to the fish in the same way as the
natural fly, is most killing when the particular natural fly
imitated (which is commonly the May-fly) is on the water.
Smaller flies are made, but it is found difficult in prac-
tice to " float" them ; and, indeed, the whole process is
cumbersome, and is only worth practising on rivers
where the fish are very large and wary, or cannot be
taken in any other way.

93 MOPERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

Mr. Ogden, of Winchcomb Street, Cheltenham, is the
most celebrated manufacturer of " dry-flies," of which he
makes a speciality. I have now before me a fly of his
that I have used several times, and which has survived
a good deal of " flicking." It is still fit for work, and
floats like thistledown.

Lake Fly-fishing.

Almost all the remarks already made on the principles
of river Trout-fishing both as to the " How" and the
*' When," apply also to Trout-fishing in lakes. The case
is different, however, as regards the " Where," and on
this point a few observations may be ofiered.

The best spots for fly-fishing in lakes are usually out-
falls of streams, rocky patches and banks, the edges of
reed-beds, and generally the sloping shores at the point
where, without being shallow, the water is not too deep
for the bottom to be seen. The use of a boat is commonly
a great advantage in lake fishing, as by its means not
only can a greater range of water be fished, but it can
be fished in a much shorter time. Moreover, such spots
as the margins of reed-beds, and submerged banks, which
are as stated usually amongst the best casts, can rarely
oe commanded from the shore, even with wading — a
practice, by the way, which in lakes is apt to lead to
awkward results, unless pursued with great care.

The boat should be allowed to drift before the wind>

TROUT-FLIES. 99>

the flies being cast out in front and at the bow and stern,,
according to speed.

A ripple on the water is almost a sine qua non in lake-
fishing, and a good curling breeze an advantage. When
the water has been quite calm, however, I have some-
times caught fish by throwing the flies into the centre of
the circle caused by a *' rise."

Selection of Flies.

SIZE.
The considerations which regulate the size of flies to
be used on any given lake are in many respects similar
to those given under the head of River Fishing ; and on
this point the opinion of a local practitioner may usually
be taken with advantage. Loch flies, however, as a rule,
are considerably larger than those applicable to streams ;
the sizes most commonly used varying from No. 7 to
No. 10 (see frontispiece).

COLOUR.

For some reason which I have not succeeded in>
fathoming, the Yellow fly always seems to kill best in
the position of dropper, or bob-fly, and the Green when
employed as the stretcher, or tail-fly. The Brown can
be used in either position ; but I have found it best,
especially on new waters, to try the Yellow and Green
first, reserving the Brown as a change in case of necessity..

For lake fishing a light double-handed rod fromi

100 MODERN TRACTICAL ANGLER.

14 to 16 feet long will be found most convenient, as,
whether the angler is fishing from the shore or the boat,
it enables him to work his flies better than a shorter rod,
and to command a greater reach of water. The general
rod described in the chapter on Tackle embraces a
double-handed fly-rod designed for this purpose.

Fishing with Natural Flies.

"creeper" and stone-fly fishing.

Creeper and stone-fly fishing is confined to the Border
and Lowland Scotch rivers ; at least, I never remember
to have met with it elsewhere, and it may therefore be
regarded as a branch of the art rather local than general.
The creeper is the larva of the stone-fly {Scottice May-
fly), in which condition it passes most of the winter and
spring months, living under stones in shallow water, from
whence it may generally be readily obtaiaed in quan-
tities sufficient for angling purposes. It will live for
a day in any perforated can or bait-box, even if kept in
the pocket, and for a longer time in a little water. The
mode of baiting and using the creeper is as follows.
Put the upper hook through the shoulder, and the lower
hook through the tail of the creeper, so that it may hang
straight on the line ; when baited, use it precisely in the
same manner as the worm described in the next chapter,
always selecting rapid rather than still parts of the
stream. The bright weather and low clear water, which

TROUT-FLIES. lOI

are best for worm fishing, will also be found most favour-
able for the creeper. The stone-fly usually remains in
its larval or " creeper" condition until the middle of May,
and from early in April until this time heavy baskets
may often be made with it. When in season, the
creeper is commonly from an inch to an inch and a
quarter long.

The rod, line, and hooks recommended for worm-
fishing, and described in the following chapter, omitting
the shot or sinkers, and setting the hooks a little
closer together, will be found the best tackle for
creeper-fishing.

About the middle of May the creeper changes from
the larval into the fly state, casting its tortoiseshell-
like covering, and unsheathing its wings, of which, how-
ever, it makes but little use. Mr. Stewart, whose ex-
cellent chapter on the* subject should be studied by
all Border anglers, considers that the fly is even more
deadly than the creeper. He advocates the use of two
flies as the bait. Except, however, on very large rivers
like the Tweed, I confess I think the large one is to be
preferred, both because it is more easily put on and
kept on the hooks, and because it presents a more
natural appearance in the water. The fly is nearly the
same length as the creeper, and the tackle used for one
should be used for the other. In fact, when the creepers
are changing the angler will often find it convenient to
fish indiscriminately with either the one or the other.

102 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

Trout take the stone-fly best imder water, and close to
the edges of the stream or pool, even under hollow
banks, if the fly can be got there. This point is laid
?much stress on by Border anglers, and with good reason,
inasmuch as the natural spots to find the fly are close to
the banks, from which they are washed ; and it is here
consequently that the Trout come to look for them. A
dark full water is more favourable for the effective use
of the stone-fly than one that is low and clear ; but in
both states good baskets may be made with it. The flies
•should be collected in a box the night or early morning
before they are to be used ; the best places for finding
them being under the stones above, but near the water's
edge ; and where most cast-off shells are seen, the fly
will probably be found to be most numerous.

Colonel Campbell tells me that he has had great success
•on the Border streams, with this fly used with blow-line
tackle (as described on the next page).

A method of natural-fly fishing is also much practised
■on the Peterel, and doubtless on many other neighbouring
streams, in which tzvo flies — the generic names of which
I could not ascertain — are used upon a small double hook.

The season for stone-fly fishing begins about the
middle of May, and ends about the middle of June.

BLOW-LINE FISHING WITH THE MAY-FLY.

Besides the fishing above described the only really
effective method of using the natural fly for Trout is

TROUT-FLIES. IO3

with the "blow-line;" and the place to see blow-line
fishing is in the Lakes of Westmeath. Indeed, this
beautiful chain of waters seems to be the natural habitat
of the art. Each lake in its turn, as the fly appears on
it, becomes for a few days a centre of attraction to the
angling community, and many a boat which, as Pat
says, is only safe provided you do not " cough or snaze,"
is then dragged from her moorings — perhaps at the
bottom of the lake — and pressed into the service. The
art of blow-line fishing, though in its principles exceed-
ingly simple, demands much nicety of execution in
practice, and, as indeed its name implies, it cannot
be pursued at all without the assistance of that
most inconstant element, the wind. Weather, how-
ever, proving propitious, the tackle is easily adjusted.
A skein of floss silk prepared for the purpose, and
attached to the end of a light running-line, is sub-
stituted, so far as the actual casting is concerned, for
the " reel-line," and to this, instead of the ordinary fly-
collar, is fastened a single small hook whipped on a
strand of fine gut. The hook is baited with a May-
fly, and as the boat drifts the wind carries out the
floss silk, which ought to be so managed by the aid of
hand and rod that only the hook and fly should actually
touch the water. Near the edges of the reeds will
usually be found the greatest quantity of EphemeridcBy
and as a corollary the greatest number of Trout. The
exact time for this fishing varies a little, as the spring

104 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

has been cold or genial ; and the several lakes vary
also inter se, which is a great convenience to the fisher-
man ; but from the middle to the end of May is com-
monly about the time. The Westmeath lakes, when
the fly " is up/' will well repay a visit, as the fish, which
are at this time in the highest condition, run from two
to five, and sometimes ten pounds, and take the natural
fly freely ; and if the angler puts Dr. Peard's charming
little book, " A Year of Liberty," into his portmanteau,
he will need no abler or more agreeable guide.

An analogous system to that above described is pur-
sued occasionally on some streams in England ; but on
others it is strictly prohibited, and on many hardly con-
sidered fair fishing. The circumstances of the two cases,
however, are entirely difl*erent.

105

CHAPTER IX.

V/ORM-FISHING.

Modern and old systems contrasted. Appropriate times and places for
worm-fishing. Existing tackles ; the theory of a perfect worm tackle
Nenv tackle described — Suitable for river-bottom fishing generally ?
Irace. Best worms : management of bait, &c.

For the present scientific method of worm-fishing for
Trout we are chiefly indebted to Mr. Stoddart and Mr.
Stewart. This branch of the art was, until late years,
principally confined to rivers in a state of partial flood —
rising or falling. The performer, armed with a short stiff
rod and extra coarse tackle, walked down the river or
stream, fishing the pools and likely runs in front of him,
and hoisting out bodily any unlucky fish which the
purblinding condition of its own element was mainly
instrumental in transferring to ours. Now all this is
changed, and worm-fishing for Trout is a branch of
the gentle art requiring much nicety and skill in its
successful performance, and rapidly becoming second
only to fly-fishing and spinning in the estimation of
anglers.

We have learnt that the real time for the use of the

106 . MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

worm is not when rivers are swollen or swelling, but
when they are low and bright, — June and July in Scot-
land, and July and August in England, being the two best
months — at the time, in short, when fly-fishing is, from
the nature of the case, least attractive and most unre-
munerative. Instead of short rods and coarse tackle,
long, light weapons, and the very finest gut, are in
requisition, with which the worm-fisher enters the river,
and wading as nearly up the middle as he can, fishes
before him the swift runs and shallows, and the broad
bed of the stream itself; often going far towards filling
his creel without ever setting foot on the bank. Worm-
fishing, as above described, is certainly a very deadly —
probably the most deadly — mode of Trout fishing
generally sanctioned by the canons of the art ; and it is
not at all to be wondered at that on some much-fre-
quented waters its use is prohibited.

But there are thousands of miles of river and stream
in the wilds of Ireland and Scotland, and some few
still in England, where from year's end to year's end
the fly of the angler rarely falls, and on which the
breed of Trout is only improved by a little thinning out
now and then. Here is the legitimate domain of the
worm-fisher, and thus pursued worm-fishing is a sport
which need fear comparison with none.

As regards the tackle to be used in worm-fishing, I
cannot better explain the views which I would com-
mend to the reader's consideration than by quoting a

WORM-FISH I XG. 10/

letter which I addressed to a contemporary periodical in
January, 1867 : —

*'NEW WORM TACKLE FOR TROUT.

" I see in your last number a letter from the Prince de
Vismes, asking me to explain through your columns the
principle of the two-hook Trout worm tackle, to which I
incidentally referred in a recent communication on the
•subject of the relative advantages of the various bends of
hooks. It gives me much pleasure to comply with this
request.

" The easiest way of explaining the form of the tackle
will be by a diagram, but before doing this it may per-
haps be desirable to preface my remarks by a few ob-
servations on the views hitherto prevailing on the subject
of Trout worm tackle.

" With one cxccptioiiy no writer on fishing that I ajn
acquainted zuith has ever suggested the 71s e of more tJian a
single hook. On looking through the modern school of
angling authors, I find the following recommendations
and instructions on the subject : — Bowlker, in his * Art
of Angling,' recommends a single No. 5 or No. 6 hook ;
Mr. Stoddart advises, in his * Angler's Companion,'
single hooks, sizes No. 10, 11, or 12, * according to the
dimensions of the stream, its condition, and the kind of
Trout inhabiting it.' Mr. Bailey, in his ^Angler's In-
structor,' suggests a single No. 7 ; Otter's ' Modern
Angler,' a No. 5; 'Glenfin' ('The Fishing Rod, and
How to Use It,') a 6 or 7 ; * Ephemera,' Hewett Wheat-
ley, and some other authors, either simply recommend
*a single hook,' without naming the size, or omit the
question altogether whilst Mr. Moffat, whose ' Secrets

io8

MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

of Angling* burst upon the world since all the foregoing
works appeared, of course hits upon a combination the
very worst possible, and one which would be tolerably
certain to lose three out of every four fish run — i.e., one
small hook, extra fine in the wire! The ' member for
Finsbury,' as this author, with the detestable slang
which some modern writers appear to think funny, calls
the Trout, would certainly let Mr. Moffat into at least
one angling secret with which he is at present unac-
quainted, if he were to appear on the banks of the
Tweed, or the Spean, armed with such an apparatus.

*' It will thus be seen that a ' single hook ' for Trout
worm-fishing has been hitherto universally recom-
mended by angling authorities, with, as
I before stated, a solitary exception,
and that is Mr. Stewart, who, in his
* Practical Angler,' boldly deviates from
the beaten track, and gives a diagram
(of which, for the sake of clearness, a
facsimile is appended) of a tackle com-
posed oi four small hooks, in lieu of the
conventional single large one. I give
Mr. Stewart the greatest credit for the
originality of this idea, which belongs to
him alone ; at the same time, I am not
surprised at its proving, as he himself
admits, only a modified success. Mr.
Stewart says that with this tackle he
found he could kill larger fish, but
fewer in number, than with the single hook, and that
this experience was confirmed by others. He attri-
butes, and I have no doubt correctly, the diminution in

4-hook Tackle
(Baited).

WORM-FISHING. IO9

the numbers of fish run, primarily to the circumstance of
its being impossible properly to conceal so large a
number of hooks in a single worm, and to their being
consequently seen by the fish. This was the principal
drawback to the four-hook tackle. As a minor inconve-
nience, Mr. Stewart also mentions that, from the number
of hooks often fixed in the fish's mouth when landed, a
certain waste of time necessarily occurred.

" These being the incidental disadvantages of Mr.
Stewart's plan, its advantages were, (i) that the worm
was more quickly baited than with the single hook, (2)
that it lived much longer — with the large single hook it
dies almost directly — (3) that it presented a much more
natural appearance to the fish, and (4) that, owing to
the superior penetrating tendency of small over large
hooks, much fewer fish escaped after being once hooked,
whilst it became possible to use the finest gut, which
could not be safely done with large heavy hooks. This
of itself is an advantage the importance of which can
hardly be over-estimated in Trout fishing in clear
streams.

" As regards the other point — the killing powers — my
own experience of the tackle was that when fishing pro-
perly up stream, and with a shortish line, hardly any fish
escaped at all, whilst with the large single hook, I think
the experience of most of my brother anglers will bear
me out when I say that fully 50 per cent, of runs were
'missed.' On the other hand, I fully recognised the
practical force of the objections mentioned by Mr.
Stewart, and accordingly I endeavoured to construct a
tackle similar in principle but different in detail, which
should combine all the foregoing advantages, without

MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

being open to the drawbacks. After various experi-
ments, I arrived at the conclusion that a tackle consist-
ing of two hooks instead of four, and these a trifle larger
and thicker in the wire, fulfilled the required conditions,
and also combined one or two material improvements in
other points. Annexed is a diagram of this tackle,

baited and unbaited. The size of the hooks, &c., can be
varied slightly according to the size of the stream, or of
the worms.

The worm is here shown in a curled-up position in
order to contrast more readily with Mr. Stewart's tackle,
but in actual work it is recommended that the worm
should, on the contrary, hang as straight as possible on
the hooks, which gives it a more natural appearance,
and is in every way much the more killing method.

WORM-FISHING. 1 1 1

"The great advantages, in several points, of Mr.
Stewart's tackle over the old large single hook have been-
already explained. The following are the advantages
which I believe will be found to belong to the two-hook
over the four-hook tackle : — (l.) It is baited in less than
half the time. (2.) The worm lives much longer. (3.) Its
appearance is much more natural and lively. (4.) The
hooks are comparatively unseen. (5.) They are "dis-^
gorged" in half the time.

" In killing powers I do not think that there is any
appreciable difierence, but if there is, the extra size of
hook and strength of wire which can be employed in the
two-hook tackle ought to give it the advantage. It is
also, of course, more easily made.

" In order to bait this tackle, I put the upper hook quite
through the worm, laterally, about half an inch below the-
head, just above the knot, and the second hook similarly
about an inch below it, according to the size of the
worm, as shown in the engraving.

" It will be found that the worm, especially whea
unscoured, is very apt to wriggle itself off the hooks, or
into pieces, and the most effectual remedy for this in-
convenience, and one which a very little practice will
make easy, is to put the two hooks through the worm as
expeditiously as possible, and then drop the worm in-
stantly into the water ; the cold partially numbs it, and
prevents it twisting off.

*' Thus much as to worm-fishing for Trout. I am by

112 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

no means clear, however, that this tackle will not be
found equally advantageous in all kinds of worm-fishing,
either with a float, as for Barbel, Bream, Perch, &c., and
especially in running water. If Trout, which are in
many respects a very shy fish, will take it readily in the
finest and brightest water, there seems to be no reason
why other and bolder fish should not do so ; and if they
will, I cannot but think, for the reasons above mentioned,
that it must entirely supersede the present single-hook
system."

The trace for worm tackle should consist of about two
yards of the finest stained gut ; one or two shot, ac-
cording to the depth and rapidity of the stream, being
placed on the line some 14 inches above the hooks.
The object of this is to weight the bait, so as to bring it
close to or touching the bottom without checking or
sticking fast ; but in broad shalloiv water no sinkers at
all will be found necessary. A longish rod is most
convenient for the purpose.

With regard to baits, any well-scoured worms which
are not much larger nor smaller than that represented
in the woodcut will do ; but for worm-fishing for Trout,
as for most other species of fresh-water fish, the brand-
ling, or dunghill worm, is distinctly the best, — probably
owing to its peculiar pungent smell and red colour. P'or
the purpose of rapid baiting the most convenient manner
of carrying the worms is in a wide-mouthed bag attached
to the button-hole. A worm that is disfigured or dead

WORM-FISHING. II3

should never be kept on the hooks. This is perhaps the
most important point of all. The name of the worm in-
dicates where it can best be found. Before use it should,
if possible, be placed in a damp moss for two or three
days.

After being cast up stream as far as the length of rod
and line will conveniently admit, the bait should be
allowed to be carried back with the current nearly to the
angler's feet. If in its passage the line comes to a
suspicious stop, the nature of which is not obvious, or if
a fish evidently takes the bait, the line should be allowed
to remain for three or four seconds motionless, when
the angler should strike, — not very hard, as the hooks
are small, — but still firmly and decidedly.

In worm-fishing for Trout, perhaps more than in any
other kind of fishing, the short-handled pocket net de-
scribed at page 64 will be found an invaluable auxiliary.

114

CHAPTER X.

RIVER AND LAKE MINNOW-SPINNING FOR TROUT.

spinning ivitb the natural bait. — The essentials of a perfect minnow
tackle ; how to be combined in practice ; a neav minnoiu tackle
described. Artificial baits. Ne<u} metal minnow described. Lake
Spinning for Trout — The Great Lake Trout ; how, when, and where
to fish for; tackle. Lake-Spinning for Bronvn Trout. Best mode of
fishing ; tackle, and baits. Thames Trout-fishing^ with the spinning
bait and with fly. Decrease of Thames Trout.
*

Spinning with the Natural Bait

Before dealing with the question of how to spin with
the Minnow, a preliminary consideration is the tackle
most suitable for the purpose. In this, in fact, as in
most other works of fishing, the tackle is really the most
essential part of the matter, so far as the angling instruc-
tion is concerned ; one reason amongst many being that
forms of tackle can be readily illustrated and conveyed
by written descriptions, whereas skill and experience,
except in their results, cannot.

What, then, is the best Minnow tackle }
In order that we may arrive at a satisfactory answer
to this question, we must first ascertain what are the

^Uij

ulLJ

N? 2.

Ne i).

TROUT SPINNING TACKLE.

[7b/aoep. 116.

TROUT RIVER AND LAKE MINNOW-SPINNING. II 5

qualities essential in such a tackle — I mean those which
all spinners would endeavour to combine if they could.
They may, I think, be epitomized thus : —

1. As to hooks : (a) an arrangement which will give a
brilliant spin to the bait ; (b) which will most certainly
hook any fish that takes it ; (c) and which will least
often let him escape afterwards

2. A txdiCQ fifie, strong, and clear of all encumbrances.

3. A lead so placed as to sink with the greatest
rapidity and least disturbance or show in the water.

4. The utmost simplicity of application in the whole
tackle.

That these are the essentials of a perfect Minnow
tackle, I think no experienced Minnow-spinner will
probably dispute, I therefore assume their concurrence
so far, and at once direct attention to the diagram of
the Tackle in which I believe them to be realized
(figure 3 of Plate).

In this figure a represents the lip-hook (whipped to
the main link and not moveable) ; b, a fixed triangle, one
hook of which is to be fastened through the back of the
Minnow ; c, a flying triangle hanging loose below its
tail ; d, a lead or sinker attached on to the shank of the
lip-hook, and lying in the belly of the Minnow when,
baited.

Il6 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

Directions for Baiting. — Having killed the Minnow, push the lead
well down into its belly ; then pass the lip-hook through both its lips,
the upper lip first, and lastly insert one hook of the triangle (b) through
its back, just below the back fin, so as to crook or bend the body suffi-
ciently to produce a brilliant spin. Figure 4 shows the position of the
hooks, &c., when baited.

That this arrangement of hooks fulfils the primary 1
condition of '' spinning," is of course capable only of
ocular and not of verbal demonstration, but I can only
say that when properly baited (and nothing is easier
than to bait it properly), I have never seen any tackle
which was in this respect superior to it. With regard
to its hooking and holding qualities, these depend upon
simple mechanical considerations which are at once
obvious to the experienced eye, and the Minnow-spinner f
who has followed the arguments in the preliminary
chapters on the relative powers of flying versus fixed
triangles, will probably not have much hesitation in
coming to an affirmative conclusion.

(2.) As to the arrangement of Lead, and (3) general
Fineness : The lead, which lies in the bait's belly, not
only puts the weight exactly in the place where it is
most wanted, but gets rid of the clumsy and complicated
" nose cap" with w^hich Hawker's (originally Salter's)
spinning flight and other modifications of it are dis-
figured, f

Several sizes of the tackle are necessary to meet
variations in the size of the Minnows used.

The trace should consist simply of 4 or 5 feet of fine

TROUT RIVER AND LAKE MINNOW-SPINNING. 11/

picked stained gut, with a small double szvivel Sit the end,
to form the junction between the trace and the reel-line.
This tackle is principally intended to be used in streams
and small rivers which can be commanded by the rod
with a line of the same length, or where the angler can
wade. It is also well suited for trailing in lochs where
very small baits and fine tackle are requisite ; but if used
for the latter purpose, as in Thames Trout-fishing — viz.,
by throwing out and drawing in, a lead like that
described at p. 20 will have to be added, to prevent the
line kinking.

Artificial Baits.

The artificial substitutes for Minnows are numerous, from
the graceful "nymphs" and "water-witches" of Hewett
Wheatley, to the " kill-devils" and " Satanic tadpoles" of
contemporary nomenclators. As compared with the
natural Minnow, baited and used as above described, I am
satisfied that there is no artificial imitation hitherto
made public which is worth mentioning. Hev/ett
Wheatley, who in the last generation gave more atten-
tion to this particular subject than any other writer,
comes to an opposite conclusion ; but only for one
reason — namely, that owing to the imperfect hooking
powers of the natural Minnow tackles then in use, and the
comparative perfection in this respect of his own artificial
baits, the former missed so many more fish tJian the latter.
This reason no longer exists, as the arrangement of

ii8

MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

hooks in the natural Minnow tackle figured in this
chapter, is, both practically and theoretically, nearly
perfect. Therefore, my advice is always to use the
natural Minnow when obtainable.

But although the .fish killed thus will be both more nu-
merous and larger than with the arti-
ficial Minnow, it frequently happens
that natural bait is not to be procured ;
and when this is the case an artificial
bait may be advantageously used.

Up to the present time no arti-
ficial bait has been brought out
equal to the simple brass Minnow
of Mr. Wheatley. The best of these
I have adopted as a basis for the
Minnow figured in the engraving :
the latter has, however, been altered,
and as I think considerably im-
proved in several important respects
both as to shape and " rig." It is
made hexagonal or octagonal instead
of round, so that the sides and angles catching the light
gain an additional brilliancy and glitter in the water ;
and one-half of the Minnow is coloured a bright metallic
green, to represent the back of the Minnow. This
Minnow is also made in white metal as well as in
brass, so as to give a^more perfect imitation of the white
belly of a real fish. The round protuberance at the

TROUT RIVER AND LAKE MINNOW-SPINNING. II9

tall of the Minnow is a glass bead slid down tightly on
to a knot in the gut, which is thickened by lapping at
the point to make it fit close. The bead thus prevents
the friction of the Minnow fraying the gut below. The-
Minnow can be so adjusted that the trace and tail-
hooks may either spin with it, or remain stationary.
In the former case, the gut, when it passes through the
Minnow, must be thickened by lapping round it, so that
it may fit close.

The trace for this artificial Minnow, and the mode of
using it, are identical with those already described for the
natural bait. The trace is, however, only suitable for
''Minnow fishing," properly so called, and not for spinning
in large lakes or rivers.

A long lightish stiff rod, with stiff rings, is most con-^
venient for Minnow-spinning. The rod embraced in the
general rod described at p. 5 1, and similar to that used
in Trout worm-fishing, but with a somewhat stiffer topj^
will answer the purpose well.

In Minnow fishing a small sharp gaff is more con-
venient than a net, because the hooks are very apt to get
entangled in the meshes, and not unfrequently get brokea
with the struggles of the fish.

Lake Spinning for Trout.

There are two species of non-migratory Trout : one,,
the common Brown Trout {Salvio fario), to be found in
almost all the considerable lochs and pools in Scotland

120 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

and Ireland, and in many of those of England, especially
of Cumberland and Westmoreland ; the other, the great
Lake Trout {Salmo ferox)^ an inhabitant principally of the
larger and deeper waters. In such lakes it is to be
found distributed over almost the whole of Scotland and
Ireland. It occurs, to my knowledge, in Lochs Awe,
Ericht, Lochy, Garry, and Laggan, and has been re-
cognised in Loch Shin, in Lochs Loyal and Assynt, and
amongst the Orkney and Shetland lakes. In Ireland it
appears as an inhabitant of all the best known and largest
lakes, as, for example. Loughs Mask, Erne, Melvin,
Corrib, and Neagh ; and it is the Ulswater Trout and
Grey Trout also of the English lake districts. The
habits as well as the size of the two species are som.e-
what different ; the common Brown Trout being caught,
as a rule, under five pounds in weight, and being prin-
cipally a day-feeder; whilst the great Lake Trout
usually averages from five to fifteen pounds in weight,
and feeds principally at night.

To begin with the great Lake Trout : — The rod, reel,
line, and trace recommended for Pike-spinning, are also
suited to this method of fishing ; as the great Lake Trout
is one of the most powerful fish that swims, and in his
manner of running at the bait and showing fight, is aptly
described by his specific name — Fcrox. As, however, the
Trout is a quicker sighted fish than the Pike, another foot
or two of stained gimp or gut should be added to the trace
between the lead and the flight. The latter should be

TROUT RIVER AND LAKE MINNOW-SPINNING. 121

selected according to the size of the bait used. For my own
part I have always given the preference to small rather
than large baits, and the flight of hooks recommended for
Thames Trout-spinning (fig. i, Plate, p. 1 16), baited with
a small Trout, wall commonly be found the most killing
bait and tackle. (For directions as to baiting, see
chapter on Pike-spinning.) Although the tackle is thus
similar, the mode of using it differs entirely : as a rule,
in spinning for Trout or Pike in rivers, the bait is
worked by the movement of the hand and rod combined,
the line being drawn in at each cast ; in lake-spinning,
on the contrary, the bait is almost invariably trailed
behind the boat, the rod doing the w^ork alone.

The secret of success in spinning for the great Lake
Trout lies principally in four points — time, depth, speed,
and place, thus —

Time. — As a rule, begin fishing at the time when other
people are leaving off— \\v2X is, about six o'clock P.M.
From this hour until midnight Lake Trout may be
caught.

Depth. — Instead of weighting the tackle to spin the
bait at some 3 feet from the siLvfacc, lead it so as to
sink to within about the same distance from the bottom,
be the depth what it may. Both for this purpose, and
in order to keep the bait at a distance from the boat, it
is almost indispensable that from 40 to 60 yards of line
should be let out from the reel.

Speed. — Let the boat be row^ed slozvly, rather than

122 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

at a brisk, lively pace. A large Lake Trout will seldom
trouble himself to follow a bait that is moving fast away
from him ; consequently the bait must possess the
speciality of spinning, at all events moderately well, or
it will not spin at all. - wM

Place. — The place to trail over is where darkness and
light seem to meet in the water — that is, where the bank
begins to shelve rapidly, say at a depth of from 9 to 15
or 20 feet, according to the nature of the basin : a much
greater or much less depth is useless. This is a rather
important point, as thereupon it depends mainly
whether the bait is ever seen by the fish it is wished to
catch.

The food of the Lake Trout consists of small fish.
These are not to be found in any great depths of water,
but, on the contrary, on the sloping shores of the lake, up
which therefore the Trout naturally comes at feeding
time in search of them, stopping short of the shallows.

The Ferox is himself poor eating, but shows mag- ' 1
nificent sport, and fights like a bull-dog.

With regard to the ordinary brown Lake Trout, though
they may not unfrequently be taken at night when
trolling for the Ferox, they are rather day than night-
feeders, and usually take best before noon.

In very large waters, where the size of the Trout is in
keeping with that of the lake, the tackle and bait
above described will answer every purpose. In smaller
waters, however, and under ordinary circumstances, a

TROUT RIVER AND LAKE MINNOW-SPINNING. 1 2 3.

finer trace and flight, though of the same pattern as
Fig. I, and smaller baits should be used. The trace in
this case should be constructed with two yards of stout,
round, stained gut between the lead and the flight. If
as small a bait as a Minnow, or very small loach — an
excellent bait — is used, the same trace and lead, but the
flight recommended for Trout-spinning in streams,
(fig. 3, Plate, p. 116) must be substituted.

In every other respect, — that is to say, except in time,,
tackle, and size -of bait, — there is no difference in
principle or practice between lake trolling for Brown
Trout and for great Lake Troi^t.

Loach — or more accurately " stone loach" — can gene-
rally be caught by wading up a shallow burn, armed
with a fork, and turning over the stones. The loach,,
which has an ostrich-like habit of thinking its body hidden
when its head is, permits itself to be " speared" without
much difficulty.

In all sorts of spinning, whether in lake or river, a
good breeze is usually an advantage. In the case of
very large sheets of water, I have, however, on more
than one occasion, made very good baskets of Brown
Trout in a dead calm, and with a bright sun over
head.

Artificial Baits.

No artificial bait with which I am acquainted is nearly
so good for lake trolling as a natural one. The spooa

124 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

appears to have lost for Brozvn Trout what little attrac-
tion it ever possessed. The best — or more accurately
the least bad — artificial bait that I know is one I had
made a year or two ago with tin, and mother-of-pearl
on each side, made e:x:actly to imitate a Bleak in size,
shape, and colour. The spin was given by the tail,
which was crooked, forming the continuation of the
centre piece.

Thames Trout-Spinning.

Spinning for Thames Trout is probably, judged by
the standard of difficulty, the highest branch in this de-
partment of fishing. Amongst the best localities for
Thames Trout may be mentioned Weybridge, Sun-
bury, Penton Hook, the Old Windsor Water, Marlow
Weir, and some deep pools above Oxford. In the vicinity
of Weybridge very few fish were killed during the
last season, though some of the keenest and most suc-
cessful Trout fishers reside in the neighbourhood, and
devote much time and patience to the pursuit. I hardly
know to what to attribute the falling off in the take of
Thames Trout of late years, notwithstanding the efforts
made by the Thames Angling Preservation Society for
increasing the breed and stocking the water. It is
certain, however, that such a falling off has actually
taken place, and of the Thames and its quondam
leviathans, it may now be said, with only too much

TROUT RIVER AND LAKE MINNOW-SPINNING. 1 25

truth — apparent rari nantes in giirgite vasio — not only
they are not caught, but they are not seen. Fifteen
years ago, when the Marlow Fishing Association was in
its zenith, I remember that one of its most prominent
members thought nothing of taking two or three good-
sized Thames Trout in an April morning. Thegentleman
in question, Mr. H. R. Francis, was certainly one of the
most accomplished anglers who ever threw fly or bait
in the Thames ; but there are many first-rate spinners
and fly-fishers still to be found occasionally in their old
haunts, and none of them would, I think, be sanguine
enough to anticipate such a basket for the ist of April,
1870. The same number of fish per week would now be
a good take for any one. The lower weirs and pools have
fared no better, and yet the capabilities of the river are
precisely the same now as they were then. Nor does
" over fishing" explain the deficiency, because there are
now, and always miust have been, more Trout bred or
turned into the Thames every year than the water can
feed. I confess I am perplexed, and when a disease
cannot be diagnosed — as doctors phrase it — it is very
difficult to prescribe for the patient. There are, how-
ever, one or two points in which I think there can
be no doubt that the Thames Angling Preservation
Society might sensibly improve the Trout fishing. At
present, when the stock Trout are turned in at the weirs,
they have no proper "hides" or resting-places except
the weir holes themselves, and are probably, in the vast

126 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

majority of cases, swept away by the stream, and car-
ried into unsuitable, perhaps Pikey, waters. I would
place in the gravelly streams and shallow waters below
the weirs a considerable number of blocks of stone or
bricks — say about a foot high ; and these blocks scattered
over the bottom would afford some protection to the
fish, and some inducement to them to remain where they
were placed, and where they could be found again. As
the weirs and the shallows below them are quite out of
the course of heavy navigation, no practical incon-
venience would be felt on that score. Another point is
to abolish entirely all " set" and night-lines. Under the
pretence of catching eels, these lines are now constantly
fishing some of the best spawning grounds in the Thames,
and there can be little doubt that Trout are frequently
killed by them. If simultaneously with this prohibition
the setting of eel-pots was sanctioned, the exchange
w^ould be hailed as a boon by the fishermen, the Trou^
would be safe, and a quantity of useful food now lost to
every one secured.

Whilot referring to the Thames and its regulations,
another point suggests itself, with regard to which
5ome steps will have to be taken before long. I allude
to the question of the supply of baits for Pike-fishing.
A very small ccfsting-net is now only allowed to be
used, and this, except in shallow water, is next to
useless. Baits, however, must be got if the fishermen
are to get their livelihood, or visitors their day's

. TROUT RIVER AND LAKE MINNOW-SPINNING. 12/

fishing ; and consequently great has been the expense
to which the former have been put to obtain the neces-
sary supplies, frequently from distant places. I know in
this neighbourhood (Weybridge) one fisherman who alone
was obliged to obtain during the past season 23 J dozen of
bait from Farlow and Bowness, of London, at an expense
considerably exceeding a shilling the dozen ; and this too
when the river is really swarming with small fish of every
description. The plan I would propose is this (of course
Avithout interfering with the cast-nets now allowed) : — Let
it be a portion of the duty of the wholly paid bailiffs to
catch and keep a proper supply of bait ; and let them
supply them to the fishermen or other persons at, say, 6d.
per dozen. This will obviate all fear of poaching, the
fishermen will get a proper supply of bait, and the
Thames Angling Protection Society will reap an income
which will go far towards paying the cost of the staff of
^ keepers. But this is a digression. To return to Trout-
iishing.

The rod, reel, and line recommended for Pike-spinning
will answer every purpose in spinning for Thames
Trout.

The trace and flight should also be similar in construc-
tion ; the material of the trace, however, in all cases being
single gut, and made up "finer" than when used for
Pike. The lead should also be lighter, to correspond
with the bait.

In the engraving at p. 116, a diagram (Fig. i) is given

128 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

of the size of flight which will generally be found most
suitable for Trout on the Thames. It is also a very-
useful flight for Pike in hot summer weather when the
water is low and > bright.

Directions for baiting are given in the chapter on
Pike-spinning.

Unlike Jack, Trout af& very frequently in the habit of
"taking short," as the puntsmen phrase it — that is,
seizing the bait by the tail instead of by the head, or
from laziness or shyness making their dash a little
behind rather than before it. In order to meet this
peculiarity, and to render the killing powers of the
above flight as deadly in the case of Trout as they
are in that of Pike, I use for Trout-spinning an addi-
tional flying triangle, tied on a separate link of twisted
gut (see Engraving, fig. 2), which can at pleasure be
attached to or disengaged from the ordinary flight by
being passed over the tail-hook from the point. This
triangle flies loose from the bait in the position indicated
by the dotted outline A (fig. i), and will be found to act
as a powerful argument against any sudden change of
mind or loss of appetite on the part of a pursuing Trout.
The size of the hooks, length of gut, &c., drawn in the
engraving, are of the proper proportion for a flight of the
size shown. They should be enlarged or diminished pro-
portionably as flights of a larger or smaller size are used.
Elasticity, or it may be paradoxically described " stifl"-
ness," is absolutely essential to the proper action of this

TROUT RIVER AND LAKE MINNOW-SPINNING. 1 29

*' tail triangle," and therefore the only material of which
the link can be made, if it is to be of any use, is gut —
single or twisted, the latter being the better of the two.

The bait which finds most general favour is a Bleak,
which from its shape and glittering scaling has a light and
brilliant effect in the water. If a Minnow is used, it
should not be a small one, and in this case the flight
already described under the head of " Minnow-spinning"
may be substituted with advantage. The Thames
Trout fisher will often find, however, that he will kill
more fish with the fly, especially amongst the rough
water and foam of the weirs, than with a spinning bait.
The fly for this purpose should be large and gaudy, so as
to show up through the foam. The '' gold" fly described
in the chapter on Salmon fishing (and Plate, p. 88) dressed
on a very small-sized grilse hook — say a No. 13 of my
sizes, will be found as killing a fly as any for this purpose.
For fishing the quieter parts of the stream, a much
smaller fly is required, and for this purpose either of the
Trout flies already described can be advantageously
used. Thames Trout frequently run as large as 10 lbs. ;
specimens of 1 5 lbs,, and even larger, not being by any
means unknown. The season begins on the 1st of
April, and ends on the loth of September.

130 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

CHAPTER XL

WHITE-TROUT FISHING.

Different species of White Trout and their habitats. Theory of
White-Trout flies — "Green," "brown," and "yellow" typical
Trout flies, with the addition of tinsel, recommended also for
White-Trout. Observations of fly-fishing and spinning for. Rod
tackle, &c.

Under the name of White or Sea Trout are often
included in ordinary parlance several species which are
properly distinct, as the Salmon Trout and Bull Trout
{Salmo trutta and Salmo eriox), and also others the specific
positions of which are undetermined or disputed. One
cause of the difificulty which an angler, who is not also a
thorough ichthyologist, finds in identifying the various
species of migratory SalmonidcB^ is the great variety of
local names often applied to one and the same fish. On
the Tweed for instance, the Salmo criox, which is of
course most widely known by its proper name of Bull
Trout, is simply " The Trout ;" on the Coquet it com-
monly goes by the name of " The Salmon," and it is
believed to be identical with the Sewin or Sewen of

WHITE-TROUT FISHING. I31

Wales. To anglers, by far the most interesting species
is the Salmon Trout.

Salmon Trout fishing when good is perhaps, at any
rate for a time, the most fascinating of all fishing. In-
digenous in many of our best Salmon and Bull Trout
rivers, and frequently abounding in streams which
produce neither the one nor the other, there is no fish
that swims which rises more fearlessly to the fly, or
when hooked, shows for its size such indomitable —
English pluck I was about to say — but at any rate such
determined and enduring courage. In fact, the bright
graceful Salmo tnitta is the most game and mettlesome,
if not, on the whole, the most beautiful fish known to
Europe, or probably to the world.

Although the Don, the Spey, Tay, Annan, Nith, and
many other Scotch waters, as well as a few English
rivers produce the Sea Trout in tolerable abundance,
Ireland must be considered as its home par excellence.
Many of the streams and lakes on the west coast of
Ireland produce Sea Trout in an abundance, rare if not
unknown, in the sister Island.

Salmon Trout are migratory, and in this respect re-
semble the Salmon more than the Brown Trout ; other
of their habits, however, seem more allied to the
latter species, and, as remarked in one of the
earlier Chapters of this book, the fish would appear to
stand in its habits and instincts somewhere about mid-
way between the two. So with regard to the flies

K 2

132 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

used for their capture ; in size and shape they more
commonly bear a resemblance to natural insects, a
resemblance which cannot be sacrificed without loss of
efficiency ; in colours, on the other hand, for some of
the most killing artificial White Trout flies no natural
prototype could be found. Under these circumstances
the arguments in the preliminary Chapter on fly-fishing
apply with full force to White or Sea Trout, a7id the
three typical flies already recommended for Brown Tront
{inchtding the plain hackle-wing) dressed with a very
slight variation, will be found at least as killing on lakes
and rivers as any of the numerous local or general flies.

From what has been said, it would naturally be inferred
that colour bears a more important part in White
than in Brown Trout fishing. In fact, as "natural
imitation " recedes in importance, colour advances, and
the " salmon sympathies," if I may so express it, of Sea
Trout are principally shown, so far as fly-fishing is con-
cerned, by the fact, everywhere recognised in practice, that
they usually prefer in flies a certain amount of actual
glitter as well as strength of colour. Therefore, in
dressing the three flies for White Trout the addition of
a little tinsel is desirable — to the Yellow, gold tinsel, and
to the Brown and Green, gold or silver according to
fancy. The tinsel should be applied sparingly, as its
effect is weakened by excess. Three complete turns
round the body are ample ; the tinsel being of course
broad or narrow as the fly is large or small. Oc-

wm^

iii

c
rr.

WHITE-TROUT FISHING. 1 33

casionally in very large waters the silver or gold flies
recommended for Salmon, and dressed small, will be
found very killing.

As in lake fishing for the ordinary Brown Trout, I
advise the use of the Yellow fly as the dropper, and the
Green as the stretcher to begin with ; the Brown being
reserved in case ^. change seems desirable.

The limits within which the sizes of White Trout flies
vary, although influenced to some extent by the common
considerations of water and weather, are narrower than
those applicable to Brown Trout ; and White Trout flies
are rarely required to be dressed on hooks smaller
than No. 8, or larger than No. 13, {vide Plate, p. 1 1).
But size is still a point of great importance, and as
it is desirable to exactly suit the size of the fly to
the fish and to the water, the White Trout fisher
should keep by him all or nearly all the inicnnediate
sizes.

In the case of White, as in that of Brown Trout, too
great stress can hardly be laid on the importance of
carrying ihefiies loose in a box. From the moment they
are dressed they should never be squeezed or pressed, as
in a fly-book, for instance, as they thereby lose much of
their crispness and vitality.

All the larger sized flies for White Trout should be
dressed with a loop, both as lasting much longer, and, by
the method herein proposed (see Chapter on Salmon
fishing), swimming much better. For the best method

134 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

of attaching the dropper, staining the gut, &c., see pre-
liminary Chapters on gut and knots. The method of
working the flies, and the other observations as to the
How, When, and Where of Brown Trout fly-fishing and
minnow-fishing, apply also in almost every case to the
Salmon Trout. Both this fish and Bull Trout will
occasionally take the worm, but it is at best an uncertain
bait.

The observations in the Chapter on spinning for the
common Brown Trout, Sahno fario, in lakes are appli-
cable also to spinning for White Trout : a very small
bait should be used. Spinning for White Trout is how-
ever very uncertain work, especially in lakes. I have
usually had the best sport in a strong breeze. In
streams the natural minnow used as described in the
Chapter on Minnow-spinning will sometimes fill a good
basket with Sea Trout. The double-handed fly-rod,
similar to that already recommended for Brown Trout
fishing in lakes, will generally be found to answer best
for White Trout fishing.

When in full season, and tolerably fresh from the sea,
the White Trout is bright and silvery, but as autumn
spawning time approaches, the fish begin to lose
their brilliancy of scaling, and acquire a reddish or
blackish tinge. The most common weight is from one
to five pounds, but specimens have been taken as heavy
as twenty pounds. Last autumn I hooked and played
for some time a Sea Trout which must have exceeded

WHITE-TROUT FISHING. 135

ten pounds ; but having only a light single-handed fly-
rod I could not exercise that wholesome pressure on his
movements which is so desirable, and after three-quarters
of an hour of alternate somersaulting and "sulking"
he eventually broke me.

136 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

CHAPTER XII.

GRAYLING FISHING.

Grayling rivers and haunts, — The 'Grayling country'; spawning;

growth-rate, and nomenclature. Artificial fly-fishing and flies.

Uselessness of the great number of Grayling flies ; typical Trout

flies recommended to be substituted.
Grasshopper fishing — best tackle; time, place, and mode of using.

Grayling fishing <vjith the gentle.

General Remarks.

Whilst yielding to the Trout in courage and dash, the
Grayling is yet a beautiful and mettlesome fish — a
foeman not unworthy of our steel — and if the former
is the handsomer, the latter would by many be con-
sidered the prettier species of the two. The Trout has,
so to speak, a Herculean cast of beauty ; the Grayling
rather that of an Apollo — light, delicate, and gracefully
symmetrical.

Except in the Clyde, where the fish was introduced
about ten years ago, there are no Grayling, so far as I
am aware, either in Ireland or Scotland — and even in
England the fish is still local, and comparatively speak-
ing, even rare. The following are amongst the streams
which produce the Grayling in more or less abundance.

GRAYLING FISHING. 1 3/

In Hampshire and Wiltshire — the Test, Wharf, and both
the Avons ; in Herefordshire — the Dove, Lug, Arrow,
Wye, and Irwin ; in Shropshire — the Teme and Clun,
Corve and Onny ; in Staffordshire — the Hodder, Trent,
Dove, and Wye ; in Derbyshire — the Dove ; in Merio-
nethshire, the Dee ; in Lancashire — the Ribble ; in
Yorkshire — the Derwent, Ure, Wharfe, and Whiske ; and
in Cumberland, according to Heysham, the Esk and the
Eden.

The Wye, Dee, Lug, and Teme are the only Welsh
rivers holding Grayling that I am acquainted with.
Leintwardine on the Teme may be considered as the
centre of the Grayling country ; and from Leintwardine
to Ludlow is the best piece of Grayling water in the
kingdom ; so far as my experience goes.

The cause of the non-existence of Grayling in Irish
or Scotch rivers is probably to be found in the " rock,
stone, and scour," which are their most common characte-
ristics, whilst the Grayling appears to thrive best in
rivers, the beds of which are composed partly or wholly
of sandy gravel or loam ; and instead of dashing torrents
and rapids in uninterrupted succession, affects waters in
which shallows and "stickles" alternate with gentler
currents and deep sluggish " lanes" or channels of
stream.

The spawning months for Grayling are April and the
early part of May, when they come up to the gravelly
scours in shoals — in this respect resembling dace. The

138 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

spawning process occupies from three to four days, after
which the fish return to their own haunts, and are then
unfit for food until about August ; during the inter-
vening months the spawned fish rarely take the fiy or
bait, and if caught in May or June should be returned to
the river. The Grayling season begins in August and
properly ends with December, as after Christmas the fish
begin to get heavy in spawn, a condition in which a
good sportsman will not kill them, although it cannot
perhaps be truly said that they are actually unfit for the
table until after the spawning has taken place. When I
last fished the Teme, the limit of size under which the
Leintwardine Club wisely prohibited the taking of
Grayling was 10 inches. I hear, however, that the club
rules have been recently revised.

One year old fish are locally termed " Pinks"; at two
years, when they weigh about \ lb., they become " shot"
or " shut" Grayling ; and afterwards " Grayling." The
" Pink" Grayling have neither spots nor lateral lines
observable. " Shot" Grayling have spots, but no well-
marked longitudinal lines as seen in the full-grown fish.
At three years old the Grayling weighs about \ lb. in
average waters, and is supposed to continue growing
at about the same rate, viz. \ lb. per annum, until
reaching its maximum weight, which may probably be
considered under ordinary conditions from 4 to 5 pounds.
A Grayling weighing half a pound spawns, but a " Shot"
Grayling does not.

GRAYLING FISHING. 1 39

The mouth of the Grayling is exceedingly tender ; and
consequently both striking and playing, the fish requires
to be handled carefully. For the same reason, and also
from the peculiar character of the banks, a net is
almost a necessity in Grayling waters. The light
pocket-net described in the chapter on tackle, will be
found the most convenient for the purpose.

Grayling but seldom take the minnow, either natural
or artificial, or the worm. The three most killing ways
of fishing for them being with the artificial fly, with the
artificial grasshopper, and by float-fishing with gentles.

Fly-FiSHING.

Fly - fishing for Grayling begins In earnest in
August — that is, about a month earlier than either the
grasshopper or gentle fishing — and continues through
September and October. Fair bags may not un-
frequently be made as late as November, but a warm
day, and the middle hours of it, are then desiderata.
Indeed, as soon as the weather becomes cold, the
warmest hours of the day, say from 12 till 2 or 3
o'clock, will usually prove best for the fly. The flies
locally used for Grayling fishing are not quite so
numerous as those for Trout — the only reason being,
I believe, that the localities themselves are fewer ; but
still the Grayling fisher's repertory will commonly con-
tain from ten to twenty varieties, good and bad, the
greater part of which are wholly unnecessary, and in their

I40 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

effects on the basket mischievous. Perhaps the most
killing of the list are the August, Whirling, and Blue
Duns (light and dark) ; Silver-twist, blue ; Red and Green
Insects ; Willow, Orange, and Sedge or Cinnamon fly-
One or other of these will kill all through the season ;
but if the Grayling fisher will substitute for them and
their congeners the three flies, Yellow, Green, and Brown,
which I have recommended for Brown Trout {vide, frontis-
piece), and use them steadily throughout the season, he
will probably find reason to congratulate himself on the
exchange.

The arguments which have been adduced on this
subject as applicable to Trout flies, as well as the obser-
vations on Trout fishing generally in streams, and how it
is to be done, Rod, Tackle, &c., apply equally to Grayling
fishing and flies. The finest possible stained gut should
be always used for both flies and collar.

Comparatively few heavy Grayling are taken with the
fly, the haunts of the large fish being chiefly the long
slow-running deeps which are most unfriendly to this
mode of fishing. In the rapids and "stickles," small
Grayling may be taken, but these scours are not really
good either for the fly, grasshopper, or gentle. The best
spots for all three are steady running streams, and tails
of pools, for the fly about three, and for the grasshopper
about four feet deep. The grasshopper can, however,
be frequently used with advantage in water which is
much too slow for the fly.

GRAYLING FISHING.

141

Grasshopper-Fishing.
The lure known by the name of the artificial grass-
hopper, is really a rough imitation of a caterpillar, and
not of a grasshopper. The best are imitations made as
follows. Whip a strand of fine stained gut on to a No. 10
or No. 1 1 hook ;^ making the silk lapping extend as far
as the bend of the hook. Take a lightish lead, bored,
of about an inch in length ; cut it down at one end to
the length of the lapping (about three-quarters of an
inch), taper it off at the thick end a little with a knife,
and then run it over the shank of the hook, with the
heaviest end towards the bend of the hook : pinch it so
as to fix \t firmly in its place ; and make a few transverse
" nicks" with the knife to cause the dubbing to stay on :

Fig. I.

Fig. 2.

then lap the lead all over with light
green worsted ; and make a few turns
over this body with yellow silk, waxed
with colourless wax. It is an im-
provement to the appearance of the
grasshopper to run a narrow slip of
straw down each side of the body
under the yellow ribbing.

The form of the grasshopper is
shown in the engraving (figure i). Grasshopper.
It should be baited for use with three or four large

Float.

* If a No. 1 1 hook is used, which is on the whole the best size of bend,
a small piece of the end of the shank should be nipped off, as the grass-
hopper would otherwise be too long and large for ordinary purposes.

142 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

gentles put on the hook so as to make a bunch and
partly cover the bend and point. The trace should con-
sist of three yards of fine stained gut.

The grasshopper is worked by " sinking and drawing,"
as it is termed : that is, the bait is thrown in and
allowed to sink till it touches the bottom, and is then
steadily drawn up again about a foot or a foot and a
half, and allowed to sink as before. The stream is
usually strong enough to shift the bait as much as is
desirable, but if the water is too still for this, the result
can be arrived at by "drawing" the bait a little to right
or left with the rod. The great point is to be quite sure
that the bait touches the bottom before drawing up, and
in order to assist the eye in judging this point, it will
be found of the greatest advantage to have a small
moveable white mark on the line, placed a foot or a foot
and a half higher up the line than the highest point
which ought to be submerged. It is, in fact, a minia-
ture float, always kept out of water, and the most
convenient form is this. Take a small white feather,
and cut off about half an inch of the hollow quill, and
three-quarters of an inch of the solid white part of
the feather-stem, just thick enough to fit neatly into the
hollow quill cap (a), as shown in the engraving, figure
2 ; the cap passes over the line and is shifted accord-
ing to the average depth of the water fished.

A run will of course be perceived as the bait is being
drawn up, when a smart stroke should be given, and the

GRAYLING FISHING. 143

fish held tightly. Otherwise from its non-fighting pro-
pensities a large Grayling is very likely to get off : the
hook also is a good deal encumbered with gentles. When
first struck, the larger Grayling appear to me to fight as
an Eel does — pulling tail backwards, instead of running
down, or away head first as other fish generally do ; and
I hardly ever remember seeing a hooked Grayling spring
out of water.

The best spots for grasshopper-fishing have already
been described. Where the water is deep enough, a
short line worked almost perpendicularly near the bank
will be found most successful ; but by throwing out a
considerable distance, excellent water otherwise inacces-
sible can often be reached. The cast may be made over
hand like a fly to a distance of some ten yards, but care
must be taken to allow the line to spread well behind,
or otherwise the bait will perform various eccentric
flights into the water or bushes. A longish light rod,
say fourteen or fifteen feet, is most convenient for grass-
hopper-fishing : and the " General Rod," reel, and line
recommended for worm-fishing for Trout (p. 112) will be
found to answer the purpose excellently.

As a rule, fish caught with the grasshopper are twice
as large as those caught with the fly. September,
October, November, and December are the best months,
and the best days are usually quiet warm days succeed-
ing frosty nights — in fact, grasshopper-fishing never
fairly gets into play until after the first sharpish frost.

144 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

From about eight A.M. until four P.M. is commonly the
best time of day. I have been informed that grass-
hopper-fishing was first introduced into Shropshire
about forty-five years ago by the late Mr. Jones, fisher-
man, of Ludlow ; whose son, also residing in Ludlow, is,
or was when I last fished with him, as deadly a Grayling-
killer as I ever met.

Gentle-Fishing.

Before the introduction of the artificial grasshopper, it
was the custom, in Shropshire at any rate, to fish for
Grayling with gentles only for bait and ground-bait,
used in the same manner as we now use them for Roach,
and with similar tackle. Fished in the
" Nottingham style" they will still be found
a very killing bait {vide Chapter on Roach-
fishing).

In the above and every description of
gentle-fishing a tin box like that shown in
the engraving, with a tray in front of the
opening, and which can be suspended from
the button-hole, will be found a really great practical
convenience and saving of time. This box was, I
believe, the ingenious invention of Messrs. Dawson,
Bell Yard, Temple Bar.

145

CHAPTER XIII.

SALMON FISHING.

Outline of Salmon history and nomenclature. Fly-fishing: two prin-
cipal difficulties, the 'rise' and the 'stroke'; casting and working
the fly. Salmon haunts ; changing flies, and casting for second rise ;
wading and waterproofing.

Salmon and Grilse flies : three uni'versal flies described — ' Silver,' ' gold,'
and ' rainbow.' Neiv method of construction — Head-hackles ; 'loops';
how to fasten flies to casting-lines. Rod, reels, and lines. Gaffing.
Hooks for Salmon flies. Spinning for Salmon — The Eel-tail bait and
tackle ; how to dress and use. Worm-fishing tackle, h'c.

Outline of " Salmon History" and
Nomenclature.

i A History of the Salmon, in the proper sense of the
term, is beyond the scope of this work, and I have
moreover already dealt with the subject in detail in the
"Angler-Naturalist." A few facts, however, which I
shall put as briefly as possible, are desirable, if only to
enable the fisherman to know what Salmon he may put
into his creel and what he ought to return to the river.
The general terms used in Salmon nomenclature may
also perhaps be useful.

The young of a Salmon remains one, two, or three
years in the river before migrating to the sea : during

146 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

this period it is a "parr." Just before migrating it
changes its golden and brown coat for a silver one, and
becomes a *' smolt," at which time it weighs from one to
two ounces. The smolt returns from the sea a " grilse,"
commonly in from five to ten weeks, but sometimes
more, and having increased in weight from two to ten
pounds. Sometimes, however, the smolt does not come
back as a grilse, but returns in the spring of the following
year as a small Salmon.*

The smolt, whether it comes back in the grilse or
Salmon state, and the mature Salmon also, spawn
usually about November or December, and go back
to the sea as a spent-fish, or "kelts," in February or
March; ordinarily returning during the following four
or five months as " clean" fish, and increased in Aveight
from seven to ten pounds.

Shortly before spawning, and whilst returning to the
sea as " kelts," Salmon are considered " foul fish" — unfit
for food — and their capture is then illegal. " Foul fish"
before spawning are, if males, termed " red fish," from
the orange-coloured stripes with which their gill-covers
are marked, and the golden orange tint of the body; the
females are darker in colour and are called " black fish."
After spawning the males are called " Kippers," and the

* The circumstance of the non-return of the Smolt in all cases during
the first year, and the theory of the spanvning of Salmon in altematex
years, is now very generally received amongst naturalists. It was firstt
propounded by the author in the T/'wifj in 1863, and subsequently in
the " Angler-Naturalist," published during the same year.

SALMON FISHING. 147

females " Shedders," or " Baggits." The History of the
Salmon-Trout and other migratory Salmonidae has
never been quite so decidedly established ; but in many
points it certainly, and in most others probably, is nearly
identical with that of the Salmon. The colours of the
Salmon-Trout and Bull-Trout before or after spawning
are also nearly the same as those of the Salmon, and
their condition may be ascertained accordingly.

The above names may perhaps be conveniently
presented in a tabular form : —

NAMES OF SALMON IN DIFFERENT CONDITIONS
AND STAGES OF GROWTH.

Parr Before taking its migratory dress.

Smolt After taking ditto.

Grilse Smolt, on first return from the sea,

during the same year.

Salmon Sm.olt, not returning till year fol-
lowing ; or Grilse after its first
trip to the sea, and at all sub-
sequent stages.

Clean fish .... Fish fit to eat ; neither just going
I to spawn, nor just after spawn-

I ing.

I Foul fish Vice versa.

Fresh-run fish . , . Salmon recently ascending rivers

or lakes from the sea.

Red fish Male Salmon just before spawning.

L 2

148 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

Black fish .... Female Salmon ditto.

Kippers Male Salmon just after spawning.

Shedders or Baggists Female Salmon ditto.

Kelts or Spent fish . Male or female Salmon returning

to the sea after spawning.

Well-mended Kelts . Salmon which (after spawning)

have partially recovered their
condition in the fresh water.

Both grilse and Salmon can always be at once distin-
guished from the Salmon-Trout and Bull-Trout, by the
spots. After the smolt stage, these latter fish invariably
have spots on the sides, below the lateral or side-line ;
the line, that is, longitudinally dividing each side of the
fish into two halves. Salmon and grilse never have such
spots.

Grilse can be distinguished from Salmon, (i) by the tail
being forked, whereas in the Salmon it is always nearly
square, and ultimately convex ; and (2) by the scales,
which in the grilse come off even with the slight pressure
of the hand. Fresh-run Salmon — i.e., Salmon just fresh
from the sea — carry on their bodies the parasites com-
monly called " tide lice," these drop off after a few hours'
contact with the fresh water, but the marks, something
like miniature leech-bites, remain for a day or two. The
longer the Salmon remains in fresh water the less bril-
liant becomes its colour.

Sx\LMON FISHING. I49

Fly-Fishing.

Although, in common with many Trout-fishers who are
also Salmon-fishers, I prefer good Trout-fishing to any
other sport with the rod, it must be admitted that there
are points in which Salmon-fishing carries off the palm
— and carries it off too not only from Trout-fishing, but
from every other sport which these islands afford.
Perhaps I could not with truth say that I prefer fishing
to shooting, or shooting to hunting ; they are a glorious
trio, to each of whom in turn I have sworn alle-
giance ; and if like Paris I had a golden apple
to bestow, it should be given to Fishing only because she
has been in a special sense my mistress — " the fairest
and most loving wife" — in many a wild and lonely spot
where but for her gentle companionship and solace, I
should have felt myself in every sense of the word alone.
But though it would perhaps be impossible, honestly, and
" unbiassed by self-profit," to award the palm of supe-
riority to either of our three national sports as a whole,
I unhesitatingly assert that there is no single moment
with horse or gun into which is concentrated such a
thrill of hope, fear, expectation, and exultation as that
of the rise and successful striking of a heavy Salmon.
/ have seen men literally unable to stand, or to hold their
rod, from sheer excitement.

And indeed in this very excitement — in the impe-
tuosity of spirit it engenders — lies almost the only real

150 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

difficulty of Salmon-fishing. Two causes combine to
make the moment of striking a critical one : In the first
place the Salmon is so large and bright, and in the second
so comparatively slow-moving, owing to his bulk, that the
eye almost certainly perceives him in the water before
he has actually taken the fly ; when a premature stroke,
an almost instinctive tightening of the muscles and Hne,
at once snatches the fly from the fish, and the fish from
the creel. The art is to resist for a moment the
inclination to strike ; only for one moment, but long
enough to allow the f;sh to take and turn down again
with the fly ; and then strike if you will : not a slight
hesitating blow like the tap of a lady's fan— for there is
often a long line and a heavy strain on it between the
Salmon and his would-be captor — but a strong, steady,
determined stroke bringing the line up as flat as a knife,
and driving the tapering hook-point well in over the barb.

Next to the number of Salmon lost through striking
too quickly, are those lost from striking too feebly. I
repeat, therefore, strike strongly and hard, as I have
described, and repeat the stroke by way of making
sure. If the tackle will not stand this strain it is a
clear proof that it is not fit for Salmon-fishing. A
weak stroke is worse than useless, because whilst it fails
to make the hook penetrate, it provokes the fish to
a sudden violent effort to rid himself of it, and thus
lessens the chance of his hooking himself.

If the above mode of striking is adopted, not more

SALMON FISHING. 1 5 1

than one fish in five which fairly take the fly in open
water ought to escape. I kept a register for some time of
my losses and takes, and I found this to be a fair average.

Having mastered this point, the tyro who knows any-
thing of Trout-fishing will find that there is very little
to learn in the art of Salmon-fishing which a few hours
practice under a good master will not suffice to teach
him. The principles of casting and working the fly are
in fact almost identical, allowing for the difference in
size and weight of the tackle employed. All the move-
ments, that is to say, and particularly that given to the
fly in the water, are somewhat slower than in Trout-
fishing. The method of casting — the principles which
should guide the Salmon-fisher in selecting the size of
his fly — the general condition of wind, weather, &c. —
are also similar, and for all these the reader is referred
to the chapter on Trout-fishing.

Salmon, however, depend more on the condition of
the water than do Trout, and there are many rivers
/ in which the chances of taking a fish are almost nily
unless there is a "fresh" in the river.

As regards the " where" to fish for Salmon in any given
river, this can only be acquired by local experience. Some-
times what to the natural man appears a most lovely cast,
hardly holds a fish from one end of the season to the
other, whilst in the uninviting lagoon-like looking hole
below, a rise may be predicted with certainty. Even
particular stones are not unfrequently haunted by Salmon

152 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

with a pertinacity which is very remarkable. In the Con-
way, for instance, I have often had pointed out to me a
stone, the little eddy behind which was almost invariably
tenanted by a Salmon. Such is also the Red Stone
below Makerston on the Tweed, and there are many
similar instances.

Why Salmon should evince such strong predilections
for particular spots is a question which has never been
satisfactorily answered ; but that they do so evince them
is beyond a doubt ; and whilst such is the case, the
Salmon-fisher who does not want to waste his time will
never, if he can help it, try a new water without some
local guide who knows the casts, and what are and what
are not the spots most likely to hold Salmon. j

A gaff is sometimes necessary for the safe and expe-
ditious landing of Salmon, but it requires to be used by
an experienced eye and hand, and in the early spring
months, when the kelts or spawned fish are dropping
down the river, a net, (which should not be less than two
feet in diameter,) will both save the fisherman's time and
probably the lives of at least some "doubtful" fish. In
fact, on many early Salmon rivers a net is almost a sine
qtid noit, and the use of the gaff should be discouraged
in every way.

Another important point in Salmon angling is " fishing
for a second rise." If a Salmon through his own or the
angler's fault has missed the fly, he will, if properly
managed, frequently rise a second, and sometimes a

SALMON FISHING. 153

third or even a fourth time, and be hooked after all.
When a Salmon has risen, instead of immediately throw-
ing again, the best plan is for the angler to sit down
quietly on the bank for a few minutes, and then care-
fully cast over the fish again, beginning a few yards
above the actual spot where the rise took place, and
bringing the fly gradually down over it. If the fish does
not rise, a short interval should be allowed as before,
during which the fly should be changed for one of
another colour, and afterwards the same process repeated.
Some good fishers advise changing the fly the first time
of recasting, and a second or even third time afterwards ;
but my experience is in favour of the system here de-
scribed, which is both simpler and less troublesome. If
a Salmon will not rise either to the original or to a new
fly, the chances are much against his rising again at all
at that moment. He may do so, however, at another
time of the day, and in view of this contingency the
casting over him of a number of flies a great many times
is less likely to attract than to disgust him.

Wading.

Wading is often necessary in Salmon-fishing, and
indeed in Trout-fishing also. Where the fisherman has
to wade deep, as is often the case in Salmon-fishing,
fishing trousers fastening round the waist will often be
found a great convenience : they are also much less
dangerous than either wading stockings or leather boots.

154 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

In the event of a sudden immersion these latter fill with

water, and thus act as plummets, loaded with which even

a strong swimmer may very easily be drowned. Wading

trousers, on the contrary, take so long to fill that they

practically act as floats during a time which is generally

sufficient to enable a swimmer to reach the bank ; and

they give of course a non-swimmer a proportionately

better chance than he would otherwise have.

If leather boots are used, the best dressing that I am

acquainted with, as also for shooting-boots, is a coat of

the green-looking waterproof paste manufactured by

Messrs. Strawson, of Crewkerne, Somersetshire ; and for

merely keeping the leather pliant when not in use, the

following will be found an excellent mixture : —

Waterproofing for hoots (b-'c. — Burgundy pitch, i oz. ; bees' wax, 2 oz. ;
turpentine 2 oz. ; neatsfoot oil, i pint. The turpentine should be added
just before taking the composition off the fire.

Salmon and Gri*lse Flies.
For the arguments bearing upon the question of what
a Salmon-fly ought to be — the rationale, that is, of
Salmon-flies — the reader is referred to the general intro-
ductory observations on fly-fishing. Chapter VI. The
figures in the frontispiece represent the three flies
therein alluded to dressed of three different sizes, so
as to exhibit in the most convenient form — the arrange-
ment of wings, hackles, &c. ; No. i being tied on a
double hook, showing with the foreshortened diagram
annexed to it the proper angle of " set" for the latter.

SALMON FISHING. I55

No alteration whatever is required in the dressing,
from the smallest Grilse to the largest Shannon flies, ex-
cept that the hooks, hackles, and wings must be propor-
tionally larger or smaller.

The speciality of these flies it will be seen con-
sists in the arrangement of hackles, which are, in fact,
double, embracing a " shoulder " hackle, and what
may perhaps be best described as a " head hackle ;" the
body of the fly being made a trifle shorter to admit of
the additional set. The hackles commonly used in
Salmon-flies are so small, and necessarily so much'
compressed and pushed out of position by the wings,
that when in the water they present very little appear-
ance of movement or life in the water.

I shall here make no attempt at giving a code of
instructions for Salmon-fly making : it has been already
done as far as accurate verbal description and woodcuts
can do it, by several living authors, and very thoroughly
and completely by the late Mr. Blacker, in a charming
little volume illustrated by the actual files. This, how-
ever, is a monograph, and however beautiful or inte-
resting as a work of art, is too laborious and studious for
an age in which so much has to be done in every twenty-
four hours that even minutes are jealously economized.
Anglers of ordinary leisure will find it most convenient
to have their flies dressed at the tackle-maker's, and if
they wish to know how to make a fly themselves — a
most useful knowledge in emergencies — a few lessons

IS6 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER. I|

from a practical fly-tier will be worth volumes of pre- j
cept. It is, however, an art requiring much nicety and ] i
delicacy of manipulation, and not to be acquired in any j i
degree of perfection without practice and a certain
natural aptitude.

As with Trout-flies so with Salmon-flies, none should
ever be pnt into a fly-book or be otherwise compressed, -t
The elasticity of the hackle fibre is impaired by pressure, ju
and all the fresh " crispness" of the fly is lost. If as soon *
as made flies are put into a box with others, they will i '.
bear any amount of tossing or tangling without injury, i i
and a round tin box, equal in bulk to an ordinary fly-book,
will contain quite as many flies and collars as any fly-
fisher need wish to take with him to the river side.

I have already referred to this more than once, but it
is in my opinion a point of such great importance that | \
too much stress can hardly be laid upon it. This will
be better understood when it is recollected that the
whole art of fly-fishing as we practise it, is based on the
principle of simulating life, rather than death ; and that
between a fly new and crisp, and one which has been
long flattened in a fly-book, there is almost as much dif-
ference when they are in the water as between a living
and a dead insect.

TJie extra, or " head hackle!' should be about the same
length in the fibre as the body of the fly from head to
bntt. As, however, the size of hackles is limited, in
very large flies it is impossible to carry out this pro-

SALMON FISHING. 1 57

portion strictly ; but with a little trouble hackles of
an inch and a half long in the fibre can easily
be obtained by feather-dyers and tackle-makers, and
up to this size anglers using the flies recommended
should insist upon the proper proportion being main-
tained. These hackles not only possess an amount of
transparent, almost prismatic, colour which no other
part of the fly displays, but, as they are worked
through the stream, open and close with every move-
ment of the rod or fly, and give the appearance of life to
what would otherwise look only like a bar of dead silver
or gold or colour.

The principal wing-feathers in all these flies are the
black and white neck hackles of the jungle cock, and
the next in importance feathers from the golden pheasant
known as " toppings" — perhaps the two feathers which
experience has proved to be on the whole most killing
for Salmon in the greatest variety of combinations. If
the expense of golden pheasant toppings in the wings is
objected to, the best substitutes are golden orange hackles.

These colours have also the advantage not only of
being in themselves strong and glowing, but of harmo-
nizing with the body colours of each of the three flies —
a harmony which the hackles complete. As the harmo-
nies of sound depend upon the combination of certain
natural "intervals" furnished by the harmonic chord, so
in forming harmonies of colour the natural or prismatic
arrangement, as displayed by the solar spectrum of the

158 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

optician, must in every case be taken as the basis. Thus
in the gold-fly — the prevaihng colour of which is intended
to be a rich golden orange — red, orange, and yellow are
the three predominant colours — orange (the gold of metal-
lurgists) in the prismatic arrangement passing into red
on the one side and yellow on the other. In " the Rain-
bow" the same model is closely followed, the whole
of the prismatic colours being combined in the body
and shoulder hackle in their proper sequence. In No. 3,
which is a silver-bodied fly, no harmony of colour is
strictly speaking possible — silver (or white brightened)
not being a colour but rather a negation of it. In a
more general sense, however, both white and black har-
monize with all the other colours.

It will be seen that the "silver" fly is tied on a double
hook. This is a plan which I first saw practised by Dr.
Peard, the accomplished author of " A Year of Liberty,"
to whom I was also indebted for the original flies on
which, with the exception of the extra hackle, and some
modifications of colour, the pattern-flies here given are
based. The addition of the second hook perceptibly
influences for good the proportion which losses bear to
runs. It is also rather an improvement than otherwise
to the fly, so far as neatness goes, and helps to sink it a
trifle lower in the water — another advantage, in my
opinion. The hooks are set at rather less than a right
angle.

The following is the formulary for these flies : —

SALMON FISHING.

159

.S3

►J rt «-> Jr u

.a! . »s c«
mX! a O ^

^- ^P ^

.!? r^ ,« O , iC

'e-i »^' 4» 5

s-i c^ ^_» 53

CT)^

1j^ rt

CO _£C
O ^

B ^

'2b

O Ou,

ti_, •

Q..S <»

° sills i

O u ^ CO <U

i-i CO O

CL,+->

•Apoq aq; ui pasn ..a^^ld passoquia,, aq; jo ;siav; aiSuis y

l60 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

The "tag," and the head of ostrich or peacock here
usually added to Salmon and Grilse flies, are neither
useful, nor, to my eye, ornamental. The latter more-
over almost always gives way before the rest of the fly,
and the space which it occupies tends to prevent the
desirable strength being given to the " fastening ofl"." A
head finished off in the manner shown in the engravings
of the above flies both looks neater, because more suit-
able and workmanlike, and saves labour to the fly-
dresser.

It is seldom — I may say never, except in large waters
like the Shannon — that two Salmon-flies, or one Grilse
and one Salmon-fly can be used with advantage. The
bob-fly or dropper in lake Trout-fishing is often the
most killing fly, because when properly worked it skipsi
along the ripple like a real live insect endeavouring to
rise after a partial immersion ; but the Salmon-fly, which
is apparently not taken for a fly at all, kills best under
water. If White-trout, however, are in the river, a White-
trout fly, as the dropper, may often be used with advan-
tage. A description of two new methods of attaching,
drop-flies has been already given.

The collar should be of the strongest picked Salmon-
gut, stained as ahcady directed for Trout-gut, and the
strands knotted in a single fisherman's knot (described at
p. 54), with a lapping of thin gut inside^ or between the
knots, instead of the ordinary silk lapping outside. This
mode of lapping relieves the knot itself of half its duty,

SALMON FISHING. l6l

and on any sudden jerk, such as striking, acts as a sort
of buffer to receive and distribute the strain. It is
moreover simpler, much neater, and nearly twice as
strong as the common double knot. Tied with the
latter a couple of feet of very strong Salmon-gut will
break — almost always at the knot — on a steady strain
of from 12 to 15 lb. ; tied on my method it will break
at any other part in preference. The gut-lapping has
also the advantage of being transparent, whilst silk is of
course opaque.

All Salmon-flies should be dressed with gut-loops, not
only with the double object of strength and durability, but
for the purpose of making the fly swim straight when
attached to the casting-line. This last object, however,
is not accomplished with the ordinary mode of knotting
on the fly — viz., by forming a half-knot at the extremity
of the casting-line, and then " reeving" it in and out
through the loop. When thus attached the fly presents
a sort of broken-backed appearance, and must of neces-
sity swim head downwards instead of horizontally.

The following method will be found entirely to obviate
this defect, whilst it is at the same time neater and
stronger and equally simple : —
Pass the end of the casting-line
through the fly-loop /r^;;^ above ;
then over the loop ; then up
again through it from below ;
and finally tie with it a half-knot round the main line,

1 62 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

in the form shown in the diagram, fig. I. Then draw
the last-made knot tight, and slip it up to the loop,
drawing the main line also tight as shown in fig. 2^
which is a facsimile of the knot as tied on a small
Grilse-fly. In fig. i the loop is exaggerated in length
for the sake of illustration.

The gut should always be well moistened before the
knot is tied.

The Rod.

Salmon-fishers have almost all their peculiar fancies
about rods. Some pin their faith to the swishy, spliced,
and somewhat top-heavy weapon which takes its name
from Castle Connel ; whilst others, going to the opposite
extreme, will fish with nothing more pliant than the old-
fashioned, untapered, four or five ferrule-jointed rod of
the past generation of London makers. The latter would
doubtless bring against the swishing rod the charge of
top-heaviness, whilst its owner would consider that the
extra top weight and "play" of his rod did duty
instead of muscular eftbrt. He might probably put his
argument thus : — " In every cast your stiff rod has to
be worked with twice the movement of arm that mine
requires :" to which the reply would be, " Yes, but
then my rod is so lightened towards the point, that it is
no effort to me to work it." For my own part I think
that, like the chameleon philosophers, both are wrong
and both are right ; in other words, that each rod

I SALMON FISHING. 165

[possesses a valuable principle of its own, but carried
I to a mischievous excess in the two extreme types
il have referred to. In a Salmon-rod power is pre-
I eminently necessary, and greenhart gives it. Light-
jness is another essential element, and the old-
j fashioned evenly- tapered hickory rod admirably fulfils
the condition.

At most London tackle makers, however, and at many
iof the best provincial makers also, a rod may now be
obtained which combines in the greatest attainable per-
fection both of these qualifications. In these rods tie
'upper joints are made of greenhart and the butts com-
Imonly of ash ; and without being so swishy as the pattern
jwhich finds favour at Castle Connel and generally
throughout Ireland, they have pliancy enough to be
pleasant handling, as well as stiiTness sufficient for hard
ipractical work. When properly proportioned they are
quite free from top-heaviness, and yet will strike and
"double up" a fish fast enough to please the veriest
butcher, whilst possessing that perfect graduated play
from butt to point which connoisseurs delight in. These
rods are generally made in three joints, with ferrules^
|and vary in length from 17 to 21 or 22 feet. I append
pe measurements of a rod of my own made on this,
principle, which has been admired by some good Salmon-
fishers : —

1 64

MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

Length of joints measured from top
of ferrule to bottom of plug.

Butt

6 ft. 4 in.

Middle joint
Top ..*...

ditto.
6 ft. 3 in.

Butt ash ; middle joint and top
greenhart

Circumference at

bottom above

ferrule.

3I inches (at '

largest part of

handle below

winch fittings).,

2 inches.

i-j?^ inches.

Circumference at
top below ferrule.

2^ inches.
j^ inches.

The length of this rod when put together is 18 feet
6 inches. Very strong and tall anglers may wield, and
very broad waters sometimes demand, a longer weapon,
but for all ordinary purposes I think 18 or 19 feet will
be found the most convenient length. In order to insure
the greatest comfort and efficiency, the rings, &c., of
Salmon rods as of all others should be stiff, and of the
shape and construction shown at pp. 47-8.

The Reel and Line.

A reel similar in pattern to that recommended for
Trout (pp. 37-8), but capable of holding from 80 to 100
yards of stout casting-line will be found best. For an
18 or 19 foot rod, such as that described, a reel of four
inches in the diameter of the plate gives on the whole
the best balance. Further observations on the reel, as
well as on the method of preventing the line " hitching"
round it, will be found at pp. 35-8.

A heavy as well as a strong reel-line is very necessary

SALMON FISHING. 1 6$

in Salmon fishing, as it enables the fisherman to throw
his heavy fly more readily against the wind. The weight
s in fact also an advantage in other respects. The ordi-
nary eight-plait dressed silk line, or the spun cotton line
described in the chapter on tackle (pp. 26-7) will be
found the best, the latter being about one-third of the
price of the former.

The Gaff.

A straight sharp point is the only real essential in a
gaff. All other matters are comparatively unimportant.
As the gaff has always to be carried by an attendant,
one with a 6 or 7 foot solid handle is most convenient.
In gaffing a Salmon there is an art which needs some
little practice and presence of mind to acquire. Unskilful
gaffers make a sort of dive or snatch at a fish. The
proper plan, on the contrary, is cautiously but quickly
to lower the gaff until the point nearly, but not quite,
touches the fish's opposite side below the shoulder, and
then give it a sharp, sudden jerk (not stroke) inwards,
which drives it home. Snatching, diving, and striking
at Salmon with the gaft^ result in frequent hitchings of
the line, and abortive scratches and cuts being inflicted
on the fish, which, though impotent for purposes of
capture, yet produce sufficient smart to frighten him
into a final and despairing rush, which is frequently
fatal — I mean to the basket. So obstinately stupid on
this point are often even professional attendants, that I

1 66 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

have frequently gaffed my Salmon myself with one
hand, holding the rod in the other, rather than entrust
either to their tender mercies.

Hooks.

In the shape, weight, and especially in the strength of
the larger sizes of hooks, described at page ii, I have
had particular regard to the requirements of the
Salmon-fisher, and I believe these hooks will be found to
combine these essentials in a greater degree than any
of the existing patterns {vide chapter on hooks).

Spinning for Salmon.

There are some rivers, principally large and deep
ones, in which Salmon will take a spinning bait at cer-
tain seasons of the year. The Clare-Galway river de-
bouching into Loch Corrib is an example. In this river
in September and October, when a little freshet is
coming down, an Eel-tail is perhaps the most attractive
bait. Diagrams of the best tackle for spinning with
the Eel-tail, and of the same when baited and ready
for use (both of the actual size) are annexed. The
flight consists of a No. i6 hook whipped on strong
Salmon -gut, with a pierced shot pressed tightly on
to the top of the hook-shank, as shown in the cut.
The object of the shot is to assist in forming a pre-
sentable head to the bait, and to keep the latter from

SALMON FISHING.

167

slipping Up and down. The trace
should consist of fine stained Salmon-
gut, but in other respects, the tackle,
with the rod, reel, and running line,
should be similar to that recom-
mended for Pike {I'ide chapter on
Pike - spinning). In order to bait
this tackle, take an Eel of from
about II to 14 inches in length,
and skin if^ to zvitliin 4 incJies of tJie
tail, cutting off the skin and flesh
neatly at this point. Then cut off
with a sharp pair of scissors the turned
over portion of the skin half-way
down. Next insert the hook in the
centre of the flesh at the upper end
of the bait, and run it through, as one
would threddle a worm, until the point
is brought out about an inch and a
half from the tail end, curving the bait

* To Skin ax Eel. — Having killed the
Eel, make a circular incision through the skin
below the pectoral fin. This is best done by-
passing the blade of a sharp penknife under the
skin, bit by bit, in a circular direction. Then
pin the head of the Eel down to a table with a
steel fork, and having got hold of the edge of
the skin with the finger nails, and turned down
a little way, take hold of it with a dry cloth, and
it will generally peel off with ease.

EEL-TAIL

BAIT

AND TACKLE

1 68 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER. i

as represented. Having adjusted the bait neatly with the
fingers, turn the loose skin up again, and with strong waxed
silk or fine twine tie it tightly round above the shot ; then
turn it down again, and stitch the edges down with a
needle and strong waxed silk or holland thread. The bait
is then complete. It will be found to improve the shape
of the head if one-fourth of an inch or so of the spine is
cut out with a penknife at the point where the shot is to
rest. The Eel-skin with which somewhat more than
half the body of the bait is thus covered, is of a light
bluish tint, which seems to be particularly attractive t<
Salmon. It is also, of course, exceedingly tough, and
increases the durability of the bait. The Eel used for
this bait is the better for being kept two or three weeks or
even longer in plenty of dry coarse salt, which renders
the skin both tougher and bluer, but it will do very well
fresh. If the Eel is salted it will be found best to soak
it in water for some hours before baiting, to make it
plumper and more filled out. As the process of baiting
an Eel-tail requires some little nicety, I recommend thei
angler to bait his tackle before starting for the water-side.:
Two baits, or three at the outside, will generally be found
more than enough for a day's fishing, barring of coursei
losses by breakages.

The best mode of spinning for Salmon is almost iden-
tical with that pursued in spinning for Pike, which
latter is fully described in the chapter devoted to that
subject. Not only in rivers but in lakes also, both Trout

SALMON FISHING. 169-

and Salmon may be taken by the Eel-bait. Salmon
will also in some waters take the Parr-tail, and
occasionally the Minnow ; but I believe that if Salmon
will take spinning bait at all the Eel-tail will in nine
cases out of ten be found the most killing, besides being
much the least trouble ; as, \yhen cnce baited, it is almost
everlasting. Eels also sufficient for the purpose can
almost always be procured by setting a night-line for
them, either in ponds or rivers. The spinning bait for
Salmon should be worked more slowly and gently than
that used in Pike fishing, and tJie line should be suffi-
ciently leaded to carry the bait nearly to the bottom of the
river. No general rules can be given as to the state of
water, or the season when Salmon will best take a spin-
ning bait. Different localities differ on these points. In
the Tweed, for instance, April, May, and sometimes
March, are considered the best months, and according
to Border canon, Tweed fish rarely take the spinnmg
bait when the water is discoloured, or beyond its ordi-
nary spring size. In the Clare-Galway river, Ireland,
on the contrary, the Eel-bait comes on principally late
in the season, and I have known fish killed by it in
October when the water was too much discoloured for
the fly.

WORM-FlSHING.

The above observations on the differences of water
and season for the spinning bait in different localities,.

170 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

apply according to most authorities to a considerable
extent to worm-fishing also. For example, Mr. Stoddart
lays it down that worm-fishing " can be practised with*
success only when the river is clean and small," and yet
in Ireland I have known seven clean Salmon taken
before breakfast out of " The Leap" on the river Bush,
in April, when the water was all but in actual flood and
hopelessly thick for the fly.

The mode of fishing as commonly practised is
extremely simple : a large single hook, say No. 14 or
15, is whipped on to two or three yards of Salmon-gut.
A supply of lob-worms having been obtained, and, if
feasible, previously scoured, the hook is passed through
the middle inch or two of two or three of them, according
to their size and the size and state of the water, the last
^vorm being so put on that no part of the hook or barb
is left visible. Sufificient large split shot should then be
fixed to the line about if feet above the bait, to take it
Avell to the bottom, but yet they should not be so heavy
as to prevent the stream carrying the bait freely along
with it over the stones.

The bait is then worked very much like the worm
bait for Trout, except that the angler, having selected a
pool or run in which he knows that there are plenty of
Salmon, generally remains at the same place, shifting
his ground a few paces at a time higher or lower. The
usual symptom of a bite is a stoppage of the bait, fol-
lowed by a very gentle twitching. Sometimes, however,

SALMON FISHING. I/I

though in my experience rarely, the Salmon takes the
bait in a more reckless fashion, resembling rather the
run of a Trout. Having taken the bait, the Salmon will
frequently remain nearly or quite motionless for some
little time, and then move steadily away. This is the
moment to strike, and as the bait is invariably actually
swallowed or pouched, there is little fear of the fish being
missed. Should the fish move away at once after biting,
line and time must be given him to pouch the bait. To
provide for the contingency of any sudden moves or
rushes on the part of the fish, and against that of any
sudden check on the part of the angler, it is a wise
precaution always to keep a yard or two of spare
line loose in the hand between the bottom ring and the
reel. This precaution will not seldom save the loss of
a fish.

The rod used for fly-fishing for Salmon, but with a
somewhat stiffer top, and also the reel and line, will
answer every purpose for this kind of worm-fishing.

But there is another method of worm-fishing for
salmon, unpractised, so far as I am aware, and at any
rate * unpreached,' by any angler or angling writer,
which, according to my experience, is as superior both
in its practice and results to the system above described,
as spinning is to gorge baiting.

This method consists of applying to Salmon the
system of fine fishing already advocated for Trout, with
three trifling differences only in tackle and bait.

172 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

1. Instead of a "brandling" or other small worm, the

bait should be a lob-zvonn, large or small,
according as the river is high or low, coloured
or clear.

2. The hooks and trace should be similar in every

respect to the Trout tackle, but with hooks
one or two sizes larger (only) as the bait is a
large or small one ; and instead of a small
shot or two to weight the trace, a sinker should
be used of sufficient weight to carry the bait
lightly down to the bottom of the run or pool.
A number of small paternoster leads (smoked
to prevent their glittering) are most convenient
for this purpose, and they should be attached
to the main trace, about two feet above the
hooks, by means of a horsehair loop, which
will both admit of a ready change of leads, to
suit the varying depths of the different casts,
and, where a " foul " occurs, which it frequently
does, will, as a last resort, break at a less strain
than the main line, and thus save the latter.
The lob-worm should be put on quite straight,
like a Trout worm, the upper hook near the
knot, and the tail hook lower down. The
thicker the hooks are in the wire, the better.
The stroke, a gentle one, should follow
immediately on a bite, or more often on
a suspicious stoppage being perceived.

SALMON FISHING. 173

I have repeatedly caught Salmon with this tackle in
bright sun, and in the clearest and finest water, and
after all other methods of fishing, including the ordinary-
worm practice had failed ; a slightly clouded water is
however, best. It is of course most important, especially
in the former case, that the angler should carefully keep
out of sight ; and, if possible, always below the spot
which the bait is fishing. This is almost a sine qua non
with this mode of fishing — than which I know nothing
can be more truly " sporting " and sportsman-like. The
very fine hooks and tackle which must be used, and the
nice manipulation of the line and bait required to insure
success, entitle it to a front place in the Angler's
Arcana.

PART III.
*' TROLLING,"— OR PIKE-FISHING.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS.

The term "to troll" or "trolling" had no doubt its
derivation in the Welsh words " troell," a wheel or reel,
*' trol," a roller, and in its less specific application means
to move circularly or in a rollicking kind of way. In a
general sense, therefore, any bait which is moved or
worked in the fashion indicated might without in-
accuracy be termed a trolling bait, and hence the word
has been of late years frequently applied to all
kinds of spinning, whether for Pike, Perch, Trout or
other fish. In its more strictly legitimate sense how-
ever, trolling has, since the time of Hobbes, who was
christened the Father of trollers, been considered as
especially applicable to Pike-fishing, and even, by way
of an imperiitm in iinper'io, specifically to the method
otherwise known as gorge-bait fishing. If the suffrages
of modern anglers were collected, I think it would be

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 175

found that the large majority, rejecting the very re>
stricted and the very latitudinarian interpretations,
accept the word trolling as descriptive of Pike-fishing
generally, and of no other kind of fishing ; and in this.

, sense I have used the expression in the heading to this.

1. part of my subject, the several kinds of spinning appli-
cable to Salmon, Trout, and Perch, being dealt with in
the chapters devoted to each fish.

In the "Book of the Pike,"^ I have endeavoured ta
give a complete History of the fish, from the earliest
times. There is no other species which has in itself
so much character, if I may use the expression, and, per-
haps consequently, so many curious anecdotes and
quaint apocryphal legends clustered around it, almost
from the dark ages down to our own days. I shall not
here attempt to give any history of the fish, beyond
noticing such of its habits and instincts as have a
practical bearing on the art of Trolling. The space
at my disposal moreover does not admit of ichthyolo-
gical or anecdotal digressions. For the same reason, my
observations will be confined as far as possible to
describing what is in my opinion the best form of

I tackle for the various kinds of Pike fishing, without

I entering minutely into the arguments pro and con., or

* The "Book of the Pike: a Practical Treatise on the various
I Methods of Pike-fishing, with an Analysis of the Tackle employed. Also
I a History of the l^ish, &c." London : Frederick Warne and Co.,.
Bedford Street, Govent Garden, price 5^.

1/6 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

•

into a detailed examination of the numerous tackles,

most of them now obsolete, which have at various times
been advocated by other authors. These are given in
detail in the " Book of the Pike" ; and I am under the
less necessity to repeat them, inasmuch as the tackles
therein recommended have now been very generally
adopted by troUers.

i;/

CHAPTER XIV.

SPINNING.

The rationale of spinning — Early mention. Spinning Flights — The
I Author's patterns ; directions for baiting ; details of construction.
The trace — Best materials and knots ; leads. Rod, reel, and reel-
line for spinning and Pike-fishing generally. Honv to spin — Casting ;
'Nottingham method;' striking; playing; landing. Spinning
baits — Natural baits ; Bleak, Dace, Gudgeon ; the Eel-bait, tackle
for ; setting of Eel-lines ; sea-fish as baits. Artificial baits. IVhen
and ^here to spin — Pike-haunts and spawning time. Receipt for
cooking Pike.

The only mode of snap-fishing with the dead-bait worth
consideration is " Spinning," — a branch of trolling which
in the majority of cases as much surpasses in deadliness
all other methods as it is unquestionably superior to
them in its attractiveness as a sport, and in the amount
of skill required for its successful practice. It will occa-
sionally happen, no doubt, that in particular waters, or
states of water, the live bait will kill more fish, or that a
river may be so overgrown with weed as to be impene-
trable to anything except a gorge-hook ; but such con-
tingencies are comparatively rare, and taking the
average of waters and weathers throughout the year,
it may be safely assumed that the spinning-bait will

178 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

basket three fish for two taken by any other legitimate
method.

To this result several causes combine. The piqtian
effect of an apparently wounded fish upon a Pike's appe
tite ; the concealment of the hooks by the bait's rotary
motion ; and last, not least, the great extent of wate
which may be fished in a given time. Add to this the
almost universal applicability of spinning to all countriei
and climates, and it must be admitted that it fully justi
fies the high position in piscatorial precedence awardec
it by most modern authorities.

The first distinct mention of spinning for Pike — as wt
understand the meaning of the word " spinning" — that ]
am acquainted with in our Bibliotheca Piscatoria occur.'
in Robert Salter's " Modern Angler," the second editior
of which was published in 181 r, the first edition being
probably therefore a good deal older. Spinning foi
Trout, however, has been known and practised at any rate
since the time of Walton, who says that the Minnow
should be so put on the hook that " it must turn round
when 'tis drawn against the stream."

Spinning Flights.

Bearing in mind the principles — already pointed outl
in the Chapters on Tackle, p. 16 — which should rule in'
the construction of all spinning gear, I devoted a good
deal of time and attention, some years ago, to making a
perfect flight of hooks for this purpose, and the diagrams

SPINNING.

179

in the annexed plate, taken from the " Book of the
Pike," show the result of my experiments. These
flights represent the three sizes which will be found
most convenient for all ordinary baits — that is, from a
Gudgeon of medium length up to a fair-sized Dace. I
never spin with very heavy baits myself, but for
those who do, flights of the pattern of No. 4 should be
dressed proportionally larger. No. i is figured in the
chapter on Trout spinning (p. 1 15), and will be found a very
useful flight with a small Gudgeon or Bleak, when the
water is low and bright. The upper triangle in No. 4 is,
it will be observed, attached to the lip-hook, so that it
must always hang near the shoulder of the bait. The
under triangle hangs lower dov/n near the tail.

The question of the relative size and proportion of the
hooks to the bait is, of course, of great importance, as, if
the hooks are too small, the Pike very probably escapes
being struck by them, and if too large the bait will not
spin, I should therefore recommend all spinners who
may use this tackle, to keep at least the three smallest
of these exact sizes of flights in their trolling case.

Directions for Baiting. — First, to fix the tail hook : insert the point
by the side or lateral-hne of the bait near to the tail, and passing it
under a broadish strip of the skin and through the end of the fleshy-
part of the tail, bring it out as near the base of the tail-fin as practi-
cable. Next insert the small reversed hook, in such a position as to
curve the bait's tail nearly to a right-angle. Finally, pass the lip-hook
through both its lips, always putting it through the upper Up first when
the bait is a Gudgeon, and through the lo^er one first with all others.
This is very important in securing a really briUiant spin.

I So MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

The flying triangle, or triangles, should not be hooked into the halt k
any 'way, hut be allowed to fly loose in the position shown in the engravingj

The upper, that is, the shoulder portion of the body of the baiti
should lie perfectly straight ; and great care must be taken that th<
gimp or gut is tightened sufficiently to prevent any jtrain on the lips of
the bait, and yet not so tight as in any degree to bend or crook its body.
If these directions are not exactly attended to the bait will not spin.

Observations on the best form of hooks, tail-hooks,
lip-hooks, and triangles, will be found in the chapter on
that subject, (pp. 11-15).

Upon examining the results arrived at with the fore-
going flights as contrasted with those obtained from any
of the flights previously in use, I find that whilst with the
best of the latter the average of fish lost after being
hooked, v/as about half ; with the former the proportion
has only been one in six, or about 16 per cent, thus
giving a clear gain to the basket of four fish out of every
twelve hooked.

The following is a register of the actual number of
runs, and number of Pike lost by me with this tackle when
fishing the Hampshire Avon, during four consecutive
days in August, 1863, the water, it should be observed,
being in the worst possible condition for spinning, and

of weeds :

No. caught.

No. lost.

August 8 ... II

•••

2\ The five largest

10 . . . 6

,,,

fish weighing

„ II . . . 9

...

together

„ 13 . . . 6

...

56 lbs.

Total . 32

Total lost after") 4 = i in 8 ; or about

being

hooked)

13 per cent.

SPINNING-FLIGHTS.

[Tofacep.180.

SPINNING. I8r

Mr. Frank Buckland, who was fishing at the same
time, and who also used my tackle, did not miss a
single run.

The next point is the m.aterial on which the flight
should be tied, the object being, of course, to secure the
greatest amount oi fineness compatible with the required
strength. And as nothing could well be worse for fine-
fishing than gimp in its natural state, so when stained
in the manner pointed out in the preliminary chapters
(p. 34), nothing can well be better. It becomes, in fact,
almost as invisible in the water as gut itself; and is,
therefore, recommended strongly to be used under ordi-
nary circumstances both for trace and flight.

With regard to the material of which the short link
for the Flying triangle in spinning flights should
be made, this depends upon considerations different
from those which govern the choice of the material for
the central link. The one absolute essential is, that
the substance — be it gut or gimp — by which it is
attached to the central link of the trace, should be to
a certain extent, to use a paradoxical expression, stiff
and elasticy so that the triangle may always stand out
in its proper position at the shoulder of the bait.
Without this precaution there can be no certainty that
a fish will be hooked. Ordinary gimp very fairly fulfils
the purpose whilst it is new and stiff, but when it becomes
flabby, which will occur after it has been used for a

1 82 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

short time, the certainty of hooking a fish is materially i
reduced. I, therefore, had made some twisted "gut--
gimp," as it may be called — that is, treble gut
twisted, covered with fine wire — which I find combines .
every necessary quality.

In order to cause the link of the flying triangle tO'
stand well out from the bait, it should be tied round the
central link in a half knot, as shown in the diagrams,
before being lapped. This is of importance. The gimp
wire can be unwound from that portion of the gut which
is required for tying the knot.

With the exception of the lip-hook, I generally covei^
the lapping of the hooks used in spinning flights with
silver tinsel, which perhaps increases somewhat the
attractive effect, and blinds the eyes of the fish as to
the character of these glittering appendages.

The next, and almost equally important portion of
spinning gear is —

The Trace.

This should be made of one of two substances —
stained gimp, as before stated, or single gut.

For very fine fishing I commonly make my own traces
of five or six lengths of the thickest salmon gut (stained)
that can be obtained — two above the lead, and three
below, — and when properly tied and managed, I speak
from experience in asserting that such a trace will hold
anything of the Pike species up to twenty pounds, and I

SPINNING. 183

} have little doubt that in open water that weight might
I be doubled, or even trebled with safety. But properly-
\ tied and handled, mark : for it is * a great mistake to
I assume, as I have often heard fishermen do, that because
I a single-gut casting line will kill a Salmon — the gamer
fish of the two — a fortiori, it will kill a Pike of equal
size. With the same rod, and in the same water, it will
do so no doubt. There is, however, a wide distinction to
be drawn between a stiff three-joint trolling rod, and a
twenty foot " Castle Connell," and a vast difference be-
tween a clear Highland Salmon river, and the weedy,
often foul waters, usually tenanted by overgrown Pike.
The stiffness of the rod renders the line liable to sudden
jerks and strains, whilst the sharp blow which is abso-
lutely necessary for properly striking a fish, is the
most trying ordeal to which any knotted tackle can be
subjected. But the thing is to be done, notwith-
standing. Two essentials only besides good manage-
ment are required — a rod-top of the proper stiffness,
and the peculiar description of gut knotting described
at page 55.

Leads.

For observations on the subject of leads generally,
and for a description and diagram of the pattern which
is recommended to be used for all kinds of spinning
traces, the reader is referred to the preliminary chapter,
pp. 18-20.

1^4 modern practical angler.

Rod, Reel, Reel Line, &c.

In the same chapters will be found a description of
the rod, reel, running-line, and hooks suitable for Pike
fishing. In the matter of Trolling rods tastes usually
differ widely, but the rod contained in the " general rod"
described at page 5 1 is, I think, as perfect a spinning
rod as can be used. If greater strength or stiffness
is required, the butt may be made solid instead of bored,
and one or two shorter tops may be added. My ex-
perience leads me to give the preference to ash or
hickory, and greenhart, for any Jack rod under thirteen
feet in length. Beyond that, the difference in weight,
slight as it is, tells decidedly in favour of bamboo. The
rod suitable for spinning is also suitable for all kinds
of Pike fishing. If very large live-baits are used, a some-
what shorter top may be substituted for that described.

How TO Spin.

The rod and tackle being arranged as described, and
the bait hanging about two yards from the top of the
rod, the spinner unwinds from the reel as much line as
he requires or thinks he can manage, allowing it to fall
in loose coils at his feet ; and then, giving the bait one
or two pendulum-like movements, swings it vigorously
out in the direction in which he wishes to cast, at the
same time letting go the line altogether, and permitting
the bait to run ouc to the full extent. After allowing a

SPINNING. 1S5

few moments (according to the depth of the water) for the
bait to sink, he lowers the point of the rod to within a
foot or so of the surface, and holding it at about rigJit
angles to the bait, begins drawing in the line with his left
hand, making with his right a corresponding backward
movement of the rod, between each "draw." The object
of this movement of the rod, which to the spinner soon
becomes a sort of mechanical see-saw, is to prevent the
bait being stationary whilst the left hand is preparing
for a fresh " draw" ; and in order to accomplish it satis-
factorily the best plan, as well as that most convenient
for casting, is to hold the rod firmly with the right
hand just below the lowest ring, letting the line pass
between the upper joints of the middle and fore-
finger, and resting the butt of the rod firmly against
the hip. In spinning from a punt an agreeable
change of posture is obtained by standing with the
right foot on the side or well of the boat, and par-
tially supporting the elbow and rod on the knee.
The "draws" or pulls, and the corresponding move-
ments of the rod, must of course be varied in length and
rapidity according to the depth of water, size of bait,
and other circumstances, but a good medium speed,
when the left hand is carried well back, is about forty
"draws" per minute ; and a cast for every two yards of
stream fished is the allowance which on the whole will
generally be found the most advantageous. In spinning
for Salmon a slower and gentler movement is necessary.

1 86 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER. §

The bait should not be taken out of the water until
brought close tip to the bank, or side of the boat, as it is
not at all an uncommon circumstance for a fish, which
has perhaps been following it all the way across, to
make a dash at it at the last moment, when he appears
to be about to lose it.

The proper play of the rod, which is one of the
most certain tests of a good spinner, is highly im-
portant, not only to prevent the stopping of the
bait between the draws, but in order to give it its
lull glitter and piquancy. It produces a more "life-
like motion," as it were, than that imparted by the
mere pulling in of the line by hand, whilst for some
reason or other — probably the greater elasticity of the
lever used — the spin of the bait is also far more rapid
and brilliant.

The loss of attractiveness in the bait caused by the sub-
stitution of a mere mechanical motion for this combined
movement of the hand and the rod, is in my opinion one
fatal objection to what is termed the " Nottingham
style" of spinning.

To test the fact that such a loss does actually take
place, the following simple experiment will suffice ; —
drop the spinning bait into the water, and wind it in
as fast as possible, on the Nottingham plan (that is, by
the reel only), keeping the point of the rod stationarj^ ;
then draw the bait through the water at the same pace,
using the rod only, and it will be found that whilst a

SPINNING. "lS/

rapid spin is gained by the one, the effect of the other is
j httle better than a '' wobble."

i These are the obvious theoretical objections to the
! Nottingham style, as a system, which must occur to any
I one accustomed to the Thames method of spinning. It
is much to be doubted, however, whether practically it
would be found even feasible with the small baits and
very light leads and traces constantly used on the
Thames and other fine waters. With such a bait and
trace, weighing together exactly i oz. 2 scruples, I have
made a cast of forty-two yards (measured), which I
should say would be entirely out of the question if the
same bait were thrown from the reel. The weight of
the bait and trace used by Mr. Bailey, and of which I
obtained patterns from him, is 3I oz., or nearly three
times as much.

With regard to the direction in which to cast a spin-
ning bait, opinions differ somewhat. In stagnant waters
no difficulty can of course be felt, as the simple and
obvious rule is to cast over the place in which the fish
are most likely to be ; but with rivers the case is diffe-
rent, and the cast straight across stream, and that

I straight down stream have both their advocates. As in

I many other matters I believe that the truth lies midway

between the two extremes, and that putting aside ex-
ceptional circumstances, which of course make their
own rules, the best direction in which to cast with
the spinning bait over running water is diagonally —

1 88 MODERN TRACTICAL ANGLER.

that is, in a direction rather slanting down and across:
the stream.

The depth at which the spinning bait should be worked
depends entirely upon the state of the water with re-
ference to weeds and other circumstances. It will bei
generally found, however, that in hot weather the fish!
lie near the surface, and in cold weather near the bottom ;
so that the bait should be spun "shallow" or "deep"'
accordingly.

The next question of importance is striking, as more
Pike are probably lost by a failure in this point than
by all the other casualties of spinning put together.

It is therefore strongly recommended to all spinners,
as the very alpha of their craft — and notwithstanding the
opinions to the contrary expressed by many angling
authorities — to strike, — and that the moment they feel
a run. All other rules, such as "giving the fish time
to turn," "waiting till he shakes the bait," &c., &c.,
are useless, and indeed generally impossible in prac-
tice.

Again, the Pike, with many other predaceous species,
shows a great reluctance to quit his hold of a prey once
seized. Most of us have probably witnessed this tena-
city in the case of both Eels and Perch ; and the Stickle-
back, as is well known, will let itself be pulled out of the
water by its hold of a worm. On one occasion for the
sake of experiment, I fastened a large cork to a string,

SPINNING. 189

and drew it across a Pike-pond, giving it at the same
time an irregular, life-like motion. It was quickly
seized by a fish of about 2 lbs., which made a most
determined resistance, running out the twine as if
really hooked, and only relinquishing its grasp of the
cork when within arm's length. The experiment was
repeated several times with a similar result.

This illustrates a fact of great importance to Pike-
fishers, and one which is of especial significance in the
case of spinners : namely, that Pike will constantly show
considerable fight, and even allow themselves to be
dragged many yards, by the obstinacy of their hold,
without ever having been pricked by a hook — shaking
the bait out of their mouths when almost in the net.

I say once more therefore — Strike, — and strike hard ;
and repeat the stroke iintil a violent tearing struggle is
\felt; such a struggle almost invariably beginning the
moment a fish really feels the hook, and being easily
distinguished from that sluggish resistance, sometimes
absolute inaction, experienced when he is only " holding
on." It is generally large unwieldy Pike which act in
this fashion, and an attention to the above suggestion
will not unfrequently save the loss of the best fish of the
day.

In the majority of instances, neither time nor circum-
stance admits of any rules as to the direction of the
stroke being adopted, and in such cases the simplest and
safest plan is to strike straight upwards.

190 modern practical angler.

Playing.

The golden rule in playing all fish is to keep a strong
and even strain upon them from the first to last, and get '
them into basket with as little delay as possible. The
maintaining of a sufficiently heavy strain is particularly
necessary in Pike-fishing where stiff rods are used, and
flights containing several hooks, as the sudden slacken-
ing of a foot or two of line is sufficient to restore such a
rod to the straight position from which it has been
comparatively little bent, thus removing the strain 1
altogether.

Should a fish run under or into weeds, there is but one
plan to be pursued ; — instantly tighten the strain upon
him to the very utmost that rod and line will bear : by this
means the line will frequently act as a knife and cut its
way with the fish, through all obstacles. But whether the
expedient fails or succeeds it is the only one that can
be adopted : if once the fish passes under the weeds
without carrying the line straight over him, the latter '
forms an angle at the point where it strikes the obstacle,
and all power over the fish is instantly lost.

Landing.

There are many conflicting opinions in regard to the
landing of the Pike, as on all other angling matters.

Nobbes suggests that you " put your fingers in his eyes."
— adding " some will adventure to take him by the gills,

SPINNING. 191

though that hold is neither so secure nor so safe for the
Fisher, because the fish in that heat of passion, may acci-
dentally take revenge upon his adversary, by letting him
blood in the Fingers, which way of phlebotomizing is not
esteemed so good."

The justice of this latter observation will probably com-
mend itself to Pike-fishers without any very elaborate
argument. Indeed most of us would probably object to
attempting practically either one or the other of Nobbes'
ingenious methods. If neither a landing-net nor a gaff
is accessible, by far the best and safest method of landing
a Pike is to grasp him as tightly as possible behind the
shoulders, and either lift or throw him on the bank.

In spinning, the gaff has a great advantage over the
net, inasmuch as it prevents the straming, and often
breaking of the flight, by the struggles of the fish in the
net. A Pike-fisher will generally find it both more
profitable and more amusing to gaff his own fish.

Spinning-baits.

To commence with the fresh, natural baits. Of all
the natural Pike-baits ordinarily used, the best, both
as regards perfection of spinning and durability is in-
contestibly the Gudgeon, and I believe that taking the
average of waters and weathers, it is also, of such baits,
the most killing all the year round. In clouded water
or very dark weather, a Bleak or small bright Dace or
Chub may, from their glittering scaling, possibly possess

192 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

an advantage, as being more readily seen ; and in cases
where the Pike are known to be of exceptional size, a
bait of one or other of the two last-named species, and
larger than a Gudgeon, may be desirable. As a general
rule it is always safe to use a small bait when the water
is low and bright, and a larger one when it is full or
clearing after a flood.

These observations are limited, as pointed out, to a
comparison of the baits commonly recommended in
angling works and used by Trollers. There is, however,
a Pike-bait that is not recommended by any author, so
far as I am aware, but which is well worthy of the atten-
tion of Spinners : I refer to the Eel. It has been found
by experience that Pike in stews prefer Eels to any other
fish as food, and also fatten upon them more rapidly, and
a consideration of this fact first led me to try the Eel —
though doubtless it has often been tried before — as a
spinning bait for Pike. It appeared only probable
that the food which was most popular in a stew would
also be most popular in the open river or lake. This
deduction has certainly been justified by the result of
my experiment ; for since I have used the Eel-bait I
have caught both a greater number of Pike, and those of
decidedly a larger average size than I ever took in the
same waters, either stagnant or running, with any of
the ordinary baits. I have also tested the one against the
other on the same day and water, and the advantage
has always been unmistakably with the Eel-bait, whether

SPINNING. 193

employed whole or in part only. A whole Eel 8 or 9
inches long makes a capital bait, and it can be used on
the tackle shown in figure 4 of plate. Owing, how-
ever, to the giving way of the lips after a few runs, the
whole Eel is a less convenient bait than the tail part
only, out of which an artificial head can be formed that
never wears out. Indeed I have fished with a bait so
jnade for two days consecutively, taking a good many
fish on both, and the bait was still fit for work at the
end. This is owing to the extraordinary toughness of the
Eel skin, on which the teeth of the Pike make little or
no impression.

The eel-tail bait and tackle when used for Pike spin-
ning is, with two exceptions, dressed and baited exactly
in the same manner as that described for spinning for
Salmon (p. 167). The exceptions are : first, that the bait
and hook are commonly about double the size ; and
secondly, that this greater size renders the addition of a
flying triangle necessary to insure hooking a fish run.
The best sized eel for making the bait is from 11 to 14
inches in length, but one a little longer or shorter will
I serve the purpose. For a large sized bait, about 7 inches
I (when the bait is complete) is the best length. The
I hook used should be a No. 20 of my pattern {^oide p.
I 10), which is 3 J inches long in the shank, or one-half
the length of the bait. In smaller baits somewhat
smaller hooks should be used — the same proportion be-
tween the length of the hook and bait being always pre-

194 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

served. This is important to insure a good spin. The
flying triangle for the large sized bait described should
be a No. lO or ii, the link to which it is at-
tached being of stout gut-gimp as already-
described, and the total length of gimp and
triangle about 2^ inches (diagram an-
nexed). This makes the flying triangle hang
at the right place, by and below the shoulder
of the bait. The gimp should be finished oft
with a small loop of about the size repre-
sented. The flying triangle is fastened to
the bait as follows : — The skin having been
cut off about I J inches from the flesh, and
turned down and sewn in the manner directed
at p. 1 68, make a small slit in the turned down
skin near the middle of the side of the artificial head :
pass the loop end of the gimp upwards through this
hole, under the turned down skin, and bring it out
through another small hole made at the " nose" of the
bait close to the main link of the flight ; the main
link should then be passed through the loop of the
triangle, and the latter drawn down again to its proper
position.

This bait has the great advantage of being able to be
used salted. Instead of becoming soft and flabby as
other baits do when "pickled," the Eel on the contrary
grows tougher, and if placed in plenty of coarse, dry salt,
either in a jar or other receptacle, will keep, within my

SPINNING. 195

own experience, for five or six weeks, and probably for
much longer. Before being used the Eel should be
allowed to soak in fresh water, if possible for ten or
fifteen hours, to restore its plumpness and pliancy.

It will be found most convenient to make up the Eel-
tail bait before starting for the river side, as the manipu-
lation is troublesome and requires some nicety. When
once made, however, it is almost everlasting, and thus,.
in fact, effects a great saving of the angler's time in
baiting. The salted Eel-tail in my opinion is not only
by far the best preserved Pike bait, but it fulfils every

j requirement that the most exacting can demand, and
thus satisfactorily solves that vexed problem, the great
Preserved Bait Question, which has been so longdiscussed
in the columns of the sporting press, and in which the
comfort of the Pike spinner is so vitally concerned. In a

j pickle-jar or a small bait-kettle, the troUer can thus carry
with him enough spinning baits to last him easily for
a week, and these can be kept and used again if hot-
wanted.

Another advantage of Eel-bait is that it can be ob-
tained at almost any pond, river, or canal by merely-
setting a night-line baited with worms on No. 10 or 11
hooks. The great point in the management of Eel-
lines consists in taking them up sufficiently early — before
or about sunrise, say : if they are allowed to remain long
after the sun is up, the major part of the Eels will get off"
the hooks.

196 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

Another way of making the Eel-bait is to cut out from
just below the neck of the Eel 3 or 4 inches of the
thickest part of the body, the head and tail being then
sewn together with strong silk or hoUand thread. This
bait can be used on the same flight as the whole eel ;
but it does not wear nearly so long as the tail bait above
mentioned.

When fresh-water bait cannot be procured, either of
the following sea-fish can be used — zvhcn quite fresh — as
substitutes : — Basse, Grey Mullet, Herring, Sprat, and
large Whitebait.

Artificial Baits.

So far as my experience goes, artificial baits — and I
have tried not a few — are entirely inferior to natural
baits for Pike fishing : they should only be used when
the latter cannot be obtained. The " spoon-bait" was
tolerably killing when it first came out, but it seems to
have gradually lost its attractiveness, at any rate on
waters where it has been much used, and is now generally
inferior even to the ordinary run of artificial baits.

When, and where to Spin.

In some respects the discussion of the first part of this
subject may be considered unnecessary, as, practically,
men who have once taken to spinning rarely care much for
any other method of Pike fishing, and with slight excep-
tions the spinning bait may be used with advantage from

SPINNING. 197

the 1st of June to the end of February — that is, during the
whole season when Pike should be taken. The only cir-
cumstances under which the preference is to be given to
the live bait or gorge bait, is, for the former, when the
water is too much discoloured by flood ; and, for the latter,
when too much overgrown with weeds to make spinning
practicable. Nor do I believe that there is any rule as
to the state of the wind, weather, or water, by which the
most experienced Pike fisher can really prognosticate
what will be a good day for spinning and what for troll-
ing, or even whether the day will prove good for Pike
! fishing at all. To this view I have been gradually led
by a careful observation of the condition of weather and
water existing on days on which I have had the best and
the worst sport, and I cannot say that I have ever been
able to make out that there was any rule or system
whatever traceable in the result. In this opinion I am
confirmed by Captain Warmington of Fordingbridge, a
most experienced " spinner," who kept for many years an
exact register of the state of the wind, water, baro-
meter, &c., on the days when he had been Jack fishinsf.
without, as he assured me, having been able to
arrive at any results whatever — the results, in fact,
were altogether contradictory and unintelligible. My
own experience is that in very severe cold it is of
little or no use fishing for Pike : they seem to
become torpid or sulky from cold, and will not take
except under extreme provocation. The only chance

598 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

under these circumstances, in most waters, is the
live bait ; but even this method — in which the pleasure
of the fisherman is so much sacrificed to that of the
fish — will often fail. The presence of melted snow in
the water, however small the proportion may be, will
almost invariably prove fatal to Pike fishing, as to every
other description of fishing without exception.

Probably a good breeze from whatever quarter it may
blow is favourable for Jack fishing, and particularly for
spinning ; whilst with regard to Water the only rules
which can be considered to have any general significance
are that a full fresh stream, the rising that precedes a
flood, and the clearing that follows it, usually give heavier
baskets than a water that is low or bright.

As regards the Where of spinning : — The haunts
of Pike vary considerably at different times of the
year, and also vary with the nature of particular wa-
ters ; but it usually prefers a still, unfrequented spot
plentifully supplied with weeds and flags, selecting if
possible a gravelly or sandy bottom. The neighbour-
hoods of reeds, docks, bulrushes, and the broad-leaved
water-lily are its favourite resorts ; and of these a floor-
ing of lilies, with from four to six feet of quiet current
over it, and a wall of reeds at the side, springing from
the bottom, is the best —

" A league of goss washed by a slow broad stream
That, stirr'd with languid pulses of the oar,
Waves all its lazy lilies and creeps on. . . . '*

SPINNING. 199

Indeed it may be said that the reed and the lily are
to the Pike what the hollybush is to the woodcock. In
lochs and meres it commonly frequents the most shoal
and weedy parts, small inlets, and little bays, or the
mouths of streams where minnows or other fry congre-
gate ; and in rivers, back-waters and dam-heads, eddies
between two streams, or in fact any water that is weedy,
of moderate depth, and not too much acted upon by the
current.

As a general rule. Pike will be found during the sum-
mer in or close upon the streams ; and in winter, after
the first heavy flood, in the large eddies and deeps.

The Pike spawns sometimes as early as February, but
more commonly about March or April, according to the
climate, forwardness of the spring, and other local cir-
cumstances, — the young females of three or four years
old taking the lead, and the dowagers following. For
this purpose they quit the open waters in pairs, and
retire into the fens, ditches, or shallows, where they
deposit their spawn amongst the leaves of aquatic
plants ; when the spawning process is complete the fish
return again into the rivers, and are then for some weeks
in a state of partial stupefaction, and unfit for food. In
rivers they begin to be in condition again about June,
but in still waters the recuperative process is much
slower. On the Thames, within the City jurisdiction,
which extends up to Staines, Pike-fishing is illegal
between the 1st of March and the 31st of May.

200

CHAPTER XV.

TROLLING WITH THE DEAD GORGE BAIT.

Tackle and hooks — New gorge leads described ; improved mode of
fastening tail of bait ; trace for gorge baiting. Working the gorge
bait — How to distinguish a ' run' j management whilst gorging.
Best gorge baits.

As the only dead-bait Snap-tackle of any value to the
angler is that used in Spinning, so the only dead-bait
Gorge-tackle which can be similarly described is that
employed in the method of Pike-fishing commonly
known as " Trolling."

Tackle : Hooks.

Although Trolling is by no means so exciting or
artistic a mode of fishing as spinning — and all gorge-
tackle should on general considerations be avoided as
far as practicable — yet it is often an exceeding useful
adjunct in the Pike-fisher's vade incaim, as he may not
unfrequently meet with waters so weedy, or overrun
with bushes or stumps, that a spinning-bait cannot by
possibility be worked. The gorge-bait is then in its
legitimate province — a province to which I confess I, for
one, should be disposed to confine it.

TROLLING WITH THE DEAD GORGE BAIT. 201

It is curious that whilst so many portions of the
Fisherman's equipment have of late years undergone
such a complete transformation, the gorge-hook,
except in the matter of finish, has been literally sta-
tionary. In fact in a most essential particular it has
retrograded instead of advancing — I refer to the length
of the wire shank or '* arming" attached to the leaded
hook. This is a most important point, for two reasons.
First because the modern system of elongating the
hooks by a stiff coil of twisted wire destroys to a consi-
derable extent the life-like play and elasticity of the
bait ; and secondly, because this unnatural stiffness and
rigidity is constantly the cause of the Pike refusing to
pouch it.

The cause of the modern innovation is plain enough ;
it is to assimilate this length of the hook to that of the
bait, so that there may be something solid on which to
fasten the bait's tail, and thus prevent it slipping down
the gimp and doubling up. Even with this assistance,
however, the process of baiting is tedious enough : to be
effectual it must be done very carefully ; and what can
be more trying than pottering with numbed fingers over
the complicated miseries of needle and silk in a biting
east wind, or when, perhaps, the only propitious hour of
a winter's afternoon is visibly gliding away ? Moreover,
if the hook be not exactly of the right length of the
bait's tail, there remains the contingency either of
having nothing to lap it to, or of leaving a thick

202 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

Stump of brass wire protruding where most certain to
be seen.

With these facts and experiences vividly in my recol-
lection, I one day set about thinking how this tackle
could be improved, — the object being of course to get
rid of the superfluous wire shank, at the same time
finding a simple and effectual manner of fastening the
bait's tail without it. Rather by good luck, I believe,
than anything else, I succeeded in hitting upon a plan
which not only fulfils these conditions but also gets rid
altogether of silk or needle and saves the trouble and
delay which they entailed.

The shape of the tackle and of one form of the lead
will be seen on a reference to the annexed plate.

Figure No. i represents the gorge-hook, &c., unbaited,
and No. 2 the same when baited and ready for use.
Figure 3 is a smaller size of the hook ; and the loop A
shows the position actually occupied by the gimp after
being passed through the tail of the bait, and tied.

In this tackle it will be seen (i) that the wire arming of
the hook is cut off close to the end of the lead, thus
materially reducing the unnatural rigidity of the bait
before alluded to ; and (2) that the shank of the hook
(C) is left bare for about half an inch above the bend.
This is the portion of the hook which lies in the throat
of the bait when adjusted, and the object in cutting
away the lead is to prevent that unnatural and un-
sightly-looking enlargement of the throat and gills

No. 3.

No. 1.

GORGE HOOKS.

No. 2.

[To face p. 203.

TROLLING WITH THE DEAD GORGE BAIT. 203

which occurs with the ordinary hook, and which renders
it necessary to tie the gill-covers down to prevent their
catching or tearing in the weeds. It also avoids the
necessity of sewing up the lips of the bait to prevent the
hooks slipping or shifting.

This is a decided saving of time and trouble, and,
moreover, makes the bait last longer by being less
strained. The darting and glancing motion which it
should have is also increased by the placing of the lead
in the proper place — the belly.

A still better method of weighting the gorge bait is by
forming the lead oi pierced sJiotj simply threaded on the
gimp attached to the hooks, and graduated in size so as
to resemble the solid lead in shape. A weight of this
kind has the advantage of being quite soft to the teeth
of the Pike when seized, and thus gets rid entirely of the
*' lead stiffening" in the bait's belly.

Perhaps, however, the greatest advantage incident to

this tackle, used either with the solid lead or pierced

shot, is the saving of time and annoyance in fixing the

tail when baiting. This is accomplished as follows : —

First cut the tail-fin of the bait qff close to the flesh ; then with a baiting
needle pass the gimp in at the mouth and out again by the tail of the
bait as usual, taking care to bring it out as nearly in the centre of the
tail as possible: then pass the baiting needle laterally through the bait's
tail, at about a quarter of an inch from the extremity, drawing the gimp
through after it ; and finally pass the end of the gimp through the loop
thus made at the extremity of the bait (see figure 2 ot plate) and draw
it tight. A sort of half knot is thus formed which never slips, and
which can be untied in a moment when a fresh bait is required.

204 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

This arrangement is the simplest possible — such as
any schoolboy could manage without difficulty at the
first trial. Yet simple as it is (and for that reason only,
valuable) it will be found practically to make the whole .
difference in the convenience and efficiency of a Trolling
bait.

The precise bend of the hooks used for gorge-fishing
is of comparatively little consequence, although the
neatest is perhaps that shown in the engraving, fig. 3.
The one essential is that their points should stand suffi-
ciently out from the sides of the bait's head — the barbs
pointing upwards — to insure hooking, and yet not so
far as to be unsightly or catch in the weeds.

Trace for Gorge Hooks.

No link of gimp, separate from the trace, is required
in this arrangement ; as the trace, which should consist
simply of about four feet or so of fine stained gimp, can
be looped on to any hook in the manner shown in the
engraving (fig. i, B). Swivels also are merely encum-
brances. When a fresh bait is to be put on the hooks,
the gimp should be unhitched at its junction with the
running line. The simplest and most efficient fastening
for this and all other traces and casting lines, is shown
in figure i (A).

Working the Gorge Bait.
The word " troll," taken as explained by its derivatives,

TROLLING WITH THE DEAD GORGE BAIT. 205

expresses the sort of circular movement which should
be given to the gorge bait, and for the purpose of pro-
ducing this it is a common and very good plan to cut
off a pectoral fin on one side and a ventral fin on the
other. A good many Trollers also cut off the back and
anal fins to prevent their catching in the weeds, but I
believe this to be a mistake, as the stripping off of all its
fins reduces the bait too much to the condition of
" King Log," and considerably curtails the variety of its
gyrations in the water. Moreover the inconvenience
which it is intended to obviate is usually more imaginary
than real.

The major part of the movements of the bait being
produced by itself when sinking head-foremost, the
part of the Troller is principally to keep on raising it,
every second or two, to the surface, and generally to
take care that its conduct approaches as nearly as
circumstances will permit to the laws of perpetual
motion.

Short casts rather than long ones are to be recom-
mended, as the bait can thus be made to enter the water
in^a downward-darting direction instead of flat on its
side, or perhaps tail-foremost.

I am not usually an advocate for any Medo-Persic
laws with regard to fishing up stream or down stream ;
but in trolling with the gorge bait it is essentially neces-
sary to adopt the former method, to cast, that is, some-
what in front of and above you, and work the bait

206 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

downwards towards you — and for a very simple reason :
namely, that the slope of the weeds with the ctirrent makes
it impossible to work it properly in any other way.
This plan has also the merit of bringing the bait into
contact first with the Pike's jaws instead of his tail.
The bait should be kept as much as possible in the runs
and gullies between weed-clumps, or at the margin of
weed-beds in pools, and being brought well home to
the boat or to the troller's feet before being lifted out
of water for a fresh throw. Each time that the bait is
left to sink after a *' lift," a proportionate quantity of
the line should be pulled in with the left hand and
allowed to coil on the ground ; the action being slower
than, but of the same nature as, that required in
Spinning.

How to distinguish a " rimr

Upon a fish seizing the bait, the first notice which the
TroUer receives of the fact is the stoppage or check of
the line, very often hardly to be distinguished from that
occasioned by a weed, and followed generally by a few
savage little tugs or wrenches which are produced by the
jaws of the Pike in his efforts to kill his supposed victim.
Sometimes, however, the bait is taken by a heavy fish
with a rush and jerk that well-nigh twists the rod out of
the Troller's hand.

Management of Pike whilst Gorging.
The first step to be taken on perceiving a fish, or a

TROLLING WITH THE DEAD GORGE BAIT. 20/

suspicious ' check,' is to slacken the line, letting out a
few yards from the reel if there is none already unwound,
and seeing that all is clear for a run. The next point
is to ascertain indubitably that it is a fish ; because
although it is perhaps comparatively seldom that a fish
is mistaken for a weed for more than a few seconds, it
by no means unfrequently happens that a weed or stump
is mistaken for a fish ; and nothing less than a wasted
five minutes will convince the agitated Troller that such
is the case.

Most of my readers will probably remember Leech's,
charming sketch of the old gentleman, who has got a
* run' of this sort, standing, watch in hand, instructing
his young companion, " never to hurry a Pike, Tom.
He has had ten minutes already ; I shall give him an-
other five to make sure " — whilst his hooks are palpably
to be seen stuck fast in a submerged stump.

When however the nature of the retainer which your
bait has received is thus doubtful, a little judicious tighten-
ing or a few slight pulls of the line will generally elicit
signs of vitality should a Pike be at the other end of it.
If "no sign" is made, the demonstrations may be
gradually increased until the point is satisfactorily
settled one way or other. Should the seizer — being
unmistakably a fish — remain passive or moving quietly
about within a small compass for more than three or
four minutes after taking, a slight jerk (or " stirring " as
Nobbes has it) may be given at his mouth, which if

208 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

dexterously administered will probably have an effect of
hastening the denouement.

Sufficient time should always be allowed to a Pike to
gorge the bait — five or even ten minutes if necessary ; the
fact of his having " pouched " will most commonly be
indicated by his moving off toivards Jus favourite Jiaunt
immediately afterzvards. If he then remains quiet with-
out moving away again, the line should be gradually
tightened (not struck, although Nobbes says a " gentle
stroak will do him no harm ") and the fish landed.

BEST GORGE BAITS.

Any of the ordinary Jack baits can be used with gorge-
tackle ; but a Gudgeon is commonly the most killing in
clear water, and a Dace or other bright fish in water
that is swollen or discoloured.

The best method of extracting the hooks from the
fish when killed is to make a small slit in the belly of
the fish at the point where the gorge-hook is felt to be,
and, after disengaging the trace from the reel line, draw
the bait out head foremost through the orifice.

209

CHAPTER XVI.

LIVE-BAIT FISHING.

Sjiap /i've-bait tackle — Defective tackles ; essentials of a perfect flight.
Neiv pattern described; mode of baiting. Floats; new system of
floats. Minnow needles : Trace described. Baits, and how to
catch ; bait-can. Ho~lV and ivhere to use the li've bait. Live gorge
bait.

Live-Bait Fishing.

Snap Live Bait.

A GREAT variety of patterns of live-bait tackle are given
by various authors ; some of them tolerably good, others
(and they are the majority) execrably bad — whilst a few
are simply impossibilities, as no live bait could survive
their application more than a few minutes. A good
example of the last, termed the " Bead hook " will be
found in F. T. Salter's " Angler's Guide and Complete
Practical Treatise, &c.," 2nd edition, te7up. 1815.

A really efficient live-bait snap-tackle, and one
which has been extensively used for many years by
Pike-fishers on the Thames — having been the inven-
tion, I believe, of one of the best and most popular
fishermen on its banks^ — is figured in Otter's " Modern

* H. R. Francis, Esq., M.A., author of the "Fly-Fisher and his

Library."

210 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

Angler," of which an engraving, reduced to Jth the
actual size, is appended.

Even this, however, ought rather, perhaps, to be de-
scribed as the least faulty, than as the most
complete of the patterns which have been
published. Baited thus : the single lip-hook
is passed through the upper lip of the bait,
and the small hook of the triangle is fixed
into the skin near the back-fin. From this it results that
the bait is suspended in a most unnatural position in the
water, standing in fact on its tail, except at the moments
when it rights itself by a muscular effort. The effect is,
of course, that it cannot " travel" properly, and instead
of roving about freely in every direction, is confined to a
comparatively small space, having moreover a constant
tendency to rise to the surface rather than to remain
swimming at mid-water. Of minor imperfections it may
be observed that any hooking of the lips is always objec-
tionable, as it tends, by interfering with the functions
of respiration, to shorten the existence and lessen the
vitality of the bait, and this is one reason why all live-
bait tackles which consist only of a single lip-hook are
bad.

What is wanted in a live-bait tackle is^-

(i) That the hooks should be suspended in a position

in which they will be most certain to strike when the

bait lies crosswise in a Pike's mouth ; (2) that the lips of

the bait should not be interfered with in any way ; and

LIVE-BAIT FISHING. 21 1

(3) that when on the hooks its natural position should be
nearly horizontal, and with the head pointing rather
downwards than upwards to prevent its rising to the
surface.

Bearing these conditions in mind, I have after a good
many experiments constructed a tackle in which I
believe it will be seen that they are all fairly fulfilled ;
and as I have now for some years been in the habit of
using it, I can safely say that I have found the conclu-
sions arrived at on theory fully borne out by the results
of practice.

This tackle is shown in the annexed plate, — figure i
representing the arrangement of hooks in the flight, and
figure 2 the same when baited. In baiting, the gimp is
passed under a good broad strip of skin with the baiting-
needle* (in two separate stitches if necessary), and
pulled through until the shank of the small hook {a) is
brought close up to the side of the bait below the skin :
this keeps the large flying triangle {b) at a proper dis-
tance and in its correct position under the shoulder of
the bait.

It is of importance, to secure the full killing powers of
this or any other tackle, that the proportion between the
size of the hooks and the bait with which they are used
should be preserved. The bait shown in the engraving

* The best baiting-needles, whether for Minnows or larger bait, are
those in which the eye is in this shape.

212 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

— a small Dace — is of the proper size for those hooks ;
but by an error of the draughtsman the hooks are made
to hang too far below the bait. The gimp between the
lip-hook and triangle should be one-third of an inch less.
This method of fastening the gimp under a strip of skin
is much better both for the longevity and liveliness of
the bait, than the passing of a hook through its lips,
and on humane considerations is also to be preferred ;
as, whilst experiments have demonstrated that the
bodies of fish are capable of feeling but a very sHght
amount of pain, it is well known that nothing causes so
much suffering as any interference with the organs of
breathing.

The hooks should be tied on about a foot and a half
of fine stained gimp, with a loop at the other end which
can be most conveniently attached to the upper portion
of the trace (composed of two or three feet of stained
gimp) by means of a " hook swivel" (figure 3), which
will also have the effect of keeping the lead in its proper
place. A lead of the shape drawn is neater and shows
less in the water than one of the ordinary bullet form,
and is therefore to be preferred. Both lead and float
should be painted of dark green, or weed tint, with the
same object. Green sealing-wax varnish prepared as
already directed will be found the most convenient mix-
ture. Strike very sharply the moment a fish takes, and
repeat the stroke (as recommended in Spinning) until a
violent struggle is felt.

MOOH

LIVE-BAIT FISHING. 213

In lieu of one large float, it will be found a good plan to
employ a number of much smaller ones, say four or five,
strung on the line at a foot or so apart : cork balls var-
nished green and varying in size from a bantam's to a
pigeon's egg are most convenient. The merit of this
arrangement is that whenever the bait makes a plunge
the corks yield to him, and enable him to rove about
over a much larger area and at a greater variety of
depths than he can with the ordinary single large float,
which is, likewise, both more easily seen by the fish, and
more liable to stick in weeds and roots than its smaller
substitutes ; another advantage is that the corks prevent
the running line from tangling with the bait and trace.
The cork nearest the bait (or two together if one is not
buoyant enough) should be just sufficient to keep the
bait up w/ien absolutely at rest, and no more.

Live Baits,

With regard to live-baits a good deal must of course
depend upon the state of the water. Should it be very
bright and clear, a Gudgeon, which is also a very tough
fish, will generally be found the best, and in extreme
cases even a Minnow used with a small float and a single
gimp hook passed through its upper lip or back may
sometimes be employed with advantage. — In this case the
smallness of the bait nullifies the objection to a single
lip-hook. Bigger baits and with brighter scaling should
be used as waters are more swollen and discoloured. It

214

MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

should always be borne in mind that with snap-tackle,
whether spinning or live-bait, the larger the bait the
greater are the chances against fairly hooking a fish.
And this is a rule to which, from the necessity of the
case, no tackle can be an exception. Four or five ounces
is about the maximum weight of any bait which can be
properly worked on live-bait snap-tackle ; where bigger
baits are necessary (and in some waters, as for instance
Slapton Ley, fish of half a pound and upwards are very
commonly used), recourse should be had to live-bait
gorge tackle, which will be described presently.

Probably the best live bait of all for thick or clouded
waters is a medium-sized Dace, as its scales are pecu-
liarly brilliant, and the fish itself by no means easily
killed. In case of waters in which the Pike are Over-
fed, or obstinately insensible to the attractions of the
ordinary baits, I should recommend trying them with
live Gold-fish ; with which I have more than once
caught Pike under circumstances leading me to believe
that if instead of one or two baits, I had had as many
dozen, remarkable results might have followed. If Gold-
fish are not forthcoming, small Carp form a very killing
and long-lived bait.

Under the head of Ground-baits, will be found an
account of the best methods of attracting the different
descriptions of bait within reach of the cast-net. Atten-
tion to these will save the angler much time and trouble.
In casting for Gudgeon the presence or absence of the

LIVE-BAIT FISHING. 21$

fish, which can commonly be detected by the eye, is the
best guide to be followed. This guide failing, however,
" raking" is often an excellent expedient (see Gudgeon-
fishing.)

A live-bait can, which will be a convenience to live-
bait fishers, when unaccompanied by an attendant, is
described in the general Chapter on Tackle (p. 60) ; where
also will be found directions for preserving live bait.

How and where to use the Live Bait.

The " How" of live-bait fishing is simple enough. In
warm weather, and generally throughout the summer,
the bait should swim at about mid-water ; in cold or
wintry weather at about one-third from the bottom, —
those being the positions respectively occupied by the
fish at such periods. The bait should not be left too
long in one place, but be kept gently moving about, or
** roving," as the old writers have it, either by force of
the current or with the aid of the fisherman's hand and
rod. If baits run short it will generally be found the
better plan, instead of going on fishing with a specimen
that has lost its activity and attractiveness, to keep
bright, lively baits on the hook whilst they last, and then
to use up the dead ones again, either with the Spinning
or Gorge Tackle. A three-quarters defunct live bait is
certainly " a delusion," but rarely a snare so far as the
Pike is concerned.

In ponds, and sheets of water of small extent, the

2l6

MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

live bait, and especially the gorge live bait, is generally
more killing, all the year round, than any other
method of fishing ; and there are some rivers, and
large lakes too, though they are comparatively rare,
in which Pike will not take freely anything except a
bait that is alive. These waters of course make their
own rules.

Under usual circumstances and in ordinary rivers the
period when the live bait is most killing is after the fish
have been swept by the first winter floods into the eddies
and deeps, and where the water is full and slightly dis-
coloured.

The "spring snap-hook" is a perfectly useless con-
trivance.

The " Paternoster" will be described under the head
of Perch-fishing.

Live-gorge Bait.

The Live-gorge bait may be used in all the places and
under the various circumstances referred to as being most
suitable for snap live-bait. The rules as regards time for
pouching, &c., are the same as those given under the head
of * Trolling with the dead-gorge bait,' and the tackle
(float and trace) is identical with that recommended for
live-bait snap fishing, in everything except the hook and
the mode of baiting.

These are so simple that an explanatory diagram is
superfluous : — Instead of the flight used with the snap
live bait, the hooks consist of a common double or single

LIVE-BAIT FISHING. 21/

hook on gimp ; with the aid of the baiting-needle the
gimp is inserted under the skin of the bait, just behind
its pectoral fin, brought out again near the end of the
back fin, and drawn carefully through until the shank of
the hook is hidden under the skin. The loop of the gimp
is then attached to the hooked swivel on the trace, and
the arrangement is complete.

The disadvantage of this tackle as with all other Gorge-
bait tackle is, of course, that the Pike has the opportunity
of rejecting after taking it if he thinks proper. On the
other hand the hooks are less seen than those used in
snap fishing, and the fish consequently is less likely to be
frightened by them. Its most useful province is when
in a lake or other large sheet of water the fisherman
wishes to carry on two kinds of fishing at once, say for
Perch and Jack. He can then leave his Gorge-bait to
take care of itself whilst he wanders away with his other
rod, returning at intervals to see if he has had a run.
When the rod is thus left, 20 or 30 yards of line should
also be left by its side carefully uncoiled, so that it will
run out easily if the bait is taken. It must be added,
however, that this " leaving-the-rod-to-fish-for-itself "
mode of operation is not many degrees removed from
Trimmering, which ought to be the abomination of all
Pike fishers.

2l8

MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

Cooking Pike.

So many fine Pike are wasted for want of a little
knowledge on this subject that I am tempted to append
a receipt for filleting Pike, which I obtained from Mrs.
Robertson, the obliging landlady of the Bat and Ball
Inn, Breamore. Cooked in the ordinary methods Pike
can hardly be regarded as a very gustatory dish : dressed
as directed in this receipt, I think it will be generally
admitted to be a really excellent one. The sauce, it will
be seen, plays the part of Hamlet in the affair : —

Cut the fillets, and after covering them with plenty of egg and bread-
crumbs, fry them over a brisk fire till thoroughly browned. Then pour
over them a gravy made thus :

After removing the fillets, lay the bone and trimmings in a stevi'pan
with two shalots and a small bunch of parsley, stew them for one
hour, and strain the liquor, which add to the following sauce. Put
two ounces of butter over the fire ; when melted, add the above liquor,
and also one tablespoonful of flour, one teaspoonful of soy, one dessert-
spoonful of anchovy, one of Worcestershire sauce, and a little salt.

PART IV.
BOTTOM OR FLOAT FISHING.

CHAPTER XVII.

General Observations.

Old' and ^ne<vj (or ^ 'Nottingham') methods of hottom-fishing — Ordinary

float-fishing — Rods, lines, hooks, floats, shot, reels, &c.
Nottingham fishing — specialities of, and tackle.

" Bottom fishing," whatever the term may have ori-
ginally conveyed, does not now always mean fishing on
the bottom. Several branches of angling, such as pater-
nostering, which comply with this condition, are ex-
cluded ; and others, as for example float-fishing in mid-
water, which do not comply with it, are embraced. The
expression bottom-fishing in the angler's dictionary has
come to imply simply rod-fishing with a float ; and if we
were to exclude Pike, Trout, and Grayling from the
category, float-fishing and bottom-fishing might be said
to be synonymous.

220 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

Bottom-fishing is divided into two classes : the old
style, or ordinary bottom-fishing, and the new style, or
*' Nottingham fishing." These two methods of float-
fishing differ mainly in their details of manipulation.
And as by one or other of them are principally taken
all coarse river and pond fish, except Pike, a preliminary
description of each system will save repetition in the
succeeding chapters.

Ordinary Bottom Fishing

Is practised with a rod, line, and float ; split shot
being attached to the line at a distance of from one
to two feet above the hook to sink the bait, and partially
sink — Anglice, "cock" — the float. Sometimes a reel and
running-line are used, and sometimes not ; but the former
plan has this advantage, that whilst a reel and running-
line are never really in the way, their absence is often
attended with serious practical inconvenience and loss
of fish.

Rods.

All sorts of rods are used according to the fancy of the
angler, but the general rod already described (p. 51) con-
tains all that is necessary ; and indeed by a change of
butts and tops embraces varieties of length and stiffness
adapted to every description of bait and circumstance.

Lines.
The best and cheapest reel line for ordinary bottom

BOTTOM OR FLOAT FISHING. 221

fishing is a fine undressed spun cotton line, of the
manufacture described at p. 26. The lower, or ' float-
line,' should invariably consist of single gut, stained as
directed at p. 30, and as fine as it can possibly be used
with safety. This point is perhaps of more importance in
bottom fishing than in any other kind of angling, because
in this mode the fish have more time for examination
before biting. They are able, as it were, to take a
leisurely survey of the position and of the arrangements
prepared for their benefit. Hair shotild never be used in
any kind of fishing, because gut can be procured which,
when stained, is both finer and stronger than any hair.
It is also transparent, whilst hair is opaque. Some ob-
servations on this subject will be iound in Chapter III.

Hooks.

As regards the hooks, for the reasons already given in
the chapter devoted to that subject, I recommend for all
kinds of bottom fishing the patterns of hook therein
described ; and the sizes mentioned in this part refer to
the several sizes of those hooks as shown in facsimile at
p. II. The proper sizes for each fish and bait are given
under the separate chapters.

Floats.

The best and most durable floats are made of por-
cupine quill ; for the finer description of fishing, of a
single quill simply, and where larger floats are required,

222 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

as in the " Nottingham style," of porcupine and goose
or swan quill combined, the upper half of the float
being composed of the hollow quill. This float, of which
I believe I was the originator, unites the advantages of
being exceeding strong, unconspicuous, and of giving
probably a greater supporting power, bulk for bulk,
than either of the ordinary combinations of corks or
quills. It can be made of any size, up to a foot long,
which is the best length for heavy Nottingham fishing,
and either to fasten with caps at both ends, or a cap at the
top, and a ring at the bottom. The former method has
an advantage in making the float less liable to slip — a
common occurrence which involves either a frequent
*' re-plumbing," or the probability of fishing at the
wrong depth. Even with the double caps as fastened
in the ordinary way, the float, especially after repeated
striking, is apt not uncommonly to shift its position by
degrees ; and in order to make this impossible I pass the
line round as well as through the lower cap — in other
words, twice through — loosening the coil when the position
of the float is to be shifted, and drawing it tight when it is
fixed in its proper place. If this method is adopted, caps
of gutta percha should be used instead of quill caps, as
the latter would wear and fray the line. 'j

The above expedient will be found of considerable
practical advantage in all fishing where accuracy of
plumbing is essential.

bottom or float fishing. 223

Shot.

The shot should be sufficient to submerge about three-
fourths of the length of the float ; and their position on
the line should be regulated according to the nature of
the water. In still water, the bulk of the shot should be
about two feet from the bait, a single small shot being
placed midway, to insure the bait Itself sinking with
tolerable certainty and rapidity. In rivers where the
stream Is deep or strong, It will commonly be found
most convenient to place the shot about a foot above the
hook with a single shot midway as before.

The object being to " cock" the float, and at the same
time sink the bait to the required depth, these points
being attained, of course the further the shots are away
from the bait the better. A few medium sized shot show
less than a number of small ones.

" Nottingham Fishing."
One portion of what is known as Nottingham fishing is
the throwing fro7n the reel — trusting, that Is, to the weight
of the bait and float, and the impetus given by casting,
to draw off from the reel, as the line is thrown, as much
of the latter as may be required for each cast. For the
reasons already given with reference to the application
of this method of casting to Pike fishing (p. 185), I con-
sider it in every way a mistake in theory, and, as
applied to light float tackle, usually an impossibility in
practice.

224 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

The other principle of Nottingham fishing is an
excellent one, and the practice of it is rapidly spreading
over all parts of the country, and for every description
of river and pond bottom fishing. Its result is to enable
the angler to fish *' swims" at considerable distances —
sometimes as much as twenty yards — away from him,
and at the same time to add to the length of the swim
itself, by allowing the bait to travel over a greater
extent of ground than is possible under the ordinary
method. This result is attained by the use of a largish
float, and a running-line which combines strength with
the greatest possible lightness and fineness, and there-
fore, of course, runs through the rod-rings with the
utmost facility. In pond fishing the Nottingham
method gives the angler the advantages of being able
to make much longer casts, and consequently to fish
finer and further off. A proper Nottingham line of fifty
yards long should not weigh more than one-fifth of an
ounce, and is strong enough to land the largest fish
which the angler is likely to meet with (see observations
on lines, p. 28). In casting, the line should lie in loose
coils on the ground ; and when a long cast is to be made
it will be found convenient to draw the line in, not
through the lowest ring, but through one or other of the
rings next above it — an arrangement by which, owing
to the diminution of friction, a light bait can be thrown
to a greater distance.

With the foregoing exceptions, the tackle, &c., already

BOTTOM OR FLOAT FISHING. 225

described for ordinary bottom fishing, as well as the
general observations on its use, and the remarks else-
where made on baits and ground-baits, are applicable to
Nottingham fishing.

226

CHAPTER XVIII.

BAITS, BAITING, AND GROUND BAIT.

Baks — WoiTns, brandlings, lob- worms, where to get and how to pre-
serve ; two-hook tackle. Gentles, greaves, pith and bullock's
brains. Wasp-grubs ; easy method of taking wasp-nests. Pastes.
Miscellaneous baits — Caddice ; grasshoppers ; meal-worms ; earth-
grubs.

Ground baits — Rationale of ground-baiting ; gentles, paste, bran, bread,
meal, greaves, grains, rice, worms.

Worms.

The best worm for every description of angling-,
except Barbelling or Bream-fishing, is usually the
brandling or dunghill worm, found in old rubbish and
manure heaps. In common with all other worms brand-
lings are better scoured and kept as recommended for
Trout fishing (p. 112). Of other kinds of worms, the
reddest are the best. For Barbel, Bream, and Chub,
the tail end of a lob-worm, about 2 inches, is, for some
reason — probably because it is larger — a better bait.
Lob-worms can frequently be obtained • in the same
spots as brandlings — in kitchen-gardens, and generally
in any moderately damp, heavy soil. Lob-worms also
come out in great numbers on dampish, low-lying

BAITS, BAITING, AND GROUND BAIT. 227

lawns at night, and may be then gathered on and round
the edges of the grass, borders, &c., in great numbers. I
have repeatedly picked more than a quart full of solid
worms in this manner in half an hour. Some lawns,
however, are much more prolific of worms than others.
About ten o'clock at night is generally the best time
for lob-worm gathering.

When the tail of a lob-worm is used, the worm
must be broken about the middle — longer or shorter,
according to circumstances — and the hook, if a single
one, inserted at the point of breakage, the worm being
then "run up" the hook until the shank is somewhat
more than covered.

To bait with a whole worm take the hook by the
shank in the right hand, and the worm, head upwards,
in the left ; enter the hook-point a little below the head,
and after passing it through a trifle more than the
length of the shank, bring the point out again, and run
the worm up on to the shank and gut ; then again insert;
the point and barb only about two-thirds down the worm
in the direction of the worm's head ; and finally, pull the
upper portion of the worm down over the hook-shank
till it touches the tail part. This is the best method
both of concealing the hook and giving a natural
appearance to the bait, in every kind of fishing where a.
single hook only is used.

22s modern practical angler.

Gentles.

The finest gentles are obtained from the liver of the
sheep or bullock. They should be placed in moist sand
to scour and get rid of a pinky-brown discoloured patch
which they have when first taken from the liver. In moist
sand they will keep fresh and in good order for several days.
In the winter months, if it is desired to keep them for a
longer time, they should be put into a large-mouthed
bottle two-thirds full of earth, the bottle being corked
up and placed in a cellar or other cool situation. No
general directions can be given for baiting, as this of
course varies with the size of the hook. Carrion gentles
(see ground baits) can be used when liver gentles are
not obtainable.

Greaves,

Or the refuse of the fatty materials out of which
tallow is made, are a good bait for Barbel, Bream,
and Chub, and occasionally for Roach. The greaves,
after being broken up with a hammer, should be
boiled gently for about half an hour, long enough
before they are wanted for use to allow of their getting
cold and hard. The whitest pieces are the best for bait,
and these can be most conveniently disposed so as to
hide the hook by being cut into broadish strips or
slices.

baits, baiting, and ground bait. 229

''Pith" and "Bullock's Brains."

This bait is a modern discovery, but it is the most
deadly of all baits for Chub fishing in winter. The
"pith" is used as the bait on the hook, and the brains
for the ground bait, and I shall therefore describe them
both together. They are prepared thus : —

Having obtained from a butcher some brains from a
freshly-killed bullock, cow, or sheep, first thoroughly
clean and wash them in cold water, and then boil
them for fifteen minutes, changing the water once
during the process. When cold they are ready for
use.

The " pith" is the spinal marrow of a bullock or cow,
and should also be obtained quite fresh. The pith requires
to be boiled for about three minutes to prepare it for
use. The brains and marrow from one bullock will be
sufficient for an ordinary day's fishing. In order to
make the brains sink readily, and also in order to
separate the particles, or make them fine, some fishing
authorities recommend that the brains should be chewed
by the angler as he uses them. This process, however,
though effectual, is not relished by most persons, and
the best substitute is to squeeze the brains in the hand
whilst under water. The brains should be thrown in
from time to time, in pieces about the size of a walnut,
a few yards (according to stream and depth) above the
spot which is covered by the bait.

1230 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

The pith when used for Chub or Barbel, should be cut
•up as required, into pieces about the size of a largish
liazel-nut, and baited on a No. 9 or No. 10 hook. (See
plate, p. II.)

Wasp-grubs.

The young of the wasp in its immature state as found in
the comb, is a good, though very delicate bait for Roach,
Dace, Chub, Bream, and Grayling. It may be easily
obtained throughout the summer and early autumn
months by digging out the nest : the adult wasps, it is
hardly necessary to say, having been previously de-
stroyed. For this purpose the following is the best
receipt I am acquainted with, and as wasps are great
enemies to the orchard and fruit-garden, I commend
it also to the attention of farmers : —

Procure a strong solution of cyanide of potassium
{prussic acid) and having thoroughly wetted therewith a
doubled piece of lint about six inches square, place the
lint at the mouth of the hole, so that the wasps cannot
well obtain ingress or egress without settling on it. Every
wasp crawling over or alighting on the lint will be in-
stantaneously killed^ and twenty-four hours will com-
monly be found sufficient to enable the comb to be
dug out without difficulty.

Pastes.

Having tried most of the pastes described in Angling
manuals, the result of my experience is that there is no

BAITS, BAITING, AND GROUND BAIT. 2^1

paste so good as a simple one of white bread-crumb, and
made thus : put a lump of crumb into a pocket-hand-
kerchief, and having twisted it up, dip it in water, giving
it a few squeezes whilst immersed so as to eject the air,
and substitute water. Then wring the crumb as dry as
may be in the handkerchief, and taking it out, work it
for a minute or two in the hands, which should be
clean.

Wools, dyes, and flavourings, whether with sugar,
honey, or essential oils, are useless or mischievous. Paste
is a good pond bait in summer for Roach and Rudd, and
not a bad one occasionally for Carp — but this exhausts
its role.

Paste should be put on in a pear shape so as to cover
the shank as well as the bend of the hook. When using
paste, a few small pellets thrown in from time to time
round the float are useful.

A paste made of cheese is sometimes a killing bait
for Barbel and other kindred species.

Miscellaneous Baits.
Caddice, grasshoppers, meal-worms, and earth-grubs
generally are occasionally killing baits for all the before-
mentioned coarse fish, but they are so difficult to obtain
in any quantities that they are seldom worthy of much
consideration. The meal-worm, which is perhaps the
least troublesome, breeds amongst the refuse sweepings
of flour mills. The caddice (or as its name is sometimes

232 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

abbreviated — "cad-bait") is the larva of the phryganea,
of which there are many species, furnishing several of the
insects most popular for imitation by the artificial fly.
In the larval state it is found in the banks of most
streams amongst gravel, decayed reed-roots, and other
aquatic debris. It is enveloped in a shell or case, gene-
rally cylindrical, resembling commonly a piece of dead
stick or rush, and from this it is of course necessary to
disencumber it before use.

GROUND BAITS AND BAITING.

In every description of bottom fishing ground bait, or
a substitute for it, can be used with advantage. Anglers,
however, often make a great mistake in ground baiting, by
so surfeiting the fish with food that they have no need or
appetite to attack the hook-bait, which, in comparison,
must always present a more or less unnatural appear-
ance. On this account also it is generally better in
rivers to fish a little below rather than actually over or
above the ground bait, because by so doing there is a
greater chance of the unsatiated fish which are working
up stream towards the ground bait, coming first into
contact with the bait on the hook.

As a general rule, to which, however, there are several
exceptions, it may be stated as the rationale of
ground baiting, that the bait used on the ground should
be of the same description as, but inferior in quality to,
that used on the hook.

BAITS, BAITING, AND GROUND BAIT. 2^7,

Bearing in mind this rule, it will hardly be necessary
to explain that of the ground baits which I am about to
enumerate the majority are also used as baits for the
hook — some simply, some in combination with others.
To begin with,

Gentles.

" Carrion gentles" are generally used for purposes of
ground bait, being smaller, more easily procured, and
otherwise inferior to the liver gentles, which should be
used on the hook, thus carrying out the cardinal prin-
ciples of ground baiting already indicated. Carrion
gentles can be obtained from any carcase or offal ; they
are, I believe, generally procured for the tackle-shops
from the dealers in horse-flesh. They should be mixed
with moist sand, as, if kept in any quantity, pure and
en masse, they are apt to scald, as the expression is ; —
that is, they become so heated that many die. Carrion
gentles, simply or in combination with other baits, are
the best ground bait all the year round for Roach, Dace,
and Bleak, and are also a very good bait for Bream or
Barbel. In ponds or still waters I should advise their
use for either of the fish named, without other admixture,
on all occasions when they can be procured.

Paste

Is to be recommended for use principally in the same
kind of water as that suitable for gentles. A few pellets

234 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

of the same paste used on the hook may be thrown in
round the float from time to time.

A Bran, Bread, and Meal.

Wet bran mixed with carrion gentles, or worked up
with soaked bread, is a very good ground bait, either for
Roach, Dace, or Bleak ; in fact, when used by itself, it
is the most certain mode of attracting Bleak to any
given spot that I am acquainted with. In water where
there is a current, the addition of soaked bread, in
about equal parts, or meal sufficient to give the bran
weight and consistency, is essential. Or a handful of
meal squeezed under water in the hand, and thrown in
from time to time, may be used by itself ; as may also
soaked bread w^hich is first squeezed dry in the hand.
The best meal for the purpose is made from wheat,
ground up with the husk, such as that employed for the
coarser kinds of brown bread. This should be mois-
tened sufficiently to make it cohere in lumps, but not
sufficiently to make it sticky. Bran is a great addition
to both the above-named baits, as it is light and easily
carried down gradually by the current, so as to entice
the fish upwards.

Greaves.

Prepared as already described, greaves is a very good
ground bait for Barbel and Bream, especially in combi-
nation with some or all of the foregoing.

baits, baiting, and ground bait. 235

Grains.
Brewer's grains or malt is a coarse, sour ground bait,
with which I never had much success.

Rice.

' Boiled rice used in the positions described for gentles,

is the best ground bait for Minnows ; and by bearing in

mind what has been said as regards the attractiveness of

bran for Bleak, and gentles for Roach and Dace, much

trouble will be spared to the angler when procuring

supplies of live-bait with the casting-net. A stillish

curve or eddy of river about two feet deep will be found

the best description of spot both for the application

of this principle of baiting, and for using the cast-net

effectually.

WORIMS,

If not the best, form one of the two or three very
best ground baits for Barbel, Bream, Chub, Perch, Carp,
and Tench. Authorities differ as to whether they should
be used whole or " chopped."

Mr. Francis Francis, who has written some of the best
chapters on bottom fishing with which I am acquainted,
recommends "broken" worms; whilst Mr. Baily, of
Nottingham, in his clever little manual, is strongly in
favour of the "whole" system, at any rate so far as pre-
viously baited swims for Barbel are concerned. Whole
worms are, I think, preferable in all cases where swims
are baited any considerable time before being fished,

236 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

and broken worms where only a few hours intervene, or
where the two processes of ground baiting and fishing
commence simultaneously.

For the latter purpose it is not necessary that the
ground bait should retain its vitality for any length of •
time, and an ordinary lob-worm may in this case be
broken certainly into two pieces, with advantage.
*' Chopping" on the other hand, or breaking the worm
into a number of small pieces, is certainly bad, as
thereby one chief element of attractiveness, life, is taken
away. A divided worm is for some time more lively
than a whole one.

As a rule, worms, when employed as ground bait in
gentle currents, or in ponds and still water, are best
used by themselves simply, but in deep or strong water
it is necessary to enclose them in hollow clay balls, so
that the balls may carry the worms to the bottom before
bursting, or being washed open by the action of the
stream. The application of these rules will be ex-
plained more in detail in the chapter on Barbel
fishing.

I cannot do better than conclude these observations
on ground bait with a rule which should never be for-
gotten : after ground baiting, plumb the exact depth,
and arrange the tackle so that it may not be necessary
to make a disturbance when fishing commences.

237

CHAPTER XIX.

PERCH.

Omnivorous instincts of Perch — Natural and artificial baits — Spinnings
fly-fishing. Li've baiting, ' paternoster ing' and 'roving.' Worm-
fishing in lakes, ponds, and ri-vers. Spawning season.

The Pope or Ruffe.

Though fishing for Perch properly belongs to — indeed
heads — this division of my subject, yet by its habits of
feeding and the methods of angling employed for its
capture, it might justly claim honourable mention both
under the category of fly-fishing, and, taking the word
in its widest sense, of trolling also. Thus, for example,
in the great lakes Perch will often take a spun Minnow or
a bright fly in preference to any other baits, whilst both
in lake and river the deadly qualities of a live Minnow or
small Gudgeon are well known to all Perch fishers.

In the case of lake-spinning for Perch it would seem
that the usual rule in regard to the superiority of natural
over artificial baits is reversed. Whether from the
greater facility with which small artificial baits are pro-
curable, or from some other cause, I have certainly
caught and seen caught, far more Perch by the arti-

238 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

ficial than by the natural spinning-bait. Formerly
a "spoon" about three-quarters of an inch long was
very killing in many waters ; but as with Pike and
Trout so with Perch, this bait seems latterly to have
lost much of its attractiveness. A stone Loach, a
Minnow, or a very small Gudgeon, are all good spinning-
baits, and should be used both in lakes and rivers with
the tackle described for _/?;/^ lake spinning (p. 123), or for
river Minnow-spinning (p. 116), as the case may be.

With a gaudy red fly dressed on, say, a No. 10 hook,
I have also had good sport, but its legitimate province is
confined to large shallow lakes, and then is only prac-
tically worth consideration in bright hot weather and a
dead calm. The flies may be either "trailed" or cast
by hand ; the former plan being usually best until the
position of a shoal of fish is ascertained, and the latter
afterwards. As already observed, however, both the
methods of Perch-fishing above described, are only really
much worth consideration in the great lakes, where they
often come in very opportunely to fill what would other-
wise be a blank day, the most impracticable weather for
Trout being commonly the most favourable for Perch. It
certainly does occasionally happen that good baskets may
be made with the spinning-bait in rivers. I have done
it repeatedly in the Kennet, below Hungerford, but
then the fish of this river — in my opinion the best Perch
water in England — run very large, averaging from one to
two pounds, and, owing to strict preservation, are compa-

PERCH. 239

ratively little fished for. The Hampshire Avon is another
beautiful river, which produces in parts Perch quite as
large as those of the Kennet, but they are not so
numerous.

The most killing bait for Perch in rivers, and not
unfrequently in lakes also, as in Windermere for
instance, is the live Minnow, and the best method of
using it is with what is termed a " paternoster." The
paternoster is made and used thus : to the end of about
4 feet of stained gut attach a lead, and at the distance
of say 3 and 15 inches above it respectively, two hooks,
Nos. 8 or 9, tied on gut lines 4 or 5 inches long. These
should be attached in the same manner as that recom-
mended for fastening on drop flies (p. 58), so as to stand
out at right angles to the main line.

The tackle is baited by passing each of the hooks
through the upper lip (only) of a live Minnow, or small
Gudgeon. The rod and line recommended for Trout
Minnow spinning (p. 119) will be most convenient for
this purpose, but any stiffiish rod with a line that runs
tolerably freely will do. As, however, a long line cannot
be used in paternostering without loss of efficiency,
danger of fouling, &c., a longish rod, not too heavy, is
a desideratum. In deep holes, under steep banks, and
under weirs, are the haunts in which the greatest
execution will generally be done with the paternoster ;
and from October to January large deep eddies, or
back-waters, into which, especially after a flood, the

240 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

Perch are swept. Such spots abound on the Thames
and most large rivers. In the Thames, the best Perch
water I know is just below the paper-mills at Temple,
near Marlow. Here, after the first heavy flood, the
Perch collect in astonishing numbers ; and I remember
on one occasion, when fishing this pool with the late
Tom Rosewell and Mr. H. R. Francis, killing some
twelve dozen Perch with the paternoster in a few hours.
The water was then still slightly clouded from floods.

The Weirs are the great places for the paternoster in
summer, as the Perch then collect in the rapids and
rushes of water to scour and brace themselves after
spawning. The modus operandi is as follows : — The rod
and tackle being arranged as described, and the lead
hanging 6 or 7 feet from the top of the rod, the baits, if
the water to be fished is within the length of the rod,
should be gently dropped or lowered down till the lead
rests on the bottom ; if, however, the desired spot is
further off, the baits, after a slight pendulum-like move-
ment, are lightly cast — or rather " swung" — into it, and
the line drawn in until it is stretched straight between
the lead and the rod-top. Every half minute or so the
position of the bait should be shifted a foot or two by
lifting the lead and drawing in line ; a sharp twitch will
indicate a bite, when the point of the rod should be
instantly lowered a little so as to slacken the line some-
what, and prevent the fish prematurely pricking himself.
The attack being repeated, and — as it usually happens —

PERCH. 241

in a more vigorous manner, the line should be quietly
but rapidly tightened, and a vigorous " lift" (not stroke)
given almost at the same instant with the rod. Striking
is not desirable in paternostering, first, because the
Perch is a very delicate-mouthed fish, and the rod a
stiff one ; and secondly, because by this means both
baits will almost inevitably be lost. A chief element of
success in paternostering — as indeed in all live-bait
fishing — is, that the baits should be fresh and really
lively.

Leads of a pear-shape are preferable to bullets,
because from their shape less liable to catch in stones,
sunken posts, &c. They should always be painted with
green varnish (p. 59), which makes them less conspicuous.

In water where there are many Jack it is often a good
plan to attach a third hook (No. 11 or 12) tied on fine
stained gimp, about 2 feet above the lead, baiting it with
a Gudgeon. Many good fish are caught in this way.
In bottom fishing from a punt it is usually an excellent
plan to put out a paternoster, which may not only add
to the weiglit of the creel — " on its own hook," as the
phrase goes — but by killing any Pike or Perch which
may be roving in the neighbourhood, add to the
chances of a good take of other fish. The proximity
of either of these predaceous species sadly disturbs the
appetite of the grami- or vermi-nivora, and a sudden
stoppage in the biting of the latter is constantly attri-
butable to this cause.

242 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

Another method of fishing for Perch with Minnows,
sometimes used also for Trout and Pike, is what used to
be called by the old writers "roving." It consists
simply in substituting an ordinary gut-line, single hook,
and float for the paternoster, and baiting with a live
Minnow hooked through the upper lip. This method
is, however, very inferior to the paternoster for either
Perch or Pike ; and for Trout is not to be named with
either fly, worm, or spun Minnow fishing.

Besides Minnows and small Gudgeon, the only live
bait that Perch take freely, both in rivers, lakes, and
ponds, is the worm — a brandling being much the best.
It may be used either in the ordinary or " Nottingham
style," in the mode already described in the preliminary
chapter on " Bottom or Float-fishing." The hook,
single, should be from No. 6 to 8 or 9, according to the
average size of the Perch in the waters fished. I cannot
but think, however, that the two-hook tackle recom-
mended for Trout, p. no, may probably eventually
supersede the single hook for all kinds of worm fishing,
at any rate in running waters, and not impossibly in
pond fishing also. At the same time, I have myself
tested the tackle in this department of angling suffi-
ciently to put the above forward as more than an
opinion — an opinion, however, in favour of which strong
prima facie arguments exist, and which I should be very
pleased to find confirmed by that of any other anglers,
who may be inclined, for the sake of experiment, to

PERCH. 243

give the tackle a trial. In river Perch fishing, the
worm should just dribble along the bottom ; in ponds,
it should float about 8 inches or a foot above it ; and in
lakes a little more, according to the depth.

It is usually advantageous not to strike too soon in
fishing for Perch as compared with other species. The
Perch rarely quits a bait, especially a worm, when he
has once attacked it ; indeed, if allowed, he will fre-
quently " gorge" or swallow it entirely ; but this, again,
is an inconvenience in another direction. The best
general rule is to let the float be carried well under
water before striking.

In rivers and streams the " Nottingham plan" will
often be found the most killing mode of worm fishing
for Perch. As in other cases, a few broken worms
thrown in occasionally as ground bait will assist in
attracting the fish.

Perch most commonly swim in shoals, so that when
one is caught others may be expected to follow. In
Windermere I have watched these shoals, and found
them to consist not infrequently of many hundreds. In
Slapton Ley, Devonshire, they can hardly be said to be
in " shoals," as the whole water swarms with them, and
I have frequently caught them there literally as fast as
I could bait. As a rule, however, they are quite insig-
nificant in the matter of size, very few of those that I
caught or saw exceeding a few ounces in weight. They
are smaller than even the Windermere fish. Perch are

244 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

the only English species of scale fish which have been
clearly proved to be bi-sexual, that is, to contain in
each separate individual the means of reproduction
complete — in other words, both milt and roe. They
spawn towards the end of April, or beginning of May,
casting their eggs in strings like festoons of pearls
about the weeds and rocks. That they increase rapidly
is not to be wondered at when it is considered that as
many as 280,000 eggs have been counted in a single
specimen, weighing half a pound.

The Pope or Ruffe.

The only other species of the Perch family known to
exist in this country is the Pope or Ruffe, a gregarious
fish, which though resembling its congeners in many
points of habit and structure, is in an angling point of
view altogether inferior. The bait and tackle recom-
mended for Gudgeon-fishing will be found also the most
successful in taking Pope ; and indeed it is in Gudgeon-
fishing that the Pope is most frequently captured. I
have seldom met with specimens exceeding 4 or 5 inches
in length.

245

CHAPTER XX.

BARBEL AND BREAM.

Habits of barbel and ' ground swimmers' generally. Bottom fishing —
tackle and baits. Leger fishing and tackle. Ground baits and baiting
— A^'"orms and clay-balls ; how to make and use. Spawning-time.
Haunts of Barbel — Torpidity in great cold.

Different species of Bream — Carp Bream ; White Bream, or Bream
flat ; Pomeranian Bream : their habitats, and how to be distinguished.
Bream fishing in rivers and ponds — Tackle, baits. Ground baits.
Spawning-time.

Barbel.

The Barbel is so named from the barbels or beards
with which its nose and upper lip are furnished, in order
to assist it in feeling its way about in deep, and conse-
quently more or less dark waters ; and probably also for
the purpose of enabling it to detect the nature of the
substances with which it comes in contact. Of the species
provided with these barbels — Carp, Tench, Gudgeon,
Roach, and Turbot, all find their food principally at the
bottom. The barbels, in fact, afford a correct index to
the habits of the fish which are thus furnished, and teach
the angler that in fishing for them his bait nmst always
be on or close to the bottom. This rule holds good with

246 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGl^ER.

especial force in the case of the Barbel, which not only
lives and feeds on the bottom, but procures its food
most commonly by *' rootling" with its nose amongst
the gravel and stones, very much as a pig turns up a
field with its snout.

Bottom fishing either by the ordinary method, or in
the Nottingham style, are now the fashionable modes of
Barbel fishing. The tackle being that already described,
but somewhat stronger than usual, as the Barbel is a very
hard fighter, not seldom running from five to seven, and
even occasionally to ten pounds weight. The best baits
are the tail of a lob-worm, greaves, and gentles — their
"order of merit" on the average of waters being very
much that in which they are here placed. When gentles
are used, five or six will not be found too many for the
bait ; the hook being passed laterally through the first
four or five close to the tail, so as to form a bunch, and
the last being reserved to cover the point of the hook,,
which should be a No. 5, 6, or 7, according to size and
depth of water and other circumstances. For the worm-
tail or greaves a No. 8, 9, or 10 hook should be used.
The method of baiting with worm-tail and greaves is
described at pp. 226-227.

The bait should swin). just clear ^/ the bottom ; when it
drags along the ground the line is apt to come into
contact with the noses of intending biters before the
bait, thus risking the dilemma either of so arousing their
suspicions as to make them change their mind, or, if

BARBEL AND BREAM.

247

they are still inclined to take the bait, making it almost
impossible for them to do so without turning round and
following it. This is an important point. In Barbel^
as with other fish, except, perhaps, occasionally with
Bream, it is best to wait to strike until the float dis-
appears, or moves steadily and decidedly away.

In all light waters, and often in deep and heavy ones,
the Nottingham method of barbelling will be found the
most killing, as well as the most lively ;
but there is another system formerly
very generally practised by Thames
anglers, and which is in some sense the
speciality of Barbel fishing. This is
termed " legering," or " leger-fishing."
The tackle consists of a large hook,
say No. 1 1, whipped on to two lengths
of very strong picked gut and attached
to the running line, which is again passed
through a flat oblong lead, of the shape
and usually of about the size of that
figured in the engraving. The lead is
prevented from running down the gut
by the junction knot, but otherwise works
freely up and down the line. No float is
used, and the bites are distinguished by
the touch.

The bait being cast to the desired spot, the running-
line is kept stretched tolerably tight between the point

248 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

of the rod and the lead, which of course rests on the
bottom. A few slight twitches indicate a bite, and a
decided tug the moment for striking, which it is im-
portant should be done sharply, as the lead has often to
be moved by the stroke before its effect reaches the
fish. There is also generally a considerable pressure of
stream on the line Owing partly to this and partly to
the weight of lead to be worked, an ordinary Jack-rod
and spinning-line are the most convenient implements
for leger-fishing. The rod for Jack contained in the
general rod described at page 51, will answer the pur-
pose well.

Legering is most effective in deep, strong eddies, and
rushes of water where an ordinary bait would not reach
tne bottom, or could not be effectively worked. For
any other water the Nottingham method is to be
preferred.

The bait may be either a whole lob-worm or the tail
of one. In the former case the point of the hook should
be inserted in the head of the worm, and then, by a
process like that of passing a bodkin and tape through a
hem, be 'run' through the whole of the worm except
about an inch of the tail.

The same ground baits are used as for float-fishing,
but opinions differ as to whether the ground baiting
should take place before or during the sport, and whether
the ground bait should be worms or greaves. My own
experience leads me to give the preference, especially

BARBEL AND BREAM. 249

for legering, to worms for all kinds of BarbelHng, and I
prefer the swim to be baited beforehand (if possible
twenty-four hours). Still I have had excellent sport with
both kinds of baits, and both systems of using them.
* Ground baiting as you fish' has, however, this advan-
tage, that if Barbel do not come on to bite at one swim
there is no disappointment felt in moving to another.
A fisherman — especially a professional fisherman — hates
quitting the hole into which he has thrown so much time
and so many pints of worms. If it is intended to fish the
same swim a second day, the ground should be re-baited
on quitting.

The mode of preparing and using greaves for ground bait
is described at p. 227. If worms are used for baiting a
Barbel swim in anything but dead water or a very slow-
stream, I recommend their being enclosed in hollow clay
balls of about the size of a man's two fists. These, if
the swim is to be fished at once, should be thin enough
to break almost directly they touch the bottom, and the
worms, of which a couple of handfuls are enough to begin
with, should be broken into two pieces^. If the swim
is to be baited twenty-four hours or more beforehand, a
quart of worms is not too much — two days, two quarts.
In this case — say a twenty-four hours' ground baiting —
the worms should be used whole, and enclosed in clay
balls, of which a few ought to be thin enough to break
or wash open almost immediately they touch the ground,
the majority being strong enough to resist the action of

250 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

the stream for several hours. A few worms should be
allowed to protrude half their length or so, here and
there, through the outside of the thicker balls. The
object of these dispositions is to avoid glutting the fish at
one time, and then leaving them without anything to
attract or amuse them for the rest of the twenty-four
hours interval between baiting and fishing.

On the other hand it is most important that the
solidity and number of the clay balls be so adjusted that
their contents should be consumed some hours before
the swim is to be tried with the rod and line — that the
fish, in fact, should be allowed an interval to regain their
appetites.

These are the principles which must guide the angler
in " previous ground baitings," whether for Barbel or
other fish. Their application, which differs of course
according to the circumstances of each individual case, is
a matter often requiring both nicety and judgment,
upon the display of which the success of the bottom
fishing will in a great degree depend.

The Barbel spawn in May or June, and as soon as
they have recovered a little strength make their way
into the swiftest streams they can find, such as weirs,
mill-tails, &c., to scour and brace themselves; beginning
to get into condition again in a few weeks, and being in
the best season for the angler until September and
October, when the frosty nights drive them from the
streams and shallows into the deeper waters. Here they

BARBEL AND BREAM. 25 I

will be found until the spring ; and in these quiet deeps
and eddies they are to be caught, if anywhere, during
the winter months. At this period, however, especially
if the weather is very cold, it is of comparatively little
use to fish for Barbel, as they lie in a sort of semi-
torpid condition, and refuse to move. So inanimate
are they, that the fishermen not unfrequently provide
themselves with hoop landing-nets, which they place
near the fish, and with a pole literally push them in ; and
I have known shoals to collect under the shelter of a
sunken punt, or other tidal obstruction, lying so closely
one over the other as to present the appearance of a
solid mass.

The Bream.

There are two species of Bream which are more or
less generally scattered throughout the waters of Great
Britain, — the common, or Carp Bream {abramis bramd)y
and the White Bream, or Bream-flat {abramis blicca)
The latter I have caught occasionally, but it is a mise-
rable, bony fi.sh, rarely exceeding one pound in weight,
and almost as worthless for angling as for eating. In
colour it is silvery, or dusky, instead of golden, but the
most certain distinction is to be found in the teeth,
situated in the throat, and which in the Bream-flat are
placed in two rows on each side, numbering three
and five respectively, whilst those of the Carp Bream
are placed in one row only on each side, numbering five.
In order to examine the teeth properly the jawbone

252 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

must be taken out and the flesh and skin carefully-
removed.

There is a third species which has been occasionally-
identified by naturalists — the Pomeranian Bream,
{abramis biiggcnhagii). I am acquainted however with
but four spots in which it has been found, and it is so
rare as to be only of interest to the ichthyologist. In
shape it is thicker and longer in proportion than the
other two species, and has its throat teeth in two rows
on each side, numbering three and five respectively.

The common Bream, though a very indifferent fish for
the table, is well worthy of attention in an angling point
of view, as where it exists at all it is usually found in
great numbers, often of a large size, and is a ready
biter.

All the baits used for Roach, Perch, or Barbel will
kill Bream, but by far the best river-bait is the tail of a
lob-worm used with the Nottingham or ordinary float-
tackle, — in the case of rivers precisely as described for
Barbel fishing. The gentle is another good bait.

The observations on ground baiting for Barbel are
also equally applicable to Bream. The latter, however,
is a pond as well as a river fish, which the former is not ;
and for pond-fishing for Bream some slight modifications
of baits and tackle are often requisite. Thus, if worms
are employed the hook should be a size or two smaller,
say a No. 8 ; the worm itself, the tail of which is to be
used, should be also rather slenderer, or a whole worm

BARBEL AND BREAM. 253

of a smaller description, or gentles may be substituted.
The float also should be lighter, and the tackle generally
more like that recommended for Roach. Broken worms,
and carrion gentles mixed with wet bran, are the two
best pond ground baits for Bream that I am acquainted
with. Only a small quantity should be thrown in at a
time, and with intervals after the first few castings, of
not less than five minutes. Bream are almost invariably
found in large shoals, so that if they are once attracted
to a spot, they will consume more ground bait without
danger of surfeit than either Barbel or Roach.

The largest Carp Bream I ever saw weighed five
pounds and some ounces, but specimens are on record
which have nearly doubled this weight. The average
"run" of Bream differs very much in different waters.
It thrives best in large open lakes, and in slow rivers
alternating with " broads" or lagoon-like reaches.

Bream spawn in May, and after scouring for a few
weeks return to their usual haunts. Omitting June,
when the fish should be left to recover health and
strength, the three or four months following the spawning
season usually afford the best Bream fishing.

254

MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

CHAPTER XXI.

ROACH AND RUDD.

Roach and Rudd are distinct species— Points of difference and simi-
larity. Hybrids amongst fish doubtful. Distinguishing characte-
ristics of Roach and Rudd, and how to be identified. A ne^ 'va-
riety of Rudd — Habitats of Roach and Rudd. Spawning season.
Best baits and ground baits in running and stagnant (waters, and how
- to use them. Tackle. Other species of the Roach genus.

Where Rudd are found it is almost invariably in waters
which are also inhabited by Roach (although the con-
verse of the proposition by no means holds good), and
as the two species closely resemble each other both in
habits and in the method of fishing for them, baits, &c.,
I have bracketed them together.

Roach and Rudd, indeed, have so many striking
points of resemblance that the latter were formerly con-
sidered by writers on ichthyology to be a ''bastard
Roach," bred betwixt the true Roach and the Bream —
an opinion held by, if not originating with, Izaac Walton,
who also considered the White Bream or Bream-flat, a
cross between the same species. Modern science has,
however, exposed the fallacy of this notion, and the three
fish are now always recognised as distinct species.

ROACH AND RUDD. -55

Indeed, recent ichthyologlcal research has thrown grave
doubts upon the existence of any constantly recurring
hybrids among fish. Without going into the general
question, which would be beyond the scope of this work,
I may mention in reference to the case in point, that the
Rudd is constantly found in waters in which no Bream
exist, and that the Bream-flat has been recognised only
in a comparatively few rivers, whilst in hundreds Roach
and Bream co-exist plentifully together without either
the Bream-flat or the Rudd.

The angler is never likely to be at a loss to distinguish
between either of the Breams, and the Roach, or Rudd,
the whole type of fish, so to speak, being different ; but
between the two latter species I have often known even
old fishermen to be uncertain, and therefore I will give
a few of the most obvious distinctive marks of the two
species.

The prevailing colour of the Roach is silvern, that of
the Rudd golden, or silver with, a reddish-orangy tint ;
the body of the Rudd is a good deal deeper and flatter
than that of the Roach, and the head much shorter and
more "chubby," being, in fact, little more than three-fifths
of the length of that of a Roach of the same length. The
most obvious structural difference, however, and one
which never varies, is to be found in the relative position
of the dorsal or back fin ; this in the Roach commences
or originates as nearly as possible over the ventral fins ;
whilst in the Rudd it originates considerably further back.

256 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER,

By bearing these points in mind the angler need never
be fti doubt as to which species he has in his creel.

When first caught I should unhesitatingly award to
the Rudd the palm for mere brilliancy of colouring over
all other British freshwater fish. The reddish gold,
which is the prevailing body-colour, varies in the varying
shades of light ; the eyes and fins are tinted different
shades of crimson and orange-scarlet, whilst the gill-
covers and sides are of a rich golden yellow. From
these peculiarities of colouring it is unnecessary to say
that it derives its name. Its specific appellation, eryihrop-
thalimis (from the Greek, erythros^ red, and opJuJialmos,
the eye), has a similar origin.

I was so fortunate, a few years ago, as to discover in
some ponds near Romford, Essex, a lemon or yellow-
coloured variety of the Rudd. In this fish, of which I
took several dozen, all the red tints of the Rudd, even
including its characteristic red eyes (or more correctly,
irides), were replaced by various tints of lemon and
bright yellow, the larger the fish, the deeper being the
yellow colouring. The specimens — of which some are
now in the British Museum — present other, and in
some points structural difTerences.

In their natural habitats the Roach and Rudd difiler,
inasmuch as whilst the former species thrive and abound
equally in ponds and rivers, the latter are comparatively
confined to waters of a stagnant character, or lagoon-like
expanses connected by rivers, like some of the Norfolk

ROACH AND RUDD. 25/

broads, In which the Rudd are known to abound. The
most remarkable water for Rudd with which I am per-
sonally acquainted, is Slapton Ley, in Devonshire,
where these fish not only breed in vast numbers, but
attain an unusual size, from i to 2 pounds being a
weight of common occurrence.

The Rudd spawns in April, or early in May, according
to the forwardness of the spring, and the Roach about
a month later, when they usually ascend from the lower
parts of the rivers, fighting their way up intervening
rapids with persistent energy, until they find a suitable
spot — usually a weedy shallow — in the higher reaches.

After spawning they repair to the nearest swift
gravelly shallows to scour, and subsequently into quieter
currents, where they should be fished for until September
or October, when they begin to retire for the winter into
deep and still waters, preferring usually a gravelly or
sandy bottom.

Roach and Rudd will occasionally take most of the
baits already described for Bream ; paste and gentles,
however, are the two best, and of these I have found
from experience that gentles are usually both the most
killing and the most reliable, taking all waters and
weathers throughout the year. They are also much
more convenient for use because requiring to be seldom
renewed. Many anglers, in fact, go to the opposite
extreme, and acting on this circumstance, do not renew
the bait nearly often enough. Whenever the gentles

258 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

become dead and sodden, they ought to be renewed.
Rudd — and Roach also during cold weather — will often
bite freely at the worm ; for which purpose I have found
the brandhng most successful. As liver gentles are the
best general bait for the hook, so carrion gentles are the
best ground-bait both for Roach and Rudd. In ponds
and still waters they should be used alone, or at any
rate mixed with nothing heavier than wet bran ; but in
running waters, unless in eddies or the gentlest currents,
soaked bread or meal should be added, without which it
is very difficult to regulate with any degree of nicety
the point at which they will reach the ground. The
stronger and deeper the stream the stiffer should be the
mixture. If gentles in sufficient abundance cannot be
obtained, the above ground baits, singly or in combina-
tion, are the best substitutes. Meal by itself, or mixed
with boiled rice, makes a very fair ground-bait for
streams, as it possesses the requisite consistency and
wxight for withstanding the action of the water ;
chewed bread-crumb is also a by no means contemptible
substitute in ponds and Hghter waters. If possible, it is
better to bait the place it is proposed to fish before-
hand ; and on this point, the principle laid down under
the head of Barbel and Bream fishing (pp. 247-8) should
be observed. Roach being both smaller eaters and com-
monly congregating in smaller shoals than the last-
named fish, should be ground baited for with a pro-
portionately smaller quantity of food. In ground

ROACH AND RUDD. 259

baiting a swim the day previous, a pint or so of carrion
gentles, mixed with about a quart of one or other of the
baits above described is about the right quantity. In
ground baiting a swim for present fishing, two or three
handfuls to begin with will be quite sufficient, smaller
quantities being thrown in afterwards. As Roach are
easily scared, it will be found the best plan to scatter
in frequently at the head of the swim small quantities of
bait in broken pieces. If the ground bait is meal or
bread, a quantity about equal in bulk to a walnut is
about the proper quantity for each " scattering." Whilst
Roach are biting, such small pieces may be thrown in
with advantage. After every two or three fish hooked,
the bait should be dropped immediately in the same
place. If gentles alone are used, much smaller quantities
will suffice both for preliminary and subsequent ground
baiting. For other observations on the subject of baits
and ground baits, mode of obtaining and preserving
gentles, &c., see chapter on baits (p. 225).

The tackle and methods of Roach fishing are those
already described for ordinary bottom fishing (pp. 219-22),
and Nottingham fishing (pp. 222-3), the last named being
preferable ; and in either case it is of the utmost impor-
tance that the tackle and line used should be of the finest.
A long, light, stiffish rod is most convenient, and many
Roach fishers keep a rod expressly for the purpose, made
of light East India cane, or bamboo. The general rod
described at p. 51, contains, however, a suitable and

260 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

efficient weapon for all practical purposes. For gentles
and paste a No. 3 or 4 hook (see p. 11) will be found the
most convenient size, a very small piece (about the six-
teenth of an inch) of the shank end being nipped off.
If the gentles are large, four will be found the best
number to bait the above hooks with. They should be
made into a " bunchy" looking bait, by the hook being
passed through the first three gentles laterally, or across,
about the middle. If threaded up to the hook in the more
usual way the gentles follow its curve, and form a sus-
picious-looking half circle of bodies. The point of the
hook should be entirely concealed in the fourth gentle, so
that when complete no part of the hook should be seen.
The bait should swim three or four inches clear of the
bottom in rivers, and in ponds at from about eight
inches to a foot from the ground according to the
depth. The best depth for a river Roach swim is
usually from five to seven feet, over a gravelly or sandy
bottom, and the best time to strike a bite is just when
the top of the float is disappearing, or is held for a
moment level with the top of the water. In order to
strike effectually it is advisable to fish with a short line,
and the float as nearly under the point of the rod as
possible. A violent and sudden darting away of the
float usually indicates the bite of a small fish which is
generally missed. A heavy Roach rarely makes any
great demonstration, but after one or two preliminary
" bobs," quietly takes the float down.

ROACH AND RUDD. 26 1

All the foregoing observations on Roach fishing apply
equally to fishing for Rudd.

Roach and Rudd will both take a fly occasionally in
hot weather, and when basking at the surface. Any
small black fly will take if the fish will : but the latter
occurrence is so uncertain that fly-fishing for Roach
cannot be recommended under ordinary circumstances.

There are three other species belonging to the same
genus as the Roach, viz. the "Double Roach," the
"Graining," and the " Azurine," or Blue Roach. These
species, however, are either confined to a few particular
localities, or are so rarely met with as to pertain rather
to the department of the ichthyologist than that of the
fisherman. An account of their habits and characte-
ristics will be found in the " Angler-Naturalist."

262 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

CHAPTER XXII.

DACE AND CHUB.

The two species contrasted — Distinguishing marks — Their h.?.bits,

haunts, and sporting qualities.
Dace fishing — Baits ; ground baits ; tackle, &c. Fly-fishing. Variety

of patterns unnecessary — Three typical Trout-flies recommended to

be substituted.
Chub fishing with the fly; theory of Chub- flies. Useless multiplication

of patterns : only one necessary. A neiv pattern described.
Float fishing — Caterpillars and grasshoppers ; live minnows ; pith and

bullock's brains.

The bodies of both the Dace and Chub are more
cylindrical, or elongated, than those of either the Roach
or Rudd, and even without the difference of colouring
this characteristic will probably prevent any difficulty
arising in their identification. It is not so as regards
Dace and Chub inter se, for these species, especially in
their earlier growth, so closely assimilate in external
appearance as to be constantly confounded. I have now
in my mind's eye a tableau which I once witnessed : an
enthusiastic young angler and ichthyologist sitting near
the river Wey with a volume of " Yarrell's British
Fishes," in one hand, a diminutive specimen of the
genus lenciscns in the other, and in his face a pitiable

DACE AND CHUB. 263

expression of bewilderment as he endeavoured to iden-
tify the species of his " captive" by a critical comparison
of the relative measurements of the head, body, and fins,
according to the ichthyological formulary given in the
pages of that scientific, but to the uninitiated, somewhat
perplexing volume. Was it a small Chub or a large Dace
that he had caught ? This was the problem. I forget
whether he succeeded at last in solving it ; but if the
angler will bear in mind the following simple distin-
guishing characteristic he need never be in a similar
dilemma : — T/ie ventral (or belly) fins of the Dace are
akvays greenish with a slight tinge of red, whilst the anal
fin has no red about it whatever; in the Chnb both these
fins are of a brilliant pi^ik colour.

As the Chub grows larger, the chocolate brown,
almost black, of its tail-fin becomes more marked,
and the whole fish rapidly assumes a bronzed or golden
appearance, in place of the prevailing silvery tint
which the Dace retains in its original brilliancy to the
last.

The Dace is indeed a bright, graceful fish, glancing
about in the clear quiet streams with which the southern
counties of England especially abound, and which are
too often barren of Trout or Salmon. Moreover, it is
in full season in October, November, December, and
January, when the latter fish are spawning or preparing
for the process, and thus a red-lettered day's sport is not
imfrequently to be obtained, which would otherwise have

264 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

been a blank in the diary. When hooked, the Dace is
one of the gamest fish that swims.

Of the Chub as a "sporting" fish less can be said with
truth than of its congener, but on the other hand it
grows to a far greater size, and from its being one of the
comparatively few species of coarser fish which will take
the fly kindly, it is not to be despised. As its specific
name — the "Headed Dace" — implies, it is somewhat
slow and clumsy in its movements and appearance,
though withal a stately and handsome fish when large
and in good condition ; but I cannot but think that the
fashion with old writers of painting the Chub as a sort
of water-donkey must have either lacked sufificient foun-
dation, or else that the Chub of our ancestors were
somehow different from the Chub with which we are
acquainted. Possibly however, the fish of our Metro-
politan river, where most of my experience of Chub-
fishing has been obtained, may be better educated than
those of less classical streams. For one thing I can
vouch, — that a fish of quicker sight than the Chub does
not swim in English waters. The slightest gleam of the
rod, the shadow of the swallow flitting over his quiet
corner, and down he goes like lead ; so quickly, in fact,
that the eye is rather conscious he is no longer there
than aware of his disappearance. Add to this extreme
quickness of perception, the woody nature of the haunts
in which he is to be found, and the fact that the successful
Chub fisher must be prepared to cast his fly to within

DACE AND CHUB. 265

a few Inches of the boughs — often into a space the size
of his hat — under penalty of losing either his fish or his
tackle, and it will be conceded that the task is no easy
one. In fact, in this school not a few of the masters of
the craft have passed their apprenticeship. Thus much
as to the fish themselves ; the idiosyncrasies mentioned
will assist the angler in applying the following observa-
tions on the method of catching them.

Dace Fishing.

The Dace will occasionally take all the baits enume-
rated for Roach and Rudd, especially gentles ; but the
best bait for them all the year round is a small red
worm, the tackle and mode of using it, as well as the
method of ground baiting, being identical with that
described for Roach fishing. Any of the smaller de-
scription of worms, broken into two or three pieces, or
carrion gentles, will be found the best ground bait
The haunts of Dace at different seasons, and conse-
quently the best places for catching them, are also very
similar to those of the Roach, the only difference that I
am aware of being that the Dace affects rather stronger
and more rapid waters than the Roach. Indeed, espe-
cially during the summer months and towards evening,
Dace can be most readily taken with a fly on the swiftest
rapids and shallows.

Either of the flies recommended in this book for
Trout and Grayling (p. 140), dressed on a No. i or 2

266 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

hook (see p. ii), or a red or black gnat, will kill Dace
if they are disposed to rise. It often happens when
Dace are rising shyly that a gentle used on the point of
the hook acts as a provocative of appetite. \

The Chub.

Fly-fishing.

Although I have known instances of both Dace and
Chub being found in ponds, the river is their common
and natural habitat. Unlike the Dace, however, the
Chub is rarely taken by bottom fishing throughout the
summer, during which period, the fish is to be looked
for either on gravelly shallows, especially when they run
under bushes and hollow banks, or in back waters, and
slow-running streams overhung with bushes and trees.
In either of these positions the Chub may be taken with
the artificial fly — by far the most killing method of
summer fishing — so long as the weather continues warm.
The fly-rod (either double or single-handed, according
to fancy), and the reel, line, &c. should be the same as
those described for Trout fishing. The mode of work-
ing the fly is also similar. When fishing under boughs,
the great art is to cast as near to them as may be — or
under them, if possible — without getting foul. Indeed
I have often found it a good plan when fishing from a
boat to let the fly light actually on the fringe of boughs
sweeping the stream, the fly thus slipping off into the

DACE AND CHUB. 267

water with a more natural descent, and just in the
position where a Chub would be Hkely to be on the look-
out for a caterpillar or cockchafer.

The angler should be slow rather than quick in strik-
ing a Chub with the fly — the fish, especially when large,
being as I have said, somewhat slow and clumsy in its
movements, and having remarkably white lips which
are often visible at 10 or 15 yards off as it opens its
mouth for the fly. When once hooked, and the first
powerful rush for the boughs checked, the Chub very
seldom escapes, being remarkably tough and gristly
in the jaws and lips, or as it is termed " leather-
mouthed."

As for all the other species of fly-taking fish, the in-
genuity of anglers has contrived a vast variety of artificial
lures for the Chub. Of these manifold products of nature
and art — or of art without nature — the best are the black
and red palmer and the Marlow buzz. These owe their
chief killing properties to the fact that they have more
legs (hackles) than the rest ; and as I have already ex-
plained, a propos of Salmon and Trout, the movement and
lifelike appearance which legs give are amongst the
most important of all the characteristics of an artificial
fly. This " movement" is, in the case of Chub flies, of
additional importance, owing to the quiet, comparatively
stagnant waters in which they are frequently employed.
Trout and Salmon flies are, it is true, very commonly
used on lakes, where there is no current whatever ; but

268 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER. '

then, if they are to be used to any purpose, it is always
when the water is curled by a breeze ; and more fre-
quently when the sky is clouded ; in fly-fishing for Chub,
on the contrary, the calmest of days with the brightest
of suns, is the combination of weather most favourable
for sport. I have also invariably found a black fly the
most killing ; and this has been the result of my ex-
perience — a tolerably long one — not only on bright
days, but in dull gloomy weather, and sometimes late
into the dusk evening, when it was so dark that to my
eyes not only the colour of the fly, but the fly itself was
indistinguishable. Appended is the engraving of a
Chub fly which fulfils the two conditions explained, and
which I myself use — dressed, of course, of difl*erent sizes
from the beginning to the end of the season, in all
weathers, and at all times of the day. I advise my

brother anglers to give it a
fair trial, and I think they
will not be disappointed. The
legs are made of black hackle,
which should be as long as
the body of the fly, and extra
thick and bushy ; the body of

The Sweep.

black ostrich herl, and the tail

of the same, white or satin-coloured. As it is the fashion

amongst anglers to christen their offspring, I have

named my sooty-featured nondescript, "the sweep."

The fly shown in the engraving is dressed on a No. lO

DACE AND CHUB. 269

hook of my pattern (see p. 11), and is a fair ordinary-
size for most waters; one size smaller and one larger will
be sufficient to provide for variations. The smaller size
should be used when the water is very low and clear,
and the larger, when it is high, or when the daylight
begins to fade. This is the best time of the whole day
for fly-fishing for Chub, as the cockchafers, moths, &c.,
on which they principally feed during the summer, are
then beginning to come out.

All Chub flies are improved by placing a small piece
of a white kid glove — about the size of a large gentle —
on the bend of the hook. I have never succeeded in
making out why this should be ; unless indeed it i^ on
the well-approved principle, that " there is nothing like
leather." In Chub fishing no more than a single fly
should ever be used ; and as this is heavy, owing to the
plumpness of its body, it should in the largest size be
invariably dressed on loops, by which means both the
pocket and time of the angler will be saved, and he will
be enabled to use a finer collar than he otherwise could.
The method of knotting on the fly-loop to the collar is
described at p. 161.

The natural grasshopper — separate, or in combination
with gentles — may be used like a fly, and is a very kill-
ing bait, or it can be employed instead of gentles on the
artificial grasshopper described at p. 141, with which
bait, when cast like a fly, but allowed to sink a foot or
two each time, I have had occasionally good sport.

2^0 modern practical angler.

Bottom Fishing.

In the spring months a live Minnow is often a very-
good bait for Chub, used simply with a float and line,
and a single hook passed through the upper lip. From
this time to October or November, the Chub is better
fished for by the fly, or by either of the methods pointed
out under the same head.

About this period, however, the fish quits its summer
for winter quarters, — quiet swims under willow-beds,
amongst roots, by sunken piles, or in any other cover
affording good shelter. The occupation of the fly-fisher
is now at an end, and that of the bottom-fisher begins.
The method of angling may be either the ordinary or
Nottingham style, the best swim, tackle, baits, and
ground bait, being identical with those recommended for
Barbel fishing (p. 246 to p. 248). But by far the most
deadly winter bait of all for Chub is " Pith," or the spinal
marrow of the bullock or cow, with bullock's brains as
ground bait. The method of obtaining, preparing, and
using these baits is described at pp. 225-7. For this mode
of Chub-fishing the colder the weather the better, pro-
vided only that the water is not discoloured. The pith
should be used with Nottingham tackle, the most
favourable situation being deepish water close to boughs
and " rooty" banks. The bait should swim about three
or four inches from the bottom, as nearly as may be, the
brains being thrown in from time to time above the

•S

o
o

DACE AND CHUB. 2/ 1

swim. In this mode of fishing it is not advisable to bait
any one swim beforehand, as Chub are shy fish, and it is
seldom that more than two or three can be taken out of
the same place without scaring the rest : consequently it
is better to move from place to place, throwing in a
small quantity of ground bait at each. By this mode of
fishing the largest Chub are to be taken ; and when used
by skilful hands, I have known a punt-well to be half
filled with fish.

The Chub is sometimes locally called the "Chevin.'"
It is the Penci, or Cochgangen, of Wales, and the Skelly
of Scotland.

2']2

MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

CHAPTER XXIII.

CARP AND TENCH.

The t<wo species contrasted. Alleged healing powers of Tench. Lon-
gevity and growth-rate of Carp. Habits and haunts of the two
fish.

Carp and Tench fishing : tackle, baits, ground baits, &c.

Carp and Tench appear naturally to "go together,"
like strawberries and cream, or Cod and oyster sauce
Although I have occasionally known waters containing
Carp to be destitute of Tench, I cannot call to mind a
single instance of the converse of the proposition. Carp
and Tench are equally long-lived out of water, their
habits and food are similar. They are both to be best
fished for with the same baits, at the same seasons, and,
so far as bottom fishing is concerned, in precisely the
same manner. It is also a curious circumstance, that
whilst it is difficult to imagine two fish more opposite
^ in colouring — the Tench being of a very dark olive
green, and the common Carp of a golden-bronze colour
— yet otherwise, in the general shape and contour of the
body they bear so striking a resemblance, that between
specimens of the same size a change of coats would be
hardly an inconvenience to either. Again, in regard

CARP AND TENCH. 2Jl

to scales, it would be hard to hit upon two fish more
dissimilar.

The Carp has the largest scaling of any of the fish
composing the group of which it is the type, whilst the
scales of the Tench are amongst the smallest, if not
actually the most minute of the whole family ; and
whilst the former fish makes one of the very best Pike
live baits that I am acquainted with, the latter, it is
affirmed, exerts upon that usually carnivorous gourmand
an effect absolutely repellent. Of the truth of this fact,
as a fact, there seems to be no reason to doubt, though
we are not, of course, bound to put implicit faith in the
various theories by which it has at different times been
explained. Of these the most universally accepted
amongst ancient, and even by some modern authors,
appears to be that the Tench is in some way the
physician of the water, possessing in the thick slime
with which he is covered a natural balsam for the cure
of himself and others. Camden, in his " Britannica,"
says that he has seen the bellies of Pike, which have been
rent open, have their gaping wounds presently closed by
the touch of the Tench, and by his glutinous slime
perfectly healed up. The Pike, in return, it is asserted,
refuses to molest his physician, even when most pressed
by hunger — a statement in the accuracy of which
Oppian, Walton, Holingshed, Bowlker, Salter, Wil-
liamson, Hofland, and Fitzgibbon, all acknowledge to
more or less faith.

274 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

To try the experiment practically, I once procured
some small Tench, and fished with them as live baits for
a whole day in some excellent Pike water, without
getting a touch. In the evening I put on a small Carp
and had a run almost immediately. I also tried some
Pike in a stock-pond with the same Tench, but they
would not take them ; and though left in the pond all
night — one on a hook, and one attached to a fine thread
— both baits were alive in the morning — some Pike teeth
marks, however, being visible on one of them.

Bingley's explanation of the Pike's asserted abstinence
is, that the Tench is so fond of mud as to be constantly
at the bottom of the water, where the Pike cannot find
him. Both theories, however, require confirmation.

The male Tench are distinguished from the females
by a very curious and marked difference of the ventral
fins. In the females these fins are of the ordinary size
and shape, but in the males they are much larger and
more muscular, and present almost the appearance of a
green concave shell, the concave side being uppermost.

If the Tench is thus remarkable by its characteristics
and traditions, the Carp is certainly no less so. The
great age to which it is believed to attain, and the
cunning and sagacity that has procured it the cognomen
of the "Water Fox" have been frequently made the
subject of comment by writers on angling. Indeed there
are some Carp now in the lakes belonging to the
Palace at Fontainbleau which may be fairly said to have

CARP AND TENCH. 2/5

become historical. The oldest of them have now quite
lost their normal colour from their great age, and are
very nearly white. There is, moreover, evidence that
many of these fish introduced into the ponds at Ver-
sailles, &c., during the reign of Louis the Fourteenth
(say 1690), are either still living or were so but a short
time before the Revolution of 1830. Dr. Smith; in his
^* Tour to the Continent," mentions them, and observes
that they had grown white through age. Valenciennes
refers to others in the Tuileries, which would also come
when called by their names ; and Buffon assures us that
he had seen in the fosses of the Ponchartrain, Carp
which were known to be upwards of a century and a
half old.

A year or two ago a series of ponds near Cumberland
Lodge, Windsor Park, were run off for the purpose of
getting rid of the Jack ; and the result of the netting
illustrated in a remarkable way the slow growth-rate of
the Carp. Thus, nearly all the Carp taken from the
Obelisk pond were of a very similar weight, viz. : from
4 lbs. to 6 lbs. These fish, within the positive knowledge
of the Head Fisherman, were fifty years old at least.
They had been twice removed during his memory from
the different ponds, the last time some thirty-five years
previous, when they weighed about 3 lbs. each. Their
subsequent growth-rate could not have averaged there-
fore more than about an ounce a year. Old Carp are
very bad breeders, and frequently retam their eggs for

2/6 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

years, presenting occasionally the appearance of an
immense tumour in the region of the abdomen.

During the winter months it is probable that both
Carp and Tench retire almost wholly into the mud, or
under roots, hollows, and weeds, and at this time they
are hardly ever to be taken with a bait. In the summer
the former species frequently lie sucking in the weeds,
in a sort of lazy state, each suck making a very distinct
and unmistakable noise. When not sucking or basking,
Carp usually swim about in shoals near the surface of
the water, returning to the bottom to feed.

The Tench spawns, with some variations, about the
middle of June, or according to Willoughby, when wheat
is in blossom ; Carp usually commencing a little earlier,
according to the temperature of the water and forward-
ness of the season. They deposit their spawn upon and
amongst weeds, and are supposed to continue the process
for a longer period than any other fresh-water fish,
indeed sometimes throughout the entire summer.

Although by no means rarely found in rivers, Carp
and Tench are very rarely caught there, and then, ac-
cording to my experience, it is not when they are being
fished for. Indeed fishing for either of these species is
at the best but uncertain work, and in the case of rivers
usually wholly unprofitable.

Professor Owen, who is a great adept in the art of
Carp-fishing in ponds, has been kind enough to give me
the result of his experience.

CARP AND TENCH. 2/7

His practice may be formularized thus : —

1. The summer months are the only time of the

year for Carp-fishing, and the best period of the
day is between sunrise and about seven o'clock,
after which time they usually leave off biting.

2. The best bait is a brandling.

3. He has, however, found the following paste a by no

means bad substitute : soft Herring roe, worked
up with bread-crumbs and wool.

4. He uses the ordinary bottom-fishing tackle with a

light float, and fishes about half a foot off the
bottom.

My own experience concurs almost entirely with that
of Professor Owen, except as regards paste and bait,
with which I never had any sport. I used formerly to
use a plain bread-crumb paste, but later experience has
convinced me that it was a mistake, and that a well-
scoured brandling is the best bait both for Carp and
Tench all the year round.

In open waters, however, I employ it in a somewhat
different way to that adopted by Professor Owen, placing
the shot at about two feet from, the bait and allowing the
latter to rest, ixjith about six inches of the line, on the
bottom. The hook for this purpose should be a No. 7,
and the collar of fine round picked gut, stained as re-
commended at p. 30. The float should be a light
porcupine quill, and it will commonly be found expedient

278 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

to use a reel, as the Carp is remarkably powerful, and
without this precaution, the first rush of a heavy fish is
very likely to carry away the tackle. A few broken
worms thrown in from time to time are the best ground
bait ; or whole worms, if the place is to be baited before-
hand, in which case the depth also should be very
accurately plumbed, so as to avoid any disturbance in
the water when the angler comes to fish. Having
thrown in the bait, it is the best plan to lay down the
rod until there is a bite, and not to strike until the float
goes under, or — the more common result — moves steadily
away.

The above observations are equally applicable to both
Carp and Tench fishing.

In very weedy places this mode of fishing is not prac-
ticable, and then the best plan is to fish about mid-
w^ater, dropping the bait noiselessly in wherever a
tempting-looking opening in the weeds presents itself.

279

CHAPTER XXIV.

ON SMALL FISH, PRINCIPALLY USED AS BAITS.

Bleak — How to fish for, with the fly, gentle, and cast-net — How to cooko.
Gudgeon and Gudgeon-fishing. Stone Loach — Different species^
and how to be distinguished and caught. Miller s Thumb. Min-
nows and Sticklebacks, All anglers should be Ichthyologists,

Bleak and Gudgeon.

The Bleak, though I think properly included under this
division of my subject, is, in fact, rarely caught by
bottom-fishing, properly so called. It is essentially what
is termed a ** surface-swimmer," and as such should be
fished for exclusively at the top. The Gudgeon, on the
contrary, is perhaps the most remarkable example
amongst sporting fish, of a species haunting and feeding
exclusively at the bottom ; and I have bracketed the
two together because they illustrate in a marked manner
the importance to the angler of studying accurately the
habits of the fish angled for. It is probable that if a
man were to fish for the Bleak from the beginning to the
end of the season in the manner described for the
Gudgeon, he would not take a single specimen, and vice
versa.

280 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

The Bleak is so common throughout England in
most rivers producing Roach and Dace, that any detailed
description of its characteristics would be superfluous.
Nor is it likely to be confounded with any other fish, as
it is the only one of our fresh-water species which in
shape is narrow as w^ell as flat — in other words. Sprat-
like. Bleak derive their name from their shining white^
scales, in which, like a girl in her first ball-dress, they
seem to be never weary of glancing to and fro, and
coquetting with the midges as they flit out their three
hours' existence over their native stream. Accordingly,
any small fly bearing a sufficient resemblance to these
insects will commonly take Bleak in greater or less
abundance, especially if a gentle is added on the Ijook-
point ; but the best method of Bleak-fishing is as
follows : — Select a light fly-rod and line, a collar of the
vejy finest stained giLt^ with a No. i hook {see '^. ii), and
at about two feet from the hook fasten a small round
piece of cork, about the size of a large green pea, to act
as a sort of float. Choose a swim where Bleak are
rising — which if they are there, they will be tolerably
sure to do — and having buried the small hook in a single
large liver gentle, take a quarter of a handful of bran,
and after giving it one quick squeeze under water, so as
not quite to soak the whole of it, cast it into the water
some ten yards or so from the shore or boat, and imme-

* From a northern word signifying to bleach or whiten — blik^ Danish ;
blick (Swedish and German) " glance," " glimmer."

ON SMALL FISH, PRINCirALLY USED AS BAITS. 28 1

diately afterwards throw the bait into the same place,
letting it swim quietly down until a bite is perceived.
When the swim is finished repeat the cast, using a little
more bran now and then as may seem judicious, in order
to keep the Bleak together. If, from the rises of the
iish, it appears that they are following the bran down
the stream, the angler should keep with them, always
casting where the most fish are rising. By this means,
wherever Bleak are plentiful,, a good dish can generally
be calculated on, and they will be the finest in the shoal.
No shot are necessary, and the style of this fishing
generally, approximates to that of artificial fly-fishing.
All depends on extreme fineness in the gut and tackle.

I have already mentioned, when alluding to the cast-
net, that if Bleak are required as baits, soaked bran is
the most certain bait for attracting them into any given
spot. A small eddy not more than two feet deep is the
best water for this purpose.

Bleak dressed and eaten like Whitebait make a very
good dish. It is an important point, however, that they
should be eaten when quite hot, and that plenty of salt
and pepper should be scattered over them whilst they are
in process of frying. They spawn in May.

The Gudgeon, although principally interesting to
sportsmen as a bait for other fish, has, from its instinctive
readiness to bite, and general simplicity of conduct,
many devotees amongst the softer sex, who often beat

282 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

their lords hollow in the art. I once forfeited a pair of
gloves to a fair angler, who wagered that she would
catch ten out of a dozen bites, " nibbles included," and
actually did it. Notwithstanding, however, its some-
what feminine reputation, there is no doubt that Gudgeon-
fishing often exercises a fascination over male minds
also ; and I am acquainted with many men who
practically confine their angling to the capture of this
fish.

Gudgeon are hardly ever seen, unless by an accident,
in other than running waters ; and here they are to be
found — principally on gravel or sand — during the
summer, which is the time for taking them. I have
seen them in July and August, on the rippling shallows
of the Hampshire Avon, literally by thousands, and
that often in water little more than enough to cover
them. In one throw of the cast-net on such a spot I
took last year no less than 98 Gudgeon, most of them
very large ; and probably a score or two at least escaped
in carrying the net over the fifty yards of shallow which
intervened between me and the shore.

The ordinary tackle for bottom-fishing should be used
for Gudgeon with a medium-sized porcupine-quill float,
fine stained gut-line, and a No. 2 or 3 hook (see p. 11).

From 4 to 6 feet of water, where the current is of a
medium strength, is the best kind of Gudgeon swim,
and the depth should be plumbed accurately, so that the
bait may just " dribble" (not drag) along the bottom.

ON SMALL FISH, PRINCIPALLY USED AS BAITS. 285

The best, indeed the only good Gudgeon bait, is the
worm, and of worms by far the best is the brandling.
Any small worm, however, will do if brandlings cannot
be obtained. It will generally be found that the lower
half will be better than the whole worm, and that fewer
bites will be missed when the hook is thus baited. The
only ground bait which I am acquainted with that is of
any use for Gudgeon is small broken worms, mixed with
soft clayey mud, which will dissolve rapidly on reaching
the bottom, and will cause a thickening or muddying of
the water. This result, however, is much better
achieved by raking the bottom of the river before, and
occasionally during fishing, with a long, heavy iron
rake, which Is kept by all Thames puntsmen for this
purpose. The Gudgeon are attracted by the animalculae,
worms, caddice, &c., which are turned up In the
operation.

While Gudgeon fishing, It is a very good plan to put
out a paternoster (see p. 238) for any Pike or Perch
which may be roving about, and v/hose presence would
effectually check the " biting" inclination of the smaller
fish.

In the lower reaches of a river flounders are not un-
frequently taken whilst Gudgeon fishing, the same baits
and modes of fishing being best for both fish.

The Gudgeon spawns In May, usually In shallow
waters amongst stones.

284 modern practical angler.

Stone Loach.

The Stone Loach, or " Beardle," though a somewhat
slenderer fish, closely resembles the Gudgeon both in
shape, size, and colouring, haunting similar waters, and
biting at the same bait — a small red worm. The normal
position of the Loach is under stones ; and here, of
course, it is difficult for him either " to take" or be
taken by the bait. Consequently, he is of no interest
to the angler as a sporting fish. He makes an excellent
spinning-bait, however, especially for Lake Trout, in
bright weather; and under that head will be found
directions for catching him otherwise than by hook and
line. For purposes of live-baiting the Loach is useless,
being too delicate to survive the slightest exposure either
to heat or air.

Miller's Thumb,

So named from the fancied resemblance of the head
of the fish to the proverbial *' Thumb of the Miller," is
in his habits, baits, &c., as nearly as may be similar to
the last-named species. It is, however, of no use to the
angler either for purposes of sport or bait.

Minnows and Sticklebacks,

Are distributed so widely over most parts of the
United Kingdom, and are so well known, as to render
description superfluous. A small bit of the tail of any

ON SMALL FISH, PRINCIPALLY USED AS BAITS. 285

small worm on the smallest of hooks, is the best bait for
them. Probably, however, few anglers will care to know
anything further as to how they may be caught, the
former species being of little account except for the
purpose of bait, when it can generally be more con-
veniently caught with the Minnow nets,-^ and the latter
being useless for either purpose.

To the naturalist, on the contrary, these little fish, and
especially the Sticklebacks, are more interesting than
almost any of the larger species. I daresay it will sur-
prise many of my readers to be told, for example, that
the Stickleback, of which our streams and ponds pro-
duce six distinct species, are the only British fresh-water
fish that build complete nests like birds, in which to
deposit their eggs ; and that during the subsequent
spawning process they display in their diminutive bodies
a courage, solicitude, and even affection, almost without
a parallel amongst fish. If the Pike is the tyrant of the
water, the Stickleback is certainly entitled to be regarded
as its knight errant. Now with bated weapons and

* The minnow net is quite peculiar in principle and application, and
owes its success to the curiosity which is so strikingly characteristic of
the species — males as well as females. It consists of a circular piece of
fine net stretched nearly flat over an iron hoop of about two feet in
diameter. The hoop is suspended by cords at the sides, like the
suspenders of church candle-lamps, and these being attached to a pole
the net is dropped horizontally into the water, and suddenly lifted up
again when a sufficient number of minnows have congregated over it.
Little pieces of red cloth sewn into the net will increase the number of
visitors.

286 MODERN TRACTICAL ANGLER.

glittering in green and purple he tenderly woos the
object of his devotion, or armed cap-a-pie patrols, a
watchful sentinel, before her nuptial bower ; now he
fiercely disputes with rival claimants the possession of
some favourite " coign of vantage ;" or sheathed in
armour of proof and bristling with spines, charges, like a
Paladin of old, through the liquid plains in search of
other Sticklebacks as pugnacious and more penetrable
than himself.

But now that my task is finished, I mUvSt not break
through the exclusively utilitarian part which in com-
mencing I imposed on myself It is hard, however — I have
often found it very hard — to separate the angler and the
ichthyologist, — not absolutely, of course, because ichthy-
ology in its broadest sense is the very basis of angling ;
but I mean in those branches of ichthyology which
embrace the nicer and less superficial habits and charac-
teristics of fish-life : in the beautiful, in short, as con-
trasted with the utilitarian.

To such of my readers as I am not now addressing for
the first time, I need hardly say that I would have every
angler to be an ichthyologist ; a naturalist — that is, so
far at any rate as the creatures which form the objects of
his own pursuit are concerned.

There are, I know, many little difficulties and draw-
backs which deter fishermen from the pursuit of Ich-
thyology, but these obstacles ^are not nearly so great as

ON SMALL FISH, PRINCIPALLY USED AS BAIT. 28/

they are imagined to be by the uninitiated. Like all
other sciences, Ichthyology has of course its own techni-
calities which must be mastered in the first instance ;
for if a man is ignorant of the alphabet of a language
he can hardly expect to derive much delight from the
study of its literature ; and the alphabet of science is its
technicalities. Again, the markedly, I might say almost
ostentatiously, dry and uninviting form in which science
delights to expound itself has doubtless been another
obstacle. But all these difficulties are to be mastered by
a comparatively small application of leisure and perseve-
rance, and even these drawbacks are yearly lessening.

In the "Angler-Naturalist" I have endeavoured by
taking myself some little trouble in codifying and
simplifying, to save a corresponding labour to others ;
facts are stated plainly and with an avoidance of un-
necessary scientific terms, and I have otherwise done
what in me lies to make the subject, which is one
naturally full of interest, as little dry and repulsive as
possible. To the " Angler-Naturalist,"^ therefore, I must
refer my readers for those ichthyological peculiarities
and characteristics of the different species which are
here, not from choice but from necessity, omitted.

The manner in which that attempt at popularizing the
subject has been received, gives me good hope that the

* The "Angler-Naturalist: a History of British Fresh Water
Fish adapted to Anglers, with a plain Explanation of the Rudiments
of Ichthyology." London : George Routledge and Sons.

288 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.

time may yet come when a fisherman will not think
himself a master of his craft until he is not only a good
angler, but also a good ichthyologist ; until he possesses
such an amount of scientific attainment as will enable
him to read with an intelligent eye the marvels of the
beautiful page of Nature that is spread before him, — a
page ever open, ever varying.

It has been gravely said that a good angler must also
be a good Christian. Without literalizing the assertion,
it may well be admitted that there is much in the
contemplative character of his pursuit, and in the quiet
scenes of beauty with which it brings him face to
face, to soften and elevate, as well as to '' humanize."
The rushing of white water, and the deep greenery
of woods and fields, seem incompatible with what is
base or sordid. They act like a tonic on mind and body
alike, and the fisherman, solitary with his own thoughts,
shut out from the world, * shut in, left alone' with him-
self and perfection of scenery, can hardly fail to be
penetrated with the spirit that haunts solitude and love-
liness. A chord is touched that must find an echo in every
heart not utterly dead to gentle influences— awakening
what is good, silencing what is bad ; directing the
thoughts into purer channels, and leading them almost in-
stinctively to '* look through Nature up to Nature's God."

THE END.