ANGLING.
 
 ANGLING.
 
 ANGLING: 
 
 , gradual 6 nitre 
 
 TO 
 
 BOTTOM FISHING, TROLLING, SPINNING 
 AND FLY-FISHING. 
 
 WITH A 
 
 CHAPTER OX SEA FISHING. 
 
 BT 
 
 J. T. BURGESS, 
 
 AUTHOR OF "OLD ENGLISH WILD FLOWERS," ETC 
 
 WITH KVMEROUS PRACTICAL ILLUSTR.niJXS. 
 
 LONDON: 
 FREDERICK W A R N E AND Co. 
 
 BEDFORD STREET, STRAND.
 
 DALZIEL BROTHERS, CAMDEN PRESS, LONDON, N.W.
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 THERE are thousands of people who love a day's 
 fishing, but who have neither the time nor the incli- 
 nation to make a profound study of the gentle craft. 
 They are often dispirited and disappointed at their 
 want of success. They have sighed for a comprehen- 
 sive, practical, yet handy manual, which is neither 
 too large for the pocket, nor too brief to be useful. 
 
 Perhaps no out-door sport has so large or so fine a 
 literature as angling. So full and exhaustive are the 
 various treatises, that it appears presumptuous to 
 place another volume on the already loaded shelves 
 of the fisherman's library. If anglers all belonged to 
 the rich and leisurely grades of society, I should cer- 
 tainly not have expanded my rough fishing notes 
 into a book. 
 
 Though I have embodied my own experiences into 
 these pages, I have not overlooked the advice of my 
 brother anglers, when I found 011 trial that their plans 
 were more simple, or, practically, more useful than 
 my own. The most striking instance of this being the 
 
 2067047
 
 VI PEEFACB. 
 
 case was in trolling and spinning for pike; and I 
 acknowledge my indebtedness for many a good day's 
 sport to the improved tackle and hints of Mr Chol- 
 mondeley Pennell. To him, and to those kind friends 
 who furnished me with valuable memoranda, I tender 
 my hearty thanks. 
 
 I would direct attention to the various useful 
 tables in the Fisherman's Calendar, to the tried re- 
 ceipts, as well as to the practical hints on the mak- 
 ing and mending of fishing-gear, fly-dressing, and 
 odd memoranda, which will be duly appreciated by 
 those who have experienced the chagrin of tackle 
 breaking in the midst of a day's sport, or their 
 stock of flies exhausted far away from the usual 
 sources of supply. A little ingenuity and patience 
 will soon bring the necessary skill and neatness to 
 do these things well. 
 
 Though these things have been described osten- 
 sibly for the guidance and instruction of the young 
 and inexperienced angler, I am not without hope 
 that it will be found sufficiently valuable, and full 
 of suggestive practical hints, as to commend itself 
 to many an old angler as a necessary part of his out- 
 fit. 
 
 J. T. B. 
 
 LEAMINGTON, May 1867.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 THE GENTLE CRAFT. 
 
 CHAP. PAftl 
 
 I. ANGLING AND ANGLERS, .... 1 
 
 II. 11SII : THEIR HABITS, SENSES, AND HAUNTS, . 7 
 
 III. THE ROD AND THE REEL, .... 13 
 
 IV. THE LINE, TACKLE, AND EQUIPMENT OF AN ANGLER, . 22 
 
 BOTTOM-FISHING 
 
 V. POINTS TO BE OBSERVED STRIKING, HOOKING, PLAT- 
 ING, AND LANDING THE FISH, ... 39 
 
 vi. THE BOTTOM-FISHER'S BAIT TABLE, ... 46 
 
 VII. WHAT TO FISH FOR, AND WHERE THE HAUNTS OF THE 
 MINNOW, LOACH, RUFFE, GUDGEON, BLEAK, DACE, 
 ROACH, CHUB, AND BREAM, ... 55 
 
 VIII. WHAT TO FISH FOR, AND WHERE, CONTINUED THE 
 HAUNTS OF THE CABP, TENCH, BARBEL, PERCH, 
 EELS, AND LAMPREYS, . . . . 64 
 
 IX. WHAT TO FISH FOR, AND WHERE, CONTINUED HAUNTS 
 
 OF THE TROUT, GRAYLING, SALMON, ETC., . 72 
 
 FISHING IN MID-WATER. 
 
 X. HOW TO FISH FOR PIKE TROLLING THE TACKLB, 
 
 GOUGE-HOOKS, TRACE, BAITS, ETC., 77
 
 nii INDEX 
 
 '11 A P. | AC! 
 
 XI. SPINNING FOH PIKE NEW TACKLE THE PENNELL 
 FLIGHT SINKING AND ROVING FISHING WITH 
 THE SNAP-TACKLE, ETC., .... 88 
 
 XII. SPINNING WITH THE MINNOW, ... 95 
 
 FLY-FISHING. 
 
 XIII. THROWING THE LINE AND FLIES MAKING A CAST 
 
 HUMOURING THE FLIES HOW TO FISH A STREAM 
 
 HOW TO STRIKE, HOOK, PLAY, AND LAND A FISH, . 101 
 
 xiv. TROUT: THEIR HAUNTS, HABITS, AND TASTES 
 
 SCOTCH AND IRISH FLY-FISHING MONTHLY LIST 
 
 OF FLIES GENERYL HINTS ON GRAYLING AND 
 
 TROUT-FISHING, . . . . Ill 
 
 XV. ARTIFICIAL FLIES, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM, . 120 
 
 XVI. ARTIFICIAL FLIES AND THEIR VARIETIES, . . 131 
 
 FISHING WITH THE NATURAL FLY. 
 
 XVII. DIPPING, DABBING, OR DAPING, . . . 140 
 
 XVIII. THE SALMON : HINTS ON FISHING FOB, . . Hi 
 
 SEA-FISHING. 
 
 XIX. FISHING FOR HAKE, COD, LING, BREAM, TURBOT, MAC- 
 
 KEREL, WHITING, ETC., . . . . 161 
 
 xx. THE FISHERMAN'S CALENDAB, . 1C6 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Weight of Fish, . . .175 
 
 The Fisherman's Almanack, . , 177 
 
 Useful Recipes for Anglers, . . . 178 
 
 Laws Relating to Fishing, . . . .179
 
 THE GEKTLE CRAFT. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 ANGLING AND ANGLERS. 
 
 WHO can adequately describe the pleasures that surround 
 the angler ] Who can catalogue the charms that cling 
 around his pursuit ? He pursues his avocation amid scenes 
 of natural beauty. It is he who follows the windings of 
 the silvery river, and becomes acquainted with its course. 
 He knows the joyous leaps it takes down the bold cascade, 
 and how it bubbles rejoicingly in its career over the 
 rapids. He knows the solitude of its silent depths, and 
 the brilliancy of its shallows. He is confined to no season. 
 He can salute Nature when she laughs with the budding 
 flowers, and when her breath is the glorious breath of 
 Spring. The rustling sedges make music in his ear ere 
 the mist has rolled off the surface of the water, or the dew 
 been kissed from the grass by the sun's rays. The lark 
 sings for him, and the piping bulfinch chirps along his 
 path. The gorgeous kingfisher heeds him not, and the 
 water-hen scarce moves from her nest as he passes. The 
 
 A
 
 2 ANGLING. 
 
 storm and the tempest scarcely hinders his sport. He 
 throws his line when ruddy Autumn gilds the western 
 heavens, and the fruit of the year hangs heavy on the 
 bough, or waves in golden abundance on the uplands. 
 Even stern Winter does not forbid him his enjoyment. If 
 he cares to pursue his favourite pastime, he may do equally 
 \vhen the tall bulrushes, wavy reeds, and reedmace rattle 
 with December's winds, as when the marsh marigold opes 
 its big yellow eyes on an April day, or the tall spike of 
 the purple loosestrife mingles with the creamy hue of the 
 meadow-sweet, and is relieved by the sombre green of the 
 sedges. If he is an ardent sportsman, the whole year 
 is before him. When the trout will not rise to the tempt- 
 ing fly, or be seduced by the seductive bait, the voracious 
 pike will seize the spinning minnow and try the patience 
 and skill of the fisherman. 
 
 It was always so. In the infancy of mankind, the finny 
 tribes were pursued by a primitive people with as much 
 ardour as they are by civilised Englishmen at the present 
 time. Savage and cultivated nations equally followed, 
 either as a business or as a pastime, the occupation of cap- 
 turing fish with a line and hook, with or without a rod. 
 We find its praises celebrated in ancient poetry, and its 
 memory embalmed in Holy Writ. The rudest appliances 
 of a savage life have been used to aid the angler at his de- 
 lightful task, and science has not disdained to aid the modern 
 fisherman in his favourite sport. There are tribes who yet 
 fashion fish-hooks out of human jawbones ; and our own 
 progenitors managed to ensnare fish with hooks formed of 
 flint. Indeed, the Anglo-Saxon race have followed angling 
 with an energy and a zest far beyond any other European 
 nation. We know they pursued it as a profitable occupa
 
 THE GENTLE CBAI-'T. O 
 
 tion in remote times, and we have it on the authority of 
 the Venerable Bede that the people of Sussex were at one 
 time rescued from famine by being taught by Wilfred to 
 catch fish. Among the earliest printed books is one on 
 fishing by a countrywomen of our own, Dame Juliana 
 Berners, Bernes, or Barnes, (whichever it is,) prioress of the 
 nunnery of Sopwell, near St Alban's. This curious tract is 
 entituled, " The Treatyse of Fysshynge wyth an Angle," 
 and appears by the colophon to have been printed by old 
 Wynkyn de Worde in 1496. The old lady shows that if 
 sport fails the ambitious angler, his time is not spent in 
 vain ; for has he not " atte the leest, his holsom walke, 
 and mery at his ease, a swete ayre of the swete sauvoure 
 of the meede flowres, that makyth him hungry ; he hereth 
 the melodyous armony of fowles ; he seeth the young 
 swannes, heerons, ducks, cotes, and many other fowles, 
 wyth theyr brodes ; whyche me semyth better than alle 
 the noyse of houndys, the Wastes of hornys, and the scrye 
 of foulis, that hunters, fawkeners, and fowlers do make 1 
 And/' says the good old lady, " if the angler take fysshe, 
 surely there is no man merier he is in his spyryte." Then 
 amidst the many other books that have been written for 
 the solace of the angler, stands old Isaak Walton, with the 
 " Complete Angler," as immortal as the language in which 
 it is written in, and the instincts of the people by whom it 
 is read. 
 
 I fancy, however, that few anglers care for that smat- 
 tering of science which too many modern writers throw 
 over the sport. They are somewhat indifferent to the 
 " Rudiments of Ichthyology," and are heedless of the clas- 
 sification which their spoil might receive in a museum. 
 They rather want to know the habits of the fish, where he
 
 ANGLING. 
 
 frequents, the state of his appetite, and the particular 
 variety of his taste at different seasons of the year, and in 
 different waters. They may know but little of entomo- 
 logy ; but they know the attractiveness of a May-fly to 
 a speckled trout. Anglers study natural history in a natu- 
 ral way, and in the best school that of experience ; and 
 hence the Englishman becomes not only the best and 
 seenest sportsman, but almost the apostle of sport in every 
 part of the globe. 
 
 It was formerly the fashion to jeer at the angler he 
 vvas cruel, foolish, and wrong but we have outlived this 
 sickly sentimentalism ; a stronger, healthier, natural feel- 
 ing pervades our national life. The whirling industry of 
 the people requires some relaxation ; and can we wonder 
 that the thousand charms of " the honest man's recrea- 
 tion " commends it to thousands who wish for exercise 
 and amusement 1 Exercise, as we have elsewhere shown,* 
 is but of little use to the dyspeptic, unless it is carried out 
 with a motive. The love of sport, and the gentle excite- 
 ment of angling, furnishes that motive in the most unex- 
 ceptional manner. It carries, too, its votary out of the dull 
 beaten track of mankind, and places the city-pent, health- 
 seeking, holiday-making angler face to face with nature iii 
 her most unconventional moods. 
 
 Nor is this all. There is a fascination in the sport which 
 has captivated the greatest minds of the world. We have 
 a fine picture of the brave old Christopher North, as a 
 child in petticoats, " whipping a stream " for " wee 
 troutie." We have him as the stalwart man, wandering 
 through his native hills and by the roaring stream, com- 
 
 * Gymnastics for the Youug aud Sedentary. London : Warns 
 &Co.
 
 PLEASURES 0V ANGLING. O 
 
 bluing sport and philosophy in a charming manner. What 
 a host of names rise up in connexion with the sport ! Sir 
 Francis Chantrey, 
 
 " The Phidus of the second Greece," 
 
 is rugged Ebenezer Elliot calls him ; the author of " Wa- 
 verlcy ; " the inventor of the safety-lamp, and the authoi 
 of a pleasant treatise on fly-fishing, Sir Humphry Davey; 
 Archdeacon Paley, the author of the " Evidences of Chris- 
 tianity;" burly Daniel Webster; the hero of Trafalgar; 
 and a thousand others whose names are " household 
 words " for wit, learning, valour, piety, and truth, suggest 
 themselves as identified with the sport. Neither is the 
 love of it confined to the British isles ; for across the 
 Channel, up the Rhine, nay, even in the solitudes of a 
 Lapland forest, may enthusiastic anglers be found. A 
 friend speaks of the sport he had on the Guadalquiver ; 
 another has "whipped" an Alpine stream with success. 
 Wherever trout are to be found, there will the fisherman be. 
 The Pharaohs fished in the Nile the Romans paid fortunes 
 for red mullet. The Church took care of fishing-grounds in 
 the middle ages, and some of the best streams and lakes 
 I know are near the ruins of an old abbey or priory. 
 
 Who can say that is, then, an ignoble sport ? I have 
 seen it asserted that angling is so quiet, gentle, and con- 
 templative, that I picture at once the snaring of tittle- 
 bats with a crooked pin ; or a dull afternoon in a punt, 
 without a bite discovering after a world of patience that 
 you have forgotten the bait. Ignoble and unexciting ! 
 Let those who have felt the thrill of delight, when they 
 have hooked a magnificent salmon, answer. There is a 
 thin, tapering, flexible wand, a fine, thin gut-line, a small
 
 6 ANGLING. 
 
 fly, and a trial of skill which generally ends in the triumph 
 of the angler. But if he is clumsy, unskilful, or careless, 
 he loses his pains and his fish. There may be more excit- 
 ing sports, but none that require a quicker eye, a more 
 delicate hand and sense of touch, readiness of resource, 
 activity, and physical endurance. Large fish are captured 
 daily in their native element with tackle which seems too 
 frail to secure a gudgeon ; yet it is done by art and skill. 
 The most active of river fish, bounding, vigorous, and 
 agile, succumb to the untiring patience and well-exercised 
 judgment and skill of the angler. Attempt to use rude 
 strength, and your labour is in vain. 
 
 I wish to initiate the tyro into this marvellous art. 
 I wish to give him confidence in his strength and know- 
 ledge ; for although it is impossible to teach an art en- 
 tirely by a book, much may be learned from it. The les- 
 sons of experience may be acquired, so that practice, when 
 attainable, may not be thrown away in vain attempts, but 
 rather that it should be judiciously applied to the given 
 end, preventing waste of time and disappointment of heart. 
 I shall indicate the best mode of practice, show what 
 shallows to avoid. The young angler will soon find that 
 brethren look upon the best angler as the best man. He 
 will find glorious companionship by the rivers and the 
 streams. He will be separated from the toilsome, hard- 
 breathing, hard-working world, drinking in visions of 
 beauty amid scenes which will remain ever after amongst 
 the most cherished memories of the heart. 
 
 There is something fair and honourable in the " gentle 
 craft," whether pursued in still waters in the primitive, 
 honest, and easy fashion of bottom fishing whether by 
 the more active exercise of trolling, or the most difficult
 
 HABITS OF THE FISH. 7 
 
 but most glorious fly-fishing whether natural or artifi- 
 cial insects are used whether spinning or trolling with 
 alive, dead, or artificial bait in mid-water, or laying seductive 
 worms, gentles, or paste near the river bottom. Fish are 
 not easily entrapped by the uninitiated. Skill and experience 
 must be brought into play ere the angler can fill his creel? 
 and these must be aided by no little special knowledge. 
 
 The fly-fisher must be in a certain sense an artist and a 
 naturalist. He has to represent as best he can, by means 
 of different substances of varied delicacy, tissue, and colour, 
 insects of the most diverse forms and changeable hues. 
 He must do his work with the most perfect neatness. 
 He must know well the outward form of many varieties of 
 insects, their habits and localities, as well as the seasons in 
 which they live and die. He should knoAV which is likely 
 to prove the most attractive food for the fish he angles for, 
 and when to use it. Every kind and species ought to be 
 associated in his mind with the proper place and the proper 
 season. To do this well requires no little special know- 
 ledge, which I Ayill help him to attain, and then he will 
 be able to appreciate the truth of the doctrine, the " better 
 ansler the better man." 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 FISH : THEIR HABITS, SENSES, AND HAUNTS. 
 
 * AY," says the tender-hearted sentimentalist, " it is all 
 very well to write enthusiastically on the pleasure of fish- 
 ing, but how about the poor fish ?" 
 
 How about the poor fish ? And we are forthwith treated
 
 8 ANGLING. 
 
 to the hacked and hackneyed quotations from Dr Johnson 
 and Lord Byron about Walton and anglers and angling. 
 Nay, only the other day a newly-fledged philosopher talked 
 learnedly about ths sense of pain in the lower animals, the 
 cruelty of baiting hooks and hooking fish, winding up with 
 the well-known quotation about the "poor beetle," finding 
 in corporal sufferance "a pang as great as when a giant dies," 
 which may be good poetry, but it is bad science. Shake- 
 speare did not know that pain is comparative only, and 
 depends on the organisation of the nervous system ; and if 
 it were not so, the death of the fish by the angler's hook is 
 less painful than that caused by the attack of other piscine 
 species which prey on them. For fish do not die a painful 
 death when taken out of the Avater. Some fish die instan- 
 taneously, as the herring ; others, as the eel, perch, and 
 pike, live long, and may be conveyed great distances from 
 one pool to another. It is even said that pike, moved by 
 an inscrutable instinct, will voluntarily cast themselves out 
 of the water and transport themselves, by a series of jumps, 
 to a neighbouring river or pool. No one would grudge the 
 ravenous pike any amount of pain, for it is so cruel and 
 voracious that it preys upon its own species. I need 
 not point to the hand of nature, or justify the angler's art 
 by the doctrine of necessity. 
 
 Ere proceeding to treat of the senses and habits of the 
 fish, let me look at this oft-repeated charge of cruelty. 
 When the worm writhes on the hook, we know that it must 
 feel a certain amount of pain, though it is more than prob- 
 able that its movements partly arise from an instinctive 
 effort to escape, for it equally wriggles and writhes when 
 merely held between the fingers. Nay, we even know 
 th.it when cut in two the worm speedily recovers, and the
 
 THE SENSES OF FISU. 5 
 
 missing tail grows again. There are instances innumerable 
 in the insect world of an apparent insensibility to pain. 
 Spiders will lose a limb with equanimity. Crabs will 
 hobble off, leaving a claw behind. Frogs seem scarcely to 
 heed also the loss of a limb, and even man, in a savage 
 state, will bear an amount of pain almost impossible to 
 realise. The Indian taunts his tormentors when at the 
 stake; and vithout agreeing with R. W. Emerson, who 
 seems to think that when the nervous system has received 
 a certain shock pain ceases, either by the fainting of the 
 injured, or the flesh becoming benumbed, we may fairly 
 assume that " cruelty to animals," as displayed by anglers, 
 is not a crime of very deep dye. Perch, pike, and even the 
 timid roach, have been known to bite again with previous 
 hooks still sticking in their jaws. Christopher North 
 humorously describes a trout going off with your " hook in 
 one cheek, and his tongue in the other ; " and there is abun- 
 dant evidence to prove to those who are squeamish on the 
 point, that -it is not so very barbarous after all ; or they may 
 satisfy their scruples by using none but artificial baits ; and 
 they may be pleased to know that the best naturalists do 
 not impute the struggles of the fish to escape from the 
 hook to the sensation of pain, but rather to surprise and 
 indignation, at finding their free volition interfered with ; 
 and that, according to Erasmus Wilson, " motion alone can- 
 not be taken as an index of sensation." 
 
 Ere he can capture a fish, the inexperienced angler will 
 find that he has much to learn ; for though fish may be 
 deficient in sensation, they can see, hear, and move with 
 remarkable quickness. 
 
 The eye of a fish is not only large in proportion to its 
 size, but it is larger in thick and muddy waters than in clear
 
 10 ANGLING. 
 
 streams. It concentrates the diffused light of a thick 
 medium in a remarkable manner. Hence it is necessary 
 that the angler should not only keep out of sight as much 
 as possible, but that his attire should be of a dark and 
 sober tint. Not only must he beware of his shadow falling 
 into the stream, but he must know to some extent the laws 
 of reflection and refraction, or he will be unconsciously 
 showing his image to the fishes whilst pluming himself on 
 his skill in keeping out of sight. Hence a cloudy day is 
 so much superior to the brilliant sunshine for the purposes 
 of the angler. The sight of fishes is one of their highest 
 sentient endowments; and if the point of the hook but 
 protrude from the tempting bait, it will not lure the 
 stupidest fish in the muddy waters of a ditch. 
 
 I resided for some time in the neighbourhood of a pond 
 where the fish were in the habit of being fed. I could 
 never discover whether it was the sight of the feeder on 
 the brink, or the sound of his footstep, that first attracted 
 them. They were so fearless that they boldly came to the 
 water's edge, and apparently unable to recognise whether 
 it was their master or a stranger feeding them. A hurried 
 tramp or noisy footstep at once sent them flying to the 
 deeper depths of their narrow home. I am inclined to 
 think that the hearing of fish is more acute than natural- 
 ists seem to say is possible. A lump of ground bait, how- 
 ever loud the splash, will not disturb them ; and they soon 
 seem to associate the noise with the food ; but an unusual 
 sound will scare them like sheep before a strange dog. No 
 one can resist the inference, that the footstep of the angler 
 should be as light as possible, and all unusual sounds 
 should be carefully avoided. 
 
 Do fish smell ? Bottom-fishers are peculiarly interested
 
 CAN A FISH SMELL ? 11 
 
 in this question. They, like the fly-fishers, are somewhat 
 dependent for sport on the presumption that fish are gifted 
 with a discriminating power of sight : but they also hold, 
 according to the traditions of their predecessors, that not 
 only can fish smell, but that their olfactory nerves are 
 remarkably acute ; and acting on this presumption, we 
 have scented and coloured pastes in great variety. Erasmus 
 Wilson places the sense of sight first, hearing second, and 
 smell third in fish. Indeed, he almost insinuates that the 
 difference between one bait and another, if equally attrac- 
 tive to the eye, would be scarcely perceptible. Judging from 
 a long experience, I am inclined to place the sense of smell 
 in a higher rank than that of hearing, practically, if not 
 anatomically. The water, it is true, cannot course through 
 the valvular openings which appear to serve as nostrils, and 
 it has to be expelled through the apertures provided for 
 that purpose, but they are always in motion; and the mem- 
 brane and nerve are most beautiful and delicate for con- 
 veying the impression to the brain. Odours spread with 
 great rapidity down a stream, and fish will assemble from 
 a great distance to a well-baited spot. Mr Moffat tells an 
 anecdote of eel-fishing, which is, no doubt, true to the letter, 
 of the attraction of some large lob-worms on a dark night 
 to the fish ; which seemed to have come from a long distance, 
 attracted by the sense of smell. Asafoetida is said to have 
 a peculiar attractiveness to trout ; as much, indeed, as 
 valerian has to cats, or aniseed for rats. From whatever 
 cause it arises, a plain paste is not near so effective a bait 
 as when a little gin and honey is added. Mr Moffat evi- 
 dently does not believe in gin, though the midland bottom- 
 fishers do. Let the angler for chub or roach try both plans. 
 Let the troller try the same stream with a fresh fish and a
 
 12 ANGLING. 
 
 stale one ; let the perch-fisher try a dead worm and then 
 a live one ; or let him set his trimmers with both fresh and 
 stale baits, and he will truly find that one is taken and the 
 other left. I was much struck with the discriminating 
 power of fish in this respect when fishing for hake off the 
 coast of Waterford. We had no regular bait, which is a 
 piece off the tail of the fish, but had to content ourselves 
 with some pieces of salted fish, herrings, and sprats. The 
 promise of sport was not very brilliant, though we knew 
 that the fish were there, and could hear the dull heavy 
 thud from the neighbouring boats as the fish were struck 
 on the back of the head with the boat stretcher. We toiled, 
 but in vain, until a bold ling seized my bait, and was 
 speedily in the boat, killed, and strips of his tail on our 
 hooks, three fathoms deep. Then we were rewarded. The 
 fresh bait were greedily taken, and we secured half a boat- 
 load of fine fish. An old Nottinghamshire angler, to whom, 
 when a boy, I was indebted for many valuable hints, told 
 me that when fishing in the Trent, he used to meet an old 
 collier, who was not only a most successful angler, but one 
 who could lure the fish on to his hook when everybody else 
 failed. This naturally excited the curiosity of the neigh- 
 bouring fishermen; and as the taciturnity of the collier 
 equalled his skill, they resolved to find out his secret. They 
 watched him, and found that his pastes were coloured and 
 scented ; but with what 1 After an investigation not much 
 unlike espionage, they discovered that a variety of essential 
 oils, saffron, and balsam of Tolu entered into the composi- 
 tion of the old man's pastes, and that he changed them 
 month by month to suit the varying appetite of the fish he 
 angled for. As balsam of Tolu is sweet, aromatic, and of a 
 lemon flavour, it might be tempting to the piscine palate,
 
 TilE TACKLE. 13 
 
 or attractive by its scent, which, by the addition of a little 
 potash, changes to the odour of clove pink. 
 
 Fish are so apt to adapt themselves to the particular 
 water and circumstances around them, both in colour and 
 food, that one bait will not serve for all waters nor for all 
 seasons. The angler must study somewhat the water lie is 
 fishing in, its colour and general appearance, and adapt his 
 gear accordingly ; remembering that unusual sounds dis- 
 turb the fish, and the lashing of the water with the line, 
 letting it hang in links or hanks, will all operate against 
 his success. The fish must not be alarmed by the sight of 
 the angler or his shadow ; neither must his footstep be 
 heavy, or his song too loud. If he would profit by his 
 higher intelligence, let him not outrage common sense, but 
 remember how often instinct is higher than reason, and 
 that the instinct and senses of a fish are not the meanest 
 in the animal creation. 
 
 CHAPTER IIL 
 
 THE HOD AND THE REEL. 
 
 ANGLING, we are told, is becoming more and more a science 
 every day. Fish are becoming more wily, scarce, and 
 difficult to catch, while the sport is becoming increasingly 
 popular. New lines, new hooks, new baits, and new 
 tackle are being so constantly invented, that it is difficult 
 for the most practised angler to become acquainted with 
 them all, much mere the fish, cunning as they are. The 
 angler has, however, one consolation amid these new and
 
 1* ANGLING. 
 
 perplexing inventions the old skill and the old appliances 
 have not lost their charm, and will yet secure a basket of 
 fish when the modern patent inventions are completely at 
 fault. A formidable list of articles is occasionally given as 
 necessary for an angler's outfit, suggesting the necessity 
 of a museum in which to store and label them. Anglers 
 are generally vain about their equipment, and our grand- 
 fathers thought a particular coat of a dark colour aided the 
 sport. The materials necessary for angling will depend in 
 a great measure on the locality and nature of the sport, 
 whether fly, trolling, or bottom-fishing. We have seen good 
 sport obtained with a willow rod, a horse-hair line with a 
 bit of dried sedge for a float, when the most expensive out- 
 fit was* comparatively useless for the purposes of sport. 
 Attention to minutia? is of infinitely more value than a 
 mere expensive outfit. Skill is of more importance than 
 costly appliances, though useless by itself ; and even science 
 is valueless without experience. 
 
 Of course the angler must have a rod, and on the choice 
 of one he can exercise his taste, for they are as varied in 
 size, weight, material, pliancy, and price as the most 
 fastidious could wish. Any tackle-dealer will be only 
 "too happy" to satisfy the heart's desire of the young 
 angler, who, however, should know what he requires. 
 
 The bottom-fisher's rod should be strong and light, just 
 springy enough to strike a fish quickly, and sufficiently 
 supple to equalise the pressure from top to butt. Though 
 it need not be so limber as that used for fly-fishing, it 
 should taper with equal precision from the butt to the top. 
 The length depends upon whether it is to be used from 
 a boat or punt, or from a bank. The average length of a 
 bank rod should be about seventeen feet. In some in-
 
 THE ROD. 15 
 
 stances a twenty-feet rod would not be too long, while lialf 
 that length would be sufficient when fishing from a punt, 
 when it need not exceed thirteen or fourteen feet. If 
 furnished with two or three spare tops of different degrees 
 of stiffness and length, the bottom rod becomes the 
 " general rod," and may be used for nearly every purpose. 
 For roach and dace fishing, the rod must be so light and 
 so perfectly under command as to enable the angler to 
 " strike" with an almost imperceptible turn of the wrist. 
 
 With respect to the material. If you purchase your rod, 
 as ninety-nine out of a hundred do, you will have plenty of 
 choice. You may have them of hazel, ash, lancewood, or 
 hickory, or judiciously combined with a whalebone top, 
 according to price and finish ; but let it be handy, light, 
 well balanced, and supple. Never have your rod in more 
 than four lengths, nor if possible exceed three. One of 
 three lengths with a hollow butt in which to place two or 
 three top-pieces, will be found the best for all general 
 purposes. It may be fitted with a spike at the bottom, 
 ringed and fitted with two winches or reels for trolling and 
 fly-fishing. 
 
 Exclusive of hazel, the woods ordinarily used in the 
 manufacture of rods, are three or four varieties of bamboo 
 cane, ash, willow, greenhart, hickory, and lancewood. 
 Hickory has, however, become to be considered as the rod 
 wood par excellence, as it is light, strong, and solid ; but 
 for butts, it gives way before ash and willow. It will not 
 stand boring, and after all it takes its place as the middle 
 joint, and leaves greenhart or split bamboo for the place of 
 honour, and the humbler woods of home growth in the 
 grasp of the angler's hand. The first time I saw greenhart 
 as a portion of a rod was in Limerick, and there I found
 
 16 ANGLING. 
 
 it so highly thought of, that entire rods were made from it 
 It is a heavy wood, but extremely useful for tops, as it 
 combines strength, fineness, and elasticity in a remarkable 
 degree. I have seen yellow pine used for the butt of 
 some old rods, made when hollow butts were unknown. 
 The bamboos and canes speak for themselves. The split 
 bamboo is jungle cane, split into narrow slips, planed, 
 smoothed, and glued until it forms the exquisite top joint. 
 There is a white cane used for roach rods, for which it is 
 admirably adapted. 
 
 The joints of the rod ought to be looked to carefully 
 before the purchase is completed, particularly if the rod is 
 made of reed or cane. In order to give an extra finish and 
 evenness to the rod, the workman sometimes cuts away a 
 part of the bark or cilicious covering of the cane, to fit on 
 the ferule, so that the rod is not only weaker where it ought 
 to be strongest, but it is liable to rot from the impossi- 
 bility of preventing the wet from getting in at the joints. 
 So often has the ordinary brass joints failed the angler in 
 the moment of his need, from this and other causes, that 
 the 
 
 SPLICED ROD finds much favour with those who live in 
 the country near the streams in which they ply their avoca- 
 tion. They are simple and inexpensive, though somewhat 
 rude in construction. As many an ingenious youth would 
 like to try to make his own rod, I will endeavour to ex- 
 plain the construction of two good rods which are within 
 the reach of any country youth. Select a number of pieces 
 of straight hazel, of different thicknesses, in the fall of the 
 year, when the sap is gone, and place them in any convenient 
 place to dry ; Old Dame Barnes says an oven, but that 
 plan is hardly to be recommended now-a-days. They
 
 THE SPLICED ROD. 17 
 
 should, however, be turned frequently, to prevent their 
 warping or drying irregularly. In the course of a year, or 
 less, if the place is warm and dry, the pieces may be matched 
 together in proportionate sizes. From the top of the 
 thinnest cut eight or ten inches, and bind on a taper piece 
 of whalebone with waxed thread such as is used by saddlers 
 is the best for the purpose. The whalebone may be cut 
 with a long slant, to suit a corresponding slant in the hazel, 
 or slightly split and made to overlap a tapering point. The 
 stock and middle piece, and top, may be joined together by 
 a long splice, or a fished joint. If intended to remain to- 
 gether for the season, some saddler's wax may be rubbed 
 between the joints, and then neatly bound with strong 
 waxed thread. Every angler should learn to bind a splice 
 with neatness and adroitness, in case of accident to his rod 
 when in a remote district. The waxed silk or cord should 
 be neatly and closely laid together, and the ends should be 
 securely fastened. To fasten off, lay the fore-finger of your 
 left hand over the bind, and with your right make four turns 
 of the thread over it, then pass the end of your thread be- 
 tween the under side of your finger and the rod, and draw 
 your finger away, draw taut each of the four threads 
 separately, and when firm and tight, draw the end close, 
 and you have a neatly and firmly tied splice. When, how- 
 ever, the rod is to be taken asunder day by day, a closely 
 stitched leather band is welted and drawn tightly over the 
 splice, and then whipped with twine, and as the leather 
 dries it becomes tight and firm. This forms a light, 
 useful rod. A piece of lancewood may be cheaply and 
 judiciously substituted for the spliced top for bottom-fish- 
 ing, and the butt may be made of yellow pine. 
 
 An exquisite rod for fly-fishing may be made in the 
 
 B
 
 18 ANGLING. 
 
 above manner, of ash for the butt, hickory for the middle 
 piece, and lancewood or split bamboo for the top, with a 
 whalebone top ; or it may be made in two pieces, the 
 bottom of ash and the top of lancewood. The rings should 
 not be too close, nor the reel too heavy. Some curious 
 calculations have been made with respect to the rings of a 
 rod, so as to equally divide the strain, and by the whip- 
 pings add strength to the rod farthest from the ferules. 
 We may add that the reel should be placed near the end of 
 the butt in single-handed rods six to eight inches will be 
 found a convenient distance. From a dozen to sixteen 
 rings may be used, according to the length of the rod, the 
 first of which may be placed eighteen inches from the reel, 
 and the next twelve inches, decreasing in proportion until 
 the end loop is reached. The last ring should be about 
 four inches from the loop, and a longer distance on each 
 side of the ferule. In a spliced rod, the allowance to be 
 made for the joints need not be so great. These general 
 hints will be sufficient for all practical purposes. Mr 
 Moffat, in the " Secrets of Angling," attaches great import- 
 ance to these minutiae. The first ring in a thirteen-feet rod 
 with four joints, he says, should be seventeen inches from 
 the reel, which is to be placed 8^ inches from the butt. The 
 rings are then placed apart in the following order : 12^, 
 17$, 10, Hi, 15, 8i, 9, 9, 7i, 10, 4|, 4,}, % 5|, leaving 
 the loop 3^- from the last ring. I cannot attach much im- 
 portance to these measurements, which to be effective must 
 depend on the material of which the rod is made. 
 
 There are several varieties of fancy rods sold in the shape 
 of bag rods and walking-stick rods. These can only be re- 
 commended from their portability. The former are made 
 in about two-feet lengths, so that they may be packed in a
 
 VARNISHING THE ROD. 19 
 
 portmanteau, or carried in a pocket. They are usually of 
 cane or other light material, and are useful for light fishing 
 in small streams. The walking-stick rod used to be a great 
 favourite with the dilettanti fishermen. It is made of 
 bamboo, and the joints fit into one another in the same 
 manner as a telescope. A handle screws into the upper 
 end, and a ferule to the lower, so that it may be used as 
 a walking-stick. I cannot recommend the young angler 
 to outlay his money in so fancy an article. 
 
 The price of rods varies from sixpence to three or four 
 guineas. A good useful rod may be bought for half-a- 
 guinea. The cheap rods are only useful as toys for chil- 
 dren. Kods should be kept in a canvas bag ; and as damp 
 is their great enemy, they should always be wiped dry 
 before being put away. If they have been much used 
 during the season they ought to be re-varnished. For this 
 purpose coachmaker's varnish (copal) is the best. Two 
 coats are required, and the first should be dry ere the 
 last is laid on. If copal varnish is not to be had 
 an excellent substitute may be thus made : Spirits 
 of wine, 2 oz. ; orange shellac, 1 oz. ; gum benjamin, 
 oz. The mixture must stand a fortnight before using. 
 Another receipt is as follows : Gum sanderach, 4 oz. ; 
 shellac, 2 oz. ; gum benjamin, 1 oz. ; spirits of wine, 2 pints. 
 When dissolved add two ounces of Venice turpentine. 
 Dragon's blood will give it a warm red tone; Vand} 7 ke 
 brown a rich brown colour ; black sealing-wax, dissolved 
 in spirits of wine, will make a fair black varnish. In the 
 absence of varnish of any kind, the rod may be rubbed 
 over with boiled linseed (drying) oil. The practice of 
 painting rods, as recommended by Isaak Walton, is seldom 
 followed now, and cannot be recommended as a pro-
 
 20 ANGLTNO. 
 
 cess for preserving rods from the attacks of insects or 
 damp. 
 
 The ferules and joints of an ordinary rod call for some 
 remark. Common rods are fitted with brass ferules, 
 into which the end of the upper joint fits. When the 
 latter is of p!ain wood it is apt to swell by exposure to 
 damp or rain, or shrivel and shrink in the heat of the sun 
 or a dry wind, and, consequently, likely to come asunder 
 in the most critical time. No joints are to be trusted but 
 those which have turned brass sockets and brass tips to fit 
 them. Even the " bayonet-joint " is sometimes essential, 
 though by no means indispensable. Should the brass 
 joints become " set," by damp or other causes, they may 
 be released by turning them in the flame of a candle or 
 lamp ; and even the varnish may be preserved by twining 
 & piece of writing-paper round the joint previously. 
 
 The REEL, or WINCH, may be considered as almost an 
 integral part of the fishing-rod, for it is useful in bottom- 
 fishing, though not necessarily so essential as in fly- 
 fishing or jack-fishing. The characteristics of a good reel 
 are lightness, strength, and plainness. There are three 
 varieties in use known as plain pillar-reels, stop-reels, and 
 multiplying-reels. The latter is sometimes spoken of as 
 "an ingenious and valuable contrivance." Ingenious it 
 may be, and valuable to buy, but practically worthless in 
 everyday experience. It certainly enables a long length 
 of line to be wound up in a short space of time ; but, as it 
 has been remarked, " with a great waste of power " when 
 a fish is at the end of the line. Their use is much affected 
 by those anglers who admire fancy and scientific (?) contriv- 
 ances. The plain pillar-reel, with deep narrow grooves 
 and side-plates, and a tolerably large axle, still main-
 
 THE REEL. 
 
 21 
 
 tains its popularity, (see page 38.) Its great drawback 
 that of giving out the line with too great rapidity, and 
 overrunning, and thereby chok- 
 ing itseli, and endangering the 
 loss of the fish at a critical 
 period by a sudden check has 
 been remedied by a " check '' 
 contrivance, which, while it al- 
 lows the line to run out freely 
 when required, prevents the too 
 rapid action of the reel when the 
 strain has gone. This is effected 
 in two ways, one by a tooth 
 working with a spring in a Nottingham Keel, 
 ratchet-wheel, and the other by a friction-plate or washer 
 
 Modern Reel. 
 
 I like the latter plan the best : first, because it is noise- 
 less ; secondly, because it is less liable to get out of order,
 
 2 ANGLING. 
 
 and when it does can easily be repaired ; and, thirdly, be- 
 cause it can be adapted to an ordinary plain brass reel at 
 little rost. It is simply a plate of thin spring, a little less 
 than the diameter of the reel, made slightly convex, and 
 slit in hulf-a-dozen places to about one-third of its 
 diameter. This plate is placed between the reel-drum 
 and the supporting-plate. The best reels are those in 
 which the handle is fixed in the side-plate of the reel- 
 drum, as by this contrivance the ug]y and tormenting crank 
 may be dispensed with. The " Nottingham reel" is a 
 simple pillar-reel, of great freedom of working, too free 
 in fact, and perhaps the most perfect reel is one made by 
 Mr Ryder, of 48 Ellis Street, Birmingham. It is formed of 
 composition, which stands wet and hard usage remarkably 
 well. The veriest tyro need scarcely be told that the use 
 of the reel is to hold the running tackle for the purpose of 
 playing a fish. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE LINE, TACKLE, AND EQUIPMENT OF AN ANGLER. 
 
 IMPORTANT and useful as a well-balanced and carefully- 
 constructed rod is to the angler, he is more dependent on 
 his line and hooks for success than on the staff to which 
 they are attached. His rod may be rough, ill-fashioned, 
 a mere switch, or a washerwoman's line-prop, and yet 
 not prove fatal to his sport ; but an ill-conditioned line, or 
 a badly-tempered hook will spoil all. Even the beautifully- 
 finished, tapering, silver-mounted rod will not compensate 
 for defective gut or a brittle hook. The skilful cast, the
 
 THE LINE. 23 
 
 well-timed stroke, the judicious playing of the fish, are 
 thrown away by the snapping of a piece of steel or the sud- 
 den parting of a fine line. 
 
 FISHING LINES are made of an endless variety of sub- 
 stances, horse-hair, silk-worm gut, Indian grass or weed, 
 silk, hemp, cotton, either separately or mixed, from six 
 feet to one hundred yards long, and in fineness, from a 
 single horse-hair to a clothes-line. 
 
 For bottom-fishing fine horse-hair or gut is used. The 
 latter is more common, because it can be obtained in greater 
 lengths, and of more uniform consistency, and of varied 
 strength and thickness. It is made from the ordinary 
 silk-worm, just at the stage of its existence when it is about 
 to spin the cocoon. This period is known by the cater- 
 pillar ceasing to eat, and it is then killed by being thrown 
 into boiling water. The body of the grub is divided 
 gently in the middle, and a greenish gelatinous gut is dis- 
 closed to view. This is the organ which secretes the silky 
 matter for spinning the cocoon. This gut-like substance is 
 taken by the extremities and extended slowly and gradu- 
 ally until the requisite length and thickness are obtained ; 
 the ends are then fastened to iron pins, fixed in a board the 
 proper length, and the air and sunshine left to dry and 
 consolidate the filmy substance. It is made of diflferein 
 degrees of tenuity, according to the purpose for which fr 
 is required, whether for salmon, trout, or roach fishin^. 
 The best quality is made in Spain ; but a great deal is 
 spoiled by a careless method of manufacture. Good gut 
 should be naturally round, thin, and transparent. I say 
 naturally, because there is in use a little machine, like a 
 wire-drawer's gauge, for reducing the diameter of gut and 
 rounding its flat and angular edges. This is useful to a
 
 24 ANGLINO. 
 
 certain extent, but the gut so prepared is not only decidedly 
 inferior to that produced naturally, but is more expensive. 
 Some gut is white and glossy this should be avoided for 
 bottom lines, as it is more easily seen. To obviate this 
 disadvantage as far as possible the gut must be stained. 
 To do this properly the gut must be moistened, and then 
 steeped in ink, diluted with a little water this will give 
 it a bluish tinge. Strong coffee lees, in which a bit of 
 alum has been dissolved, will give the much-admired brown 
 or peat colour. The water in which green walnuts have 
 been boiled or steeped will answer the same purpose. 
 These colours will answer every purpose. A variety of 
 other and miscellaneous recipes are given in the Ap- 
 pendix. 
 
 The winch-line, for fly-fishing, and for ordinary use in 
 bottom-fishing, if the angler uses the reel, is composed 
 either entirely of horse-hair or of a mixture of horse-hair 
 and silk, or of silk alone ; the latter are becoming more 
 common, but the former is the most durable. Silk, either 
 alone or mixed with hair, is so apt to rot, that there is a 
 great prejudice against its use, notwithstanding that it is 
 stronger and more easily thrown. Patent prepared silk is 
 now in general use for winch-lines, and is well spoken of. 
 I have used both the silk and the silk and hair mixed, 
 with success ; when I have tried the much-recommended 
 hair alone, I have found it thick, clumsy, and difficult to 
 manage. 
 
 The length of the reel-line must of course depend on the 
 size of the river to be fished. On narrow rivers twenty 
 yards will be ample ; on broad rivers, or lochs, eighty 
 yards will not be too much. Whichever length, or what- 
 ever length is used, the line must be so constructed as to
 
 FISHING KNOTS. 25 
 
 taper about twelve feet from the end until it terminates in 
 the thickness of salmon-gut. Tapering lengths of salmon- 
 gut may be whipped or fastened to it, and the fly-line 
 attached direct without the " loosely-twisted hair," or 
 triple-gut casting-line which usually forms the connexion 
 between the reel and the fly-line. This, however, has yet 
 many admirers and many disadvantages. When tying or 
 knotting hair or gut, it must be rendered pliant by being 
 soaked in warm water. When the ends require to be tied 
 or whipped they may be moistened or flattened between 
 the teeth. When chafed or fretted they may be rubbed 
 with a piece of india-rubber, which will make them smooth 
 again. To make an ordinary casting-line, seven or eight 
 lengths of triple-twisted gut must be obtained and the 
 ends joined by the single slip-knot, wrapped with wax silk, 
 and covered with spirit-varnish. The pieces must be so 
 selected and joined as to taper gradually to the end, with 
 four or five lengths of picked gut tapering to where the 
 bait tackle is attached. 
 
 There are many plans of joining gut or hair together. 
 The plan of whipping two ends with silk is perhaps 
 the neatest, but the least reliable. The ends are laid 
 by the side of each other, tightly whipped, and the end 
 fastened off as mentioned in whipping hooks. The ordinary 
 knot, called the fisher's knot, (fig. 1,) is the one commonly 
 used. When the long ends are pulled tight it becomes 
 a fast knot, easily separated. It may be wrapped with 
 silk, or the meshes may be left the eighth of an inch apart, 
 as recommended by Mr C. Pennell, and then carefully 
 whipped. The advantages claimed for this plan are that 
 in case of a sudden strain, such as striking a large pike or 
 other cause, the knot, instead of parting with the force
 
 26 ANGLING. 
 
 used, would only be drawn closer together, and the whipping 
 would act as a sort of buffer. The old knot on stout 
 salmon-gut will break at a steady pressure of from twelve 
 to fifteen pounds ; but tied with the Pennell-knot the gut 
 will break at any other place in preference to the knot, 
 which is a neat contrivance. The sailors knot is a useful 
 knot on an emergency, though not so neat as the foregoing. 
 The two ends are crossed between the left thumb and fore- 
 finger, the end pointing towards the left lying at the top of 
 the other ; it is then bent backwards to the other end 
 towards the body, until both ends meet on opposite direc- 
 tions underneath. A simple hitch is made with the two 
 ends, as shown in fig. 2. On pulling tne long pieces a 
 secure knot is made, which may be easily separated when 
 
 Fig. 1. Fig. 2. 
 
 f 
 
 done with without injury to the gut, or it may be whipped 
 and varnished. The weaver's knot is a more secure knot 
 than the above, but more clumsy. It is thus made : The 
 ends are crossed between the thumb and forefinger of the 
 left hand, but the end pointing to the right must lay at 
 the top in this case ; the piece belonging to the opposite 
 end is then carried over the thumb at the back of the left
 
 VARIETIES OF HOOKS. 2? 
 
 end, and brought between the two ends until it can beheld 
 between the finger and the thumb, the right-hand end is 
 pushed through the loop, and the knot stands thus, (fig. 3.) 
 This, though a strong knot for silk, hemp, or cotton, can- 
 not be recommended either for hair or gut. These lines 
 must be dressed that is, winch-lines, trolling-lines, and 
 salniou-lines, or else they will speedily rot, and in all cases 
 they must be dried ere they are put away. The lines may 
 be steeped in boiled Unseed oil, in which a little japanner's 
 gold size has been dissolved, in the proportion of one-eighth 
 of the latter to seven-eighths of the former. If not found 
 hard enough, a little more gold size will remedy the defi- 
 ciency. Boiled linseed oil, in which a small knob of resin 
 has been dissolved in an earthenware vessel over a slow 
 fire, will answer every purpose, and its antiseptic qualities 
 are far superior. Some add india-rubber and bees-wax to 
 the oil, and others copal varnish and camphor. In the 
 absence of any of the above ingredients white wax is very 
 valuable rubbed on the lines. When using any of the 
 foregoing dressings care must be taken that they are not 
 used hot. The superfluous dressing should be removed by 
 passing the line between a folded piece of leather held be- 
 tween the fingers. Two dressings of the oil and gold size 
 will be necessary, which should be given some months be- 
 fore the line is used. 
 
 FISHING HOOKS are made for the angler's use of about 
 fourteen sizes, and there are several varieties, known by 
 the name of London, Limerick, Kirby, Kendal, round and 
 sneck bends, according to the place where they are made, 
 and the shape they are bent. They are made also of varied 
 length in the shanks, to suit the different purposes for which 
 they are used. For worm-fishing, the long-shanked hook,
 
 '2S ANGLING. 
 
 perfectly round in tbe bend, so that neither barb nor point in- 
 clines inwards, is the best. For gentles, paste, and grain, the 
 short-shanked, sneck-bent hooks are preferred, as the point 
 of the hook is more easily kept covered and secured for a 
 longer time. Every angler should be able to whip his own 
 hooks on to the gut or hair. It is not difficult to " whip," 
 but it must be done neatly to be of use. The best whip- 
 ping is made of fine silk, waxed with saddler's wax, that 
 being preferable to shoemaker's wax for angling purposes. 
 The whipping should be commenced near the bend, and 
 finished neatly by two slip-knots, and then varnished. The 
 best varnish for this purpose, and for tackle generally, is 
 that made by dissolving shellac in double its bulk of spirits 
 of wine. One application will be found sufficient. The 
 gut or hair should be flattened and moistened previous to 
 whipping, by being drawn through the teeth. When the 
 hooks are wanted for bottom-fishing, the gut need not be 
 above eight inches long, and should be furnished with a 
 loop with a whipped fastening to attach it to the line. 
 Too large hooks should not be used in proportion to the 
 size of the bait. Fly-fishers approve of the round-bend 
 hook. Hooks are numbered according to size ; but differ- 
 ent makers commence differently. Thus Bartlett's largest 
 hooks are No. l, the smallest 17. Addington, on the 
 contrary, commences at 12 and ends at 00. The numbers 
 mentioned in these pages refer to the largest as No. 1. 
 All hooks should be tried before using. If they bend 
 easily, they are of little value, as they are too soft. If too 
 hard, they snap suddenly. The happy medium must be 
 chosen. 
 
 FLOATS. These articles, so indispensable to the young 
 and inexperienced angler, may be purchased of all shapes
 
 FLOATS. 
 
 29 
 
 and sizes at the tackle shops. Small cork floats ai the 
 handiest for general fishing, but for carp, roach, and 
 chub, a small quill must be used, (figs. 4 and 5.) For fish- 
 ing for pike with live bait, the float must be proportion- 
 ately larger, (fig. 7.) They maybe easily made; an easily 
 made, light, and useful quill float is shown in fig. 5. It is 
 made from two quills cut through the middle, and each 
 
 \ 
 
 Fig. 4. Fig. 5. Fig. 6. 
 
 Fig. 7. 
 
 cut end slipped over a plug of some light wood. A 
 useful cement for joining floats, tipping their ends to 
 keep out the wet, and other angling and general purposes, 
 is made of 1 oz. of bees-wax, 5 oz. of yellow resin, melted 
 together in an earthenware vessel ; an ounce of Venetian
 
 so 
 
 ANGLING. 
 
 red may be added, and about the same quantity of plaster 
 of- Paris. Let it boil slowly, stir it until thoroughly 
 incorporated, and then it should be stirred until it cools. 
 A small portion must be melted in some convenient vessel 
 for use as required. This is useful if the young angler 
 aspires to the manufacture of cork 
 floats. Generally speaking, a little 
 melted sealing-wax and the tackle 
 spirit varnish, is all that is neces- 
 sary, and answers every purpose. 
 The quills may be ornamented, as 
 in fig. 4, with coloured silk ; or the 
 quills may be dyed, or coloured 
 red; the liquid dyes sold at the 
 chemists' shops will form the best 
 laboratory the " natty " angler can 
 resort to for this purpose. A 
 little vermilion or Brunswick green 
 added to the tackle varnish will 
 give his floats the brilliant red or 
 green tint he may wish. Though 
 the plainer and unobtrusive the 
 tackle is kept the better green is, 
 however, better than red. On 
 broad streams the tumbler float is 
 very useful, and it is not generally 
 known. Its appearance is shown 
 in fig. 8. I never saw one sold, 
 but I have made scores for my friends, by taking out the 
 upper quill of an ordinary rotund cork float, and adding 
 a much longer one, with a swan shot or lead pellet fastened 
 in the top. This pellet should be heavy enough to cause
 
 THE HAVERSACK AND CREEL. 
 
 31 
 
 the float to lie flat on the water, and it should be sufficiently 
 well balanced as to show the slighest nibble by standing 
 upright. I have cast this float with a long line far into a 
 broad stream, and indeed this is its use. It is truly a float 
 of the Nottingham school of anglers, and a very good one 
 it is. A few spare float caps, made by cutting quills into 
 sections, and whipping a bit of waxed silk 
 round them to prevent them splitting, 
 should form part of the bottom-fisher's 
 outfit. 
 
 The PLUMMET. This useful little 
 article is necessary to ascertain the depth 
 of the water in bottom-fishing. Mine 
 is made of thin sheet-lead, rolled into 
 the oval shape of fig. 9, a small piece is 
 uncoiled, and wrapped round the hook, 
 and then carefully and quietly let into 
 the water. Another form of plummet is 
 sold at the shops (fig. 10 ;) the hook 
 is slipped through the ring A, and the point rests on a 
 wood plug in the bottom, B. 
 
 The PANIER BASKET, or CREEL, is usually made of wicker- 
 work ; and those elegant baskets known as "French 
 made," are perhaps the most popular. The size must be 
 regulated by the quantity of fish the angler expects to 
 capture. Damp grass is better than any other material to 
 keep the fish fresh and cool. An extra strap or two will 
 be found useful to attach the waterproof coat, extra butt, 
 or other angling impedimenta to the basket. 
 
 A HAVERSACK of waterproof cloth, similar in shape to 
 those supplied to the infantry, is in my opinion one 
 of the most useful articles which au angler can have. It
 
 32 ANGLING. 
 
 is easily packed; and as the band can be easily fitted 
 with button-holes, it can be attached to the brace-but- 
 
 Fig. 11. 
 
 tons on the left-hand side, or to buttons stitched on 
 purposely. A convenient size is one of twenty inches long 
 
 Fig. 12. 
 
 by twelve inches deep, fitted with a flap and two buttons, 
 as shown in fig. 12, to which a short strap and buckle may
 
 FISHING GEAR. 33 
 
 be added. The interior should be divided longitudinally 
 by a third piece, and the seams should be carefully turned 
 in, double-stitched, and varnished. In it the angler may 
 keep a whole variety of requisites, and oil occasions a 
 change of linen. It may be fitted with rings or buckles, 
 so as to permit the shoulder-straps to be taken off or put 
 on at pleasure. 
 
 The DKAG-HOOK and COED (fig. 13) is suggestive of 
 anything but pleasant ideas. It is about as awkward a 
 piece of furniture as a man could carry about with him. I 
 would rather lose a hook and line than be troubled for an 
 hour with one. 
 
 The CLEARING- RING is, on the contrary, useful and easily 
 carried. It is used in clearing the line and hook when 
 entangled amongst weeds, roots of trees, piles, or other en- 
 cumbrances in the bed of a river. One weighing six or 
 eight ounces, of the accompanying pattern, (fig. 14,) can 
 be made by any blacksmith. The iron in the thicker 
 parts should be of a pear-shaped section, the thinner and 
 
 Fig. 13. Fig. 14. 
 
 sharper edge being in the interior. A piece of cord is 
 knotted to the upper end ; it is then slipped over the line, 
 which guides it to the obstruction, and then by pulling the 
 cord the hook and tackle may be saved.
 
 34 
 
 ANGLING. 
 
 The DISGOEGER is a useful little article, made of wood, 
 metal, or boue, of this shape, (fig. 15.) It is used for re- 
 leasing the hook from the throat of a fish. The fork en- 
 ables the angler to force down the hook, and so release it 
 without the disagreeable process of opening the fish, which 
 sometimes has to be adopted. It enables the fly-fisher to 
 prevent his flies being mangled, ruffled, and damaged. The 
 disgorger can be easily made by an ingenious boy out 
 of the handle of an old spoon. A hole drilled in the 
 handle enables it to be attached by a piece of twine to the 
 button-hole. 
 
 The GAFF is a large, sharp, deeply-barbed hook, similar 
 
 Fig. 15. 
 
 Fig. 16. 
 
 Fig. 17- 
 
 to a large fish-hook, screwed in or fastened to the end of a 
 proper piece of wood, which may also be used for a landing- 
 net. It should be well tempered, and is indispensable in 
 landing large fish where the bank is high, or where the
 
 THE ANGLER'S \TALL!:T. 
 
 35 
 
 landing-net cannot be easily used. There are several 
 varieties sold. 
 
 The LANDING NET. This most useful article should be 
 made of jointed brass, for the convenience of packing. 
 Where the bank of the river is steep, or in fishing from a 
 boat in a loch, it is indispensable. The handle should 
 screw on, and if in two pieces, so much the better. It 
 should be so arranged as to admit of a "fly retriever" (fig. 17.) 
 Mr Parker of Eavenscrag, near Penrith, has invented a 
 modification of this apparatus, which shuts up like a knife. 
 The inner edge should be sharp, so as to cut away the 
 branches and twigs overhead in which the line or fly may 
 become entangled. The net itself should be so fine as to 
 enable the angler to secure minnows with it, and so answer 
 the double purpose of a landing and a minnow-net. 
 
 The ANGLER'S POCKET-BOOK or WALLET is a very use- 
 
 Fig. 18. 
 
 ful article. The one I use is about seven iiiches long by 
 about five wide, and it opens like a tailor's pattern-book ; 
 it has numerous pockets. When open it presents the 
 above appearance, (fig. 18.) The covers are made ol
 
 36 ANGLING. 
 
 thin millboard, and the divisions of card-board, glued to 
 a section of oil-skin cloth, and lined with black linen, &c., 
 fitted with elastic bands, and bound with military braid. 
 A few parchment strips are stitched in the centre, as 
 shown. When closed it all rolls up, and is fastened by a 
 strap or tied band, at the option of the angler. It will 
 contain scissors, knife, pliers, wax, floats, hooks, gut, hair, 
 waxed silk, thread, barley, needles, fly materials, though it 
 is better to keep these things separate in a similar case to 
 surround the fly-box. If deluded into the idea of keeping 
 flies in a book, you will regret it. An excellent substitute 
 for the book above described may be made from one of 
 Parkin & Gotto's prize writing-cases, refitted by placing 
 a few strips of parchment where the blotting-paper is. It 
 forms a handy waterproof book, and has the advantage to 
 the young angler of being cheap. Our book was sug- 
 gested by, and is a modification of, this book. Fig. IS 
 shows a winder for six bottom lines in the centre. 
 
 The MINNOW OR LIVE-BAIT KETTLE (fig. 19) should be 
 of tin, and fitted with straps to go over the shoulder. A 
 second lid, perforated, should be added, with a hand-net 
 to take out the bait, which otherwise are not improved by 
 the hand of the fisherman rubbing the scales off. The live 
 bait kettle is used in trolling for trout and pike, and may 
 be purchased at the tackle-shops, but see that it is fitted 
 with straps. 
 
 A pair of waterproof stockings will be found useful ; and 
 if not comeatable, two pairs of stockings should be worn, 
 and the boots made as waterproof as possible. The best 
 antiseptic waterproof material I know as a dressing for 
 fishing and shooting boots was given in the Mechanics'
 
 THE BAIT CAN. 
 
 37 
 
 Magazine some thirty years ago. It is composed of three 
 parts tallow, one oz. yellow resin, melted in a pipkin, and 
 rubbed into the boots when just warm. The soles and 
 uppers to be treated alike until they will soak no more. At 
 first it will slightly stain the stockings. If a good colour 
 and polish is desirable, a little bees-wax dissolved in tur- 
 
 Fig. 19. 
 
 pentine, and mixed with a little lamp black, may be well 
 rubbed in, and when the turpentine has evaporated the 
 boots will be brilliant enough to charm the fishes, and be 
 warm and comfortable, besides lasting twice as long as they 
 otherwise would. Curriers' " dubbing," in which a little 
 resin has been melted, will answer as a substitute, but it
 
 38 
 
 ANGLING. 
 
 is not nearly so efficacious as the above invaluable mix- 
 ture. 
 
 Bait boxes for gentles, flannel bags for worms, a small 
 box for paste, or what is better for this purpose, a piece 
 of oiled silk, pieces of thin lead, or a box of split shot, are 
 adjuncts which the young angler will have to attend to. 
 Extra lengths of gut, lines, a spare float, float caps, swivels, 
 gimp, &c. 
 
 Common LI-..SS Iv 
 
 Liass Reel with Friction Plate.
 
 BOTTOM-FISHING. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Points to be Observed Striking, Hooking, Playing, and LamJ.'cg 
 the Fish. 
 
 THOUSANDS of my countrymen, however ardent their 
 passion for more noble sport may be, must content them- 
 selves with the humble but interesting pastime of bottom- 
 fishing. It is not every one, however keen may be his 
 appetite for sport, that can indulge in frequent visits to the 
 running, brawling, trout stream, and still less frequently to 
 the salmon rivers. If he fishes at all, he must fish in the 
 smooth, sluggish waters which are nearest at hand, and a 
 very respectable substitute it is to the town-iinmuced 
 sportsman. A fly-fisher can roam where he pleases with 
 his rod, creel, line, and flies ; but though the fly-fisher may 
 require more skill, the bottom-fisher requires more art. He 
 must, if he wishes for sport, take a thousand precautions, 
 and, like a skilful general, have a thousand in reserve. He 
 must choose his ground with judgment, and prepare for his 
 campaign with foresight and skill. The attractive ground- 
 bait must prepare the way for the irresistible and tempting 
 morsel which is to follow, and reward the patient angler
 
 40 AXGLIXG 
 
 for his trouble. To do these things well requires some 
 knowledge of the habits of the finny tribes, their haunts, 
 the most attractive baits, and those best adapted for the 
 season. 
 
 His rod must be strong and light, and should have one 
 or two tops in reserve, so as to adapt it to the various kinds 
 of fish. One of the best bottom-fishers I ever met always 
 carried an extra joint with his rod of stout bamboo, which 
 was fitted at the bottom with a stout ferule and brass cap 
 tapped to hold a spud, drag-hook, gaff-hook, or landing-net, 
 while the upper end would fit the lower part of his rod, 
 when necessary, by unscrewing the ferule, and give him a 
 twenty feet sweep of a broad river. His rod consisted of 
 four lengths, each a little over four feet long, light, but 
 strongly made. This will answer for ordinary purposes , 
 but when fishing for roach, the rod should be lighter than 
 is necessary for any other species of river fish. 
 
 There is some difference in experience and practice as 
 to the use of a winch in bottom-fishing. For my own 
 part, I have not found it essential, though always useful, 
 if only to shorten or lengthen the line. A good plan is to 
 have a rod ringed, and attach a small spring swivel (which 
 may be bought at any fishing-tackle retailer's) to the line, 
 so that it can be brought down to the lower rings at once, 
 if necessary to shorten the line. This has the effect of 
 equalising to a great extent the strain upon the rod, though 
 not to the same extent as the winch. 
 
 The lines used for bottom-fishing are those made of gut, 
 which should be as fine as possible, consistent with strength. 
 Nay, some roach fishers use a single horse-hair for their 
 bottom lines, though a fine silk-worm gut is equally as 
 good, and infinitely more reliable. The foot lines must,
 
 WEIGHTING THE LINE 41 
 
 however, be of the colour of the water ; light green is per- 
 haps the best general tint, and best adapted for clear 
 water, as it resembles a film of confervge, and the mode of 
 dying it is elsewhere described. They should not be left 
 white, and it is of great importance to have one or more 
 foot lines stained of a reddish sandy hue for use after a 
 flood. For roach fishing the line should be of gut. For 
 perch, a well-plaited horse-hair line is the best, and many 
 anglers use this as a reel line foi all purposes, and vary 
 only the foot line. The lines should be weighted carefully 
 and neatly with split shot, or what is equally as good, fine 
 strips of the thin lead with which tea chests are lined, and 
 which may be obtained of any grocer. These strips are 
 handy, and can be easily wound round the lower links of 
 the line ; they are also easier adjusted, and are not so liable 
 to injure the gut as split shot, which have an awkward 
 knack of breaking, nipping, and pinching the line. It is 
 also more convenient to carry, less liable to be lost, and can 
 be taken off the line with less trouble, and what is more 
 important, with less liability of damage to the line than 
 the shot. 
 
 No hook, as before mentioned, should be used without 
 being carefully tried. They should be whipped on to the 
 line as neatly and as delicately as possible with slightly- 
 waxed silk the colour of the bait intended to be used. 
 The whipping must be neatly done to be successful. Hooks 
 for gentles, greaves, paste, and grain should be sneck bent, 
 bliort in the shank, and may be whipped to the bend of 
 the hook, so that the bait may readily cover the wire, and 
 not slip off easily, which would be the case if the long, 
 shanked and straight-bent hooks were used. The latter, how- 
 ever, are the best for worm baits, as they enable the worm
 
 42 ASCGtTXG. 
 
 to be threaded easily, while the bent hook is apt to injure 
 the bait, and render it less lively in the water. 
 
 Some bottom fishers, particularly those who have been 
 in the habit of fly-fishing, seldom use a float, and talk 
 learnedly of their quick eye and sensitive touch, which 
 enables them to detect a bite in a moment, and strike their 
 fish. The young beginner, however, must have a float, 
 though the smaller it is the better, except perhaps for 
 barbel fishing. Apart from the indication of a bite, or even 
 a nibble, it shows when the bait drags the bottom, or has 
 caught a weed. The ordinary float should never be allowed 
 to drag in the water, but should sit upright, and in smooth 
 water should have the point of the quill just above the 
 surface. Quill floats are the best for roach and carp fish- 
 ing, and cork floats are fancied for perch, tench, bream, and 
 barbel. The line should invariably rise perpendicularly 
 from the top of the float, so as to enable the angler to strike 
 promptly. Numbers of fish are lost through carelessly 
 allowing the line to lap over the float in coils, or hang in the 
 water, while their floats are slanting or dragging, and their 
 baits are being nibbled off. 
 
 To insure your float sitting nicely, two things must be 
 attended to : you must ascertain (if you do not know) the 
 depth of water. For this purpose a plumb is necessary, 
 and one made out of a coil of " tea lead," before mentioned, 
 is the best, as it can be lapped into a flat shape, which is 
 less cumbersome for the pocket. Place the plumb next on 
 your hook, and when it sinks the top of your float to the 
 surface of the water, you have the exact depth. If you are 
 fishing for gudgeons, tench, or barbel, you must fish close 
 to the bottom. If for roach, chub, or carp, from three to 
 six inches from it. Your float must be moved accordingly
 
 PLAYING THE FISH. 43 
 
 down the line, and fastened in the ordinary way with a 
 quill float-cap. See that it is leaded properly, and stands 
 upright in the water free from all obstruction, and ready to 
 yield to the slightest nibble ; and if an ordinary made quill 
 float, examine it carefully to see if it is likely to admit 
 water into the quill, and so render it less buoyant. A 
 little white wax will at once stop any crevice or fissure. 
 One thing the young angler must learn quietly and by 
 experience : he must learn to strike his fish promptly with 
 a sharp but slight jerk of the wrist. He must not do it 
 violently, for if he does, he will disturb and alarm the fish ; 
 neither must he wait for the nibble until the bait is gone 
 or the fish hooks itself. The wrist must be turned towards 
 you slightly to the right, with just sufficient force to lift the 
 bait a few inches. Many a day's fishing has been spoiled, 
 good tackle destroyed, fish tormented or rendered shy, by 
 the violent exhibition of strength in this neat and essential 
 portion of the angler's art. 
 
 The fish being hooked, my dear young angler, be merci- 
 ful in your strength. Do not be flurried, and jerk the fish 
 out of the water as if your life depended on your sending 
 it into the middle of the next meadow. If your tackle is 
 well chosen, you may lift your fish, of small size, out of the 
 water without any struggle, or a very short one. Some- 
 times you may alight on a shoal of small-sized fish, and then 
 it will be necessary to pull them at once to the surface of 
 the water, and allow them no play. This is particularly 
 the case with perch, for these bold gentlemen have strong 
 mouths, bite boldly, are not easily frightened by a bit of 
 gut or horsehair. Out with him at once, if possible, so 
 that he may not give the alarm to his companions. Chub 
 and barbel, and other large-sized fish, should be allowed a
 
 44 ANGLING. 
 
 little play ; tiie line must be kept tight to prevent him 
 going just where he listeth. He will soon begin to tire, 
 and show by his languid and enfeebled fins that he is suc- 
 cumbing to the influences and skill brought against him. 
 Then bring a taut and shortened line to bear on him; show 
 him the butt-end of your rod, and bring his head above 
 water. Be careful, for he may want another swim or two, 
 and if so, indulge him, or slip the landing-net under him ; 
 let him drop into it, and try another. 
 
 Sometimes when fishing with fine and delicate roach 
 tackle you may hook a large fish, which will try all your 
 skill. Your temper must be as smooth as a placid lake, 
 and your wrist as firm and as pliable as a fly-fisher's ere 
 you can land the monster who is enthralled by the single 
 horse-hair line and diminutive hook. It will require all 
 your skill and address, but it may and can be done, and 
 you may boast of the event with real pride, as showing 
 that the despised bottom-fishing is as excitingly full of 
 doubt, suspense, and fear as the salmon fisher could desire 
 on the Shannon rapids at Castle Connell. 
 
 The bottom-fisher requires no little patience, a tolerable 
 selection of baits the best of which I have endeavoured to 
 describe ; and ere I pass to the consideration of the baits, let 
 me dwell for a few minutes whilst I show, as clearly as I 
 can, how to bait the hook with a worm or worms. You must 
 first rub the ends of your forefinger and thumb of both hands 
 in sand, bran, or dry earth, to prevent the worm slipping, or 
 otherwise you will have great difficulty in properly adjust- 
 ing the slimy gentleman on the hook. Insert the point of 
 the hook at the head of the worm, and work it gently over 
 the bend, and up the shank, and along the line, until not 
 more than a quarter of an inch or so hangs beyond the
 
 BAITING THE HOOK. 45 
 
 point of the hook, which must be left to wriggle about. 
 Large worms as a rule should have a fourth of their length 
 left loose ; small worms should have the barb of the hook 
 close to their tails. When dead, the worms should be 
 replaced immediately. It is a waste of time to attempt to 
 entice fish with a dead worm. Particular attention must 
 be paid to the worm in putting it on the hook, so that the 
 skin may not be perforated by the barb when once in the 
 body ; and the tail of the worm should incline inwards, so 
 as to prevent, as far as possible, the worm working the 
 point of the hook through the skin. Fish are quick in 
 detecting the fine point of the hook. 
 
 If the wormsare small, two maybe placed onthehook ; and 
 this plan I prefer as a rule in practice, as it makes the bait 
 appear more natural, and of course more deadly. It may be 
 done in either of these two ways : the larger of the worms 
 may be threaded in the way above described to about half of 
 its length, the hook may then be brought through, and the 
 worm passed on to the gut. A smaller worm is then 
 chosen, and the hook inserted at such a distance from the 
 head as to bring the point of the hook within a quarter of 
 an inch of the head of the worm. The upper worm is then 
 brought down to meet the smaller worm, and the tails en- 
 twined within the bend of the hook. A second plan is 
 to insert the hook about midway down the worm, and 
 bring it out a little below the tail ; and the second worm 
 should have the hook inserted half an inch below the tail, 
 and brought close to the head. By this plan there are two 
 ends to wriggle and make the bait appear more lively. 
 I cannot too strongly impress the young angler with the 
 necessity of baiting his hook with care, for on it his suc- 
 cess will in a great measure depend. When I come to
 
 46 ANGLING. 
 
 speak of bottom-fishing for trout, I shall mention two 01 
 thre;? ot-Ler plans of worm-baiting ; but the young angler 
 will find the above sufficiently alluring for his purpose. 
 
 CHAPTER VL 
 THE BOTTOM-FISHEE'S BAIT TABLE. 
 
 THOSE baits are the best and the most killing which are 
 natural to the season. Children don't look for cherries on 
 the trees in February, and fish seem to know that seed 
 and grain ought not to be coming down the stream in 
 April. Sometimes a strange and extempore bait will suc- 
 ceed when an ordinary one will not ; but it is the excep- 
 tion, not the rule, and depends for success on the caprice 
 or gluttonous instinct of the fish, which may vary day by day, 
 according as it is surfeited or otherwise by its ordinary food. 
 1. "Worms stand first in the bottom-fisher's list, and of 
 these the dew, twatchel, or lobworm is the largest, and the best 
 bottom bait for large barbel, greyling, perch, trout, bream, 
 or eels, nay, even the lordly salmon does not disdain to take 
 one sometimes. You may find them in the gardens or 
 in the fields by digging at any time ; but they may be 
 found by thousands at night, or in the early morning, in 
 fields and meadows after a fall of heavy dew or rain. It 
 seems a ridiculous, but none the less a good plan, to search 
 for them by the light of a lantern. In dry weather they 
 sink deep into the earth; but in that case, if you throw a 
 quantity of wet straw on the surface of the ground they 
 will come out. A strong solution of salt and water, or
 
 VARIETIES OF WORMS. 47 
 
 water in which walnuts or their green shells have been boiled, 
 will, it is said, bring them speedily to the surface ; but it is 
 better to dig for them in moist mould or in the bottom 
 of a ditch. Sometimes a stick or a poker thrust into the 
 ground and well shaken will make them come to the surface. 
 
 2. The blue-head is a common worm in Ireland, and 
 not unfrequent in England. Its head is blue its body 
 of a cream colour, without nobs, and the skin of its belly 
 feels " sharply rough " to the finger. It scours readily, 
 and lives long in the water. It is an excellent bait ; salmon 
 and trout bite at it readily, and few river-fish will pass it 
 by. They are sometimes to be found in commons, in rich 
 garden mould, round the roots of plants. It must not be 
 confounded with the marsh-worm, which is only fit for 
 ground-bait. 
 
 3. Brandlings are found in old dunghills, and are capital 
 worms. They are striped across the back with red and 
 yellow. They should be well scoured in a piece of old 
 netting, or rag. 
 
 4. Red-worms. Those pinkish-coloured, thin ivory 
 worms, common in old tan-heaps, are a good tough worm 
 for small fish. They are also found in old dung-heaps, 
 where the manure and soil meet, and occasionally by the 
 side of ditches. They must be lightly handled, and the 
 hook must be small-sized and light in the wire. They are 
 the best bait for gudgeons, and perhaps the best general 
 bait for all fish. 
 
 5. Blood-worms are found in the excrement of horned 
 cattle. They are also found in farmyards. They are 
 about an inch in length, and are a killing bait if two or 
 three are put on the hook together, for small fish. 
 
 6. Tag-tail worms have the recommendation of being
 
 48 AXGLIXO. 
 
 used as soon as found, but they are by no means equal t 
 the foregoing. They are found in marly banks and in 
 strong clayey soil. They may be known by their light 
 red colour and yellow tail. 
 
 Slugs and other worms have been recommended, and 
 may have been used with success under exceptional circum- 
 stances, for barbel, chub, or eels ; but the foregoing worms 
 are much better. 
 
 Worms may be preserved and scoured in several ways. 
 I always adopt the old-fashioned plan of keeping them in 
 moss in a large unglazed earthenware flower-pot. The 
 moss must be clean picked, damped, and the worms placed 
 at the top, and a little cream or milk sprinkled over them, 
 and then set aside in a cool place. If the worms are not 
 for immediate use, some well-rotted dung and rich mould 
 is placed at the bottom of the pot, and the moss kept 
 damp. Worms treated in this way quickly scour, are 
 lively, and long-lived in the water. Every day or two 
 they are looked over, and the bruised and sickly ones 
 thrown away. A little bole Armenian is said to im- 
 prove their toughness. This plan will be found efficient, 
 and cause but little trouble. Mr Elaine, in his " Encyclo- 
 paedia of Rural Sports," mentions a plan of soaking a clean 
 coarse hempen or linen cloth in water, in which some 
 mutton suet has been boiled. When cold, put it into a 
 tub with the worms, and some fresh mould, and tie over 
 the top a linen cloth to admit air. Keep the whole in a 
 cool situation, and the worms will keep lively and fit for 
 use for many months. I have never tried this plan. The 
 first mentioned answers every purpose, and enables the 
 angler to keep the different sorts of worms separate. 
 
 If worms are wanted quickly, they may be washed and
 
 GRUB BAITS. 49 
 
 placed in a little chopped horse-hair. After an hour or two 
 they may be dusted with finely-powdered bole Armenian 
 and a little alum, and then placed in a bag with moss, im- 
 pregnated with the same mixtures. 
 
 Scouring renders worms tough and lively on the hook. 
 Dead worms are utterly valueless as baits. 
 
 7. The maggot or gentle is an excellent bait for roach, 
 dace, carp, bream, and chub in the summer and autumn 
 months. They are procured in large towns at the fishing- 
 tackle shops, and in the country a supply can generally be 
 procured at the tallow chandler's. Perhaps the best for 
 angling purposes that can be procured are those obtained 
 by hanging some animal substance, such as a sheep's head 
 or bullock's liver, in a place where flies abound, a'nd when 
 it is fully blown, place it in a tub half full of bran and 
 sand for the maggots to scour and clean themselves. They 
 are scoured and made tough by keeping them for three or 
 four days in a mixture of sand, meal, and bran. They 
 must be kept in a cool place, in a vessel filled with wet 
 sand away from the rays of the sun. If gentles are wanted 
 in the winter the same process must be followed in the 
 latter part of November, and when the piece of meat or 
 game is well blown it is laid in a tub or long box, (the 
 latter is best,) half-filled with dry pulverized cow-dung and 
 sifted mould moistened. The same compost is sifted over the 
 carcass, and gradually pressed down. The box may be 
 then buried in the earth, or placed in a cool situation. 
 The gentles can be taken from one end of the box without 
 disturbing the others. When turned into the chrysalis state, 
 they are useful for ground-bait, and sometimes roach will 
 bite at them. The gentles obtained at a knacker's or bone 
 boiler's are nasty things, and should only be used as 
 
 D
 
 50 ANGLING. 
 
 ground-bait. They are truly carrion disagreeable alike to 
 carry and handle, eating their way through the stoutest 
 bag. 
 
 8. The caddis-worm or straw-bait. This curious worm, 
 which is found at the edge of most rivers in its curious stony 
 shell, is the larvae of some of the angler's best flies. I have 
 found it an excellent bait in every stream where it is 
 found in the Midland shires. There is scarcely any other 
 bait about the merits of which so many diverse opinions 
 exist. My opinion of its merits has been strengthened by 
 many angling correspondents. Caddis may be kept in a bag, 
 if dipped frequently in the water to keep them moist. One 
 of these singular grubs has been added with killing effect 
 to an artificial fly. 
 
 Two of these baits are generally placed on the hook to- 
 gether. The hook must enter close under the head and 
 brought out at the end, if two are used. If the hook is a 
 very small one, one only may be used ; but it is necessary 
 that the hook and shank should both be covered. Artificial 
 caddis are sometimes used ; and in the chapter on " Flies, 
 and how to Dress them," a plan of making them is described. 
 The above remarks apply equally to all kinds of grubs. 
 
 9. Tlie meal-worm is a sort of grub common in old mills 
 where meal has been kept : it is not unlike, if not identical 
 with, the weevil of ship-biscuit. It is much liked by 
 trout and other fish ; requires no scouring, and may be 
 kept in meal. 
 
 10. The wasp-grub is a soft milky grub, taken from a 
 wasp's nest. They require to be toughened by being 
 placed in an oven to be half baked before use. They may 
 be kept in a jar in a cool cupboard. Trout bite freely at
 
 SALMON SPAWN. 51 
 
 them, and it is said that a too frequent use of them spoils 
 the fishing for any other bait. 
 
 11. Salmon spawn. We are told that this is a poaching 
 contrivance illegal and unsportsmanlike. It may be 
 bought preserved ready, and has a killing reputation. It 
 is difficult to prepare, as it is apt to become too hard or 
 too soft. One recipe says that it should be carefully 
 washed with cold water, and separated in a delicate manner 
 from all skin. LukeAvarm water must be added, until it is 
 perfectly clean from all film. The last water must be cold. 
 The roe must then be left to dry in a hair sieve. Two 
 ounces of salt are then added to every pound of roe, and 
 well mixed with the fingers. The brine is then allowed 
 to drain off, and the roe is spread on a shallow dish near 
 the fire. The dish must be placed in an oblique direction, 
 and the roe stirred with the handle of a wooden spoon, 
 until each ovum has dried separately. To have each ovum 
 perfectly clean, separately salted and dried, is the secret of 
 the preserving it. When cool, pot it, and keep the air from 
 it with melted suet or lard covering the pots down with 
 bladder or oiled silk. Another recipe states that it should 
 be boiled for about ten minutes, and then washed, picked, 
 cleaned, and dried. Two ounces of salt, and a quarter of an 
 ounce of saltpetre, must then be mixed with it, and spread 
 before the fire until it becomes quite stiff. It is then potted 
 as above. Trout take this bait greedily j chub and roach bite 
 at it freely. It is threaded in single grains on the hook 
 until it is covered the finest grains being reserved to cover 
 the barb and point of the hook. A good plan, too, is to 
 string the grains of roe, like beads, with a fine needle and 
 pink silk thread, and then wind them round the shank and
 
 52 ANGLINQ. 
 
 head of the hook, reserving a fine one for the point. When 
 soft and broken it may be mixed with a little bread paste, 
 as salmon roe paste. 
 
 12. The cockroach. Trout and other fish bite at cock- 
 roaches at a mill-tail, from whence they might be supposed 
 to have coine. 
 
 13. Greaves, familiarly known as " scratching.s," are the 
 refuse of a tallow chandler's melting-copper, pressed into 
 large cakes. The best are, however, those made by the lard 
 " Tenderers " and refiners. To prepare it for use, it is 
 broken up and scalded. The whitest portions are chosen 
 for the hook, and the others are used for ground-bait for 
 barbel, chub, &c. 
 
 14. Boiled malt, Parley, or wheat, is a famous bait for 
 roach in the autumn, and is far better than brewer's 
 grains, which should only be used for ground-bait. If the 
 angler has time to prepare the grain himself, wheat should 
 be steeped all night in plenty of lukewarm water, and then 
 placed in a warm (not hot) oven for several hours, until the 
 skin cracks and shows the white fecula. Malt, which appears 
 to be a more attractive bait than either barley or wheat, 
 is prepared in a similar way ; but for success it should not 
 be allowed to get too soft, and should only just show the 
 inside. The plumpest grains should be chosen for the 
 hook, and the rest used as ground-bait. In September 
 and October I have found this a more attractive bait than 
 any paste. Sometimes the husks are removed, and the 
 flour kneaded to a fine paste. London anglers all speak 
 well of boiled pearl barley as a bait for roach, and during 
 the past season I have tried it with success in the Avon. 
 
 I never met with a bottom-fisher who was not " great " 
 in the matter of pastes, and able to sing loudly in praise of
 
 VARIETIES OF PASTE. 6 
 
 this or that compound, either of his own invention, or of 
 some village "Walton. 
 
 Plain paste is made by kneading moistened bread 
 crumbs between the fingers until it becomes adhesive. If 
 the stream is a running one, a little lint or cotton wool 
 may be mixed with it to prevent it being easily washed off 
 the hook. A small portion of vermilion is sometimes 
 added to give it a pink colour. Stale bread is used for 
 roach-fishing, and new bread for chub-fishing. It is neces- 
 sary that the hands should be perfectly clean, or else the 
 fish will not touch the bait. It is best to carry the bread 
 to the river side, and make the paste just before using, 
 as it has a tendency to turn sour. 
 
 Greaves paste, for barbel, is made by dipping white bread 
 into water in which greaves has been boiled, and then 
 kneading it. The hook should have a small bit of greaves 
 on the point when this paste is used. 
 
 Siveet paste is made by adding honey to bread crumbs, 
 and then working it to a proper consistence. I think 
 highly of this paste for carp, chub, and roach, and it ia 
 improved by adding a small quantity of gin. 
 
 Cheese paste is made of rotten Cheshire cheese and bread 
 for chub ; for roach, new cheese and stale bread. 
 
 Adhesive pastes are made of size obtained by boiling 
 parchment or white leather cuttings in water. Useful 
 only in rapid waters. 
 
 With respect to baits, almost any insect or small reptile 
 may be tried when ordinary baits fail, and succeed in 
 deluding occasionally the most cunning fish. 
 
 GROUND-BAITS are nearly as varied as the baits them- 
 selves, and should be freely used from twelve to fifteen 
 hours, and even twenty hours, before you fish the pitch.
 
 54 ANGLING 
 
 Meal ground-bait is useful for chub, dace, roach, and 
 carp in deep waters. Bread, oatmeal, and bran, must be 
 well kneaded together with a little water until they will 
 form tough balls. Should be used with the sweet paste. 
 
 Soiled rice is a good ground-bait when fishing with 
 gentles, and one grain placed nicely on the hook will some 
 times attract a roach. 
 
 Raw rice and large grained white sago, the latter espe- 
 cially, is useful when fishing with boiled malt. 
 
 Bread and clay, or bran and clay, kneaded together, and 
 a large stone placed in the middle, is a useful ground-bait 
 when fishing with paste. To the bran and clay gentles 
 or worms may be added, and throwu into the stream ; and 
 as they creep out, the fish take them, and are encouraged 
 to take your finer bait. In deep water, this is one of the 
 best ground baits. 
 
 Greaves boiled and mixed with clay or bran is the proper 
 ground-bait for barbel. Wet sand and carrion gentles, 
 chewed bread, are all good ground-baits. 
 
 When fishing with worms, clay, malt-dust, and bran 
 may be mixed together with some chopped worms, and a 
 little bullock's or sheep's blood may be added and made 
 into tenacious balls. 
 
 The young angler should recollect that his object is to 
 attract the fish, and not to feed them, therefore when fish- 
 ing he should use the ground-bait sparingly. It should 
 always be of the same nature as the baits to be used, but of 
 inferior quality. Without the use of ground-bait in slug 
 gish streams, the chances of the angler's success are but 
 small.
 
 THE HAUNTS OF THE MINNOW. 65 
 
 CHAPTEK VII. 
 
 BOTTOM-FISHING. 
 
 What to fish for, and where The haunts of the Minnow, Loach, 
 Ruffe, Gudgeon, Bleak, Dace, Roach, Chub, and Bream. 
 
 IN suitable waters nearly every description of fish may be 
 caught by the bottom-fisher if he provides himself with 
 suitable tackle, uses it in the best manner, and in the suit- 
 able season. To be successful he should know somewhat 
 of the haunts of the fish, their method and time of feed- 
 ing, and, above all, when they are in season. During the 
 present year I have been repeatedly annoyed by anglers 
 taking fish when they were not only unwholesome, but 
 spawning, and thereby destroying the poisonous fish and 
 their future sport. I have already touched upon the 
 general habits of fish their sense of hearing, sight, and 
 smell, (Chap. II. ;) and to the remarks there made I would 
 again direct the young angler's attention, ere I touch 
 upon the various kinds of fish which will afford him sport 
 with his rod, line, float-bait, and sinkers. Following out 
 the plan I proposed at the commencement, I begin with 
 the smaller fry, which are easily caught, and though not 
 of much value in themselves, are useful as baits for the 
 larger and more valuable fish. 
 
 The MINNOW is well known to every schoolboy who has 
 seen a rivulet. Delicate in shape, rapid in motion, and 
 moving in shoals, they are at once bold, gregarious, and vo- 
 racious feeders. For the purposes of the troller and spinner 
 they are usually caught with a hand-net. A bent pin and 
 a small red worm enables a boy to catch any number.
 
 56 ANGLING. 
 
 They will take a crumb of bread or a gentle voraciously. 
 If a worm is used, tied to a horse-hair, they may be pulled 
 out by the dozen. Walton and other old writers speak of 
 minnow as forming a nice dish when caught in sufficient 
 numbers, but they are more trouble than they are worth. 
 
 The LOACH is not a pleasant fish to look at. His bullet 
 head and heavy shoulders give him a clumsy look. They 
 bite freely at a worm, and do not despise gentles. 
 
 The RUFFE is a fierce-looking, bold biter, somewhat like 
 a small perch. They may be caught during the whole of 
 the summer months, and afford excellent sport to the 
 young angler. Wherever one is caught there will be plenty 
 of others. They lie in rather deep water, in a hole close 
 by the eddying of a stream. You may ground bait with 
 clay balls, in which bits of worms have been rolled. 
 Though small, they form a respectable fry. 
 
 The GUDGEON is a better known fish, and one that is 
 esteemed a choice morsel, even by gourmands. They bite 
 freely, and there are but few streams in England where he 
 does not abound. I have caught them by the dozen in canals 
 and in the rivulets running into larger streams. There is no 
 difficulty in getting a respectable dish of this fine-shaped and 
 excellent fish, which are largely in demand for live bait for 
 jack, and occasionally for trout. They are very prolific, and 
 are supposed to spawn about May. The tackle adapted to 
 catch them is a small light rod, a fine gut or single hair bottom 
 line, a very small hook, a small brandling worm, a bit of 
 paste, or a gentle. A light quill. float is generally used. 
 A paste in which a little hemp-seed has been mixed has 
 been used and recommended as a ground-bait. In all run- 
 ning streams and clear water the grand secret of catching 
 gudgeons is to rake the bottom of the stream so as to stix
 
 PISHING FOR BLEAK. 57 
 
 np the mud and discolour the water. The gudgeons fly 
 to where they suppose their food to be, and with a small 
 well-scoured red worm, lightly threaded on to a small hook 
 close to the bottom of the stream, they may be caught by 
 scores. If the worm is too big, use only the head. When 
 one spot has been fished, repeat the process in another 
 place. Gudgeons are too fond of " nibbling," but otherwise 
 they bite freely. There is another mode of angling for 
 gudgeons, but it is only excusable when in a hurry for 
 " live bait." The flat plummet is fixed just to an ordinary 
 perch hook, and attached to a horse-hair line. Two or 
 three hooks are suspended above the bullet, in the manner 
 of a "paternoster," and firmly looped in the manner of 
 '' droppers," as described in " fly-fishing." These hooks 
 are baited with worms as before mentioned. The plummet 
 is let down to the bottom in a promising part of the stream, 
 and the hooks are suffered to lie on the bottom or float 
 about in the running water. If the line be held tight, 
 every bite will be perceptible, and the fish caught, if the 
 youth is not in too great a hurry to strike. Epicures in 
 all ages of the world have admired the gudgeon when fried 
 crisp on butter and bread crumbs, and served hot with 
 melted butter for sauce. 
 
 The BLEAK is found in the majority of clear streams, 
 where there is a good current. They spawn in May or 
 June, and are soon as active as ever. Small as they are, 
 they are active, and shine like silver. In fine weather they 
 play on the surface of the water, and will bite freely at a 
 small brown fly, and, indeed, there are worse sports thac 
 whipping for bleak on a summer's evening with a light 
 rod, fine tackle, and half-a-dozen flies attached to eight or 
 nine feet of gut as droppers, on very fine hooks. When the
 
 58 ANGLING. 
 
 weather is colder, the bleak may be taken by a paternoster 
 line, made somewhat similar to that described in fishing 
 for gudgeon, but without a bullet. The hooks should be 
 baited with gentles, and the angler should choose a spot 
 near a rapid run of water, where the current flows quick 
 from a sluice, and near the whirling eddies of a mill-tail. 
 They bite freely, and when gentles are scarce a little bit of 
 white leather from a kid glove may be placed on a hook 
 on which a small artificial fly has been whipped. The 
 float, if one is used, should be light and small. They are 
 cooked similar to sprats, which they much resemble. 
 
 The DACE, like the minnow, belongs to the carp tribe, 
 and is equally reckless. He is somewhat elegant in shape, 
 and he is one of the best fish for the young angler. He is 
 not particular as to the bait you offer him ; he will spring 
 at the natural or artificial fly at the surface of the water, 
 and take the fine red brandling, your paste, or gentle, at 
 the bottom. The tackle must, however, be as fine as that 
 recommended for roach-fishing. He varies somewhat in 
 size, and when large will tax all the skill of the youthful 
 fisherman. He is gregarious, loves the society of his fel- 
 lows, and delights in the scours and rapid currents of most 
 rivers. He loves the free moving waters of a mill-tail, or 
 the smart stream of a narrow arched bridge. The junction 
 of two streams affords him a suitable home. The dace 
 spawn early in the spring, and in May they are in condi- 
 tion. They seem almost to fly through the water, so rapid 
 are their movements. They will bite freely at the artificial 
 red and black palmers or spiders, particularly if the point 
 of the hook is tipped with a live gentle. They afford good 
 sport with the natural fly, as described in " dipping." The 
 eflsh-fly, house-fly, or ant-fly may be used. In hot weather
 
 FISHING FOR EOACH. 53 
 
 they are to be sought for in deeper water. When bottom- 
 fishing for dace, use ground-bait of a hard tough nature, 
 Oatmeal, browned over the fire, mixed with treacle, and 
 then made up into small hard balls, I have found the best. 
 In hot weather they bite freest in the morning and evening ; 
 in colder weather in the middle of the day. For practising 
 the young angler in the details of the gentle art, I think 
 dace fishing holds the very highest place, though he does 
 not rank high in the kitchen. 
 
 The ROACH has long been the shy object of the bottom- 
 fisher's art, and roach-fishing demands special skill and 
 special appliances. The line must be of the finest gut, 
 stained to the colour of the water ; the hook must be 
 of the smallest, with a short shank, and whipped with 
 fine silk of a light pink or white colour, and attached to a 
 link of a single hair or very fine gut. The sinkers should 
 be fixed far above the bait, which should be but an inch 
 or two above the level of the ground. The float should be 
 of the lightest quill, and so weighted that only the tip 
 appears above the surface of the water. The rod should 
 be long and light, and those made of Spanish cane are the 
 best I have seen, as they permit the fish to be delicately 
 and promptly struck. When roach-fishing, the water 
 should be plumbed and ground-baited the evening before. 
 If about to fish with paste, the meal ground-bait before de 
 scribed will be the best. The oatmeal and treacle ground- 
 bait, described in dace-fishing, may also be used with effect 
 when angling, if made into balls of a small size, and thrown 
 near the float. Roach do not generally lie in rapid streams, 
 but in the autumn months and they should not be fished 
 for at any other time, as they are out of condition until 
 the middle of July love the gravelly bed of a softly-
 
 60 ANGLTNG. 
 
 flowing deep stream, along which, the insects, grain, 01 
 other food is gently carried along, close at bottom, but not 
 touching it. Long as the line may be, and it is sometimes 
 necessary to fish eight or nine feet deep, there should not 
 be more than eighteen inches or two feet between the tip 
 of the float and the end of the rod. Care must be taken, 
 from time to time, to see that the bait is on the hook, and 
 that no part of the hook is exposed. Early in the spring 
 I have caught roach with a fine red worm, but, as a rule, 
 I prefer waiting until August before I try for this subtle 
 and shy fish. I find, in August, they will bite early in the 
 morning and late in the evening, at gentles, or at salmon 
 roe, though I seldom use this seductive bait. Caddis and 
 gentles, when easily obtained, are taken freely if the ground- 
 bait has been attended to. In the heat of the day, and 
 during the evening, the roach may be attracted by the 
 yellow-fly, so common in cow dung, if carefully " dipped " 
 on the surface. I have taken them with a blue-bottle, 
 tipped with a gentle, frequently ; but the angler must be 
 out of sight, and make no noise. As the autumn progresses, 
 the best bottom bait will be found to be boiled malt, wheat, 
 or pearl barley. If the former is used, it must be so placed 
 on the hook that the point and shank of the hook is hid, 
 and the tempting luscious inside may be seen. If the 
 hook, however, has a long shank, it is fatal to success with 
 large fish. A handful of malt may be thrown in as ground- 
 bait, and large-grained unboiled sago, and even rice, is 
 often found attractive. It requires, however, some skill in 
 playing a roach of some size, and I have seen them fre- 
 quently one pound and one and a half pound weight caught 
 and landed when the bottom line was a single horse-hair. 
 The roach, like the carp, is fond of sucking at the bait, and
 
 HOW TO FISH FOR CHUB. 61 
 
 he should be struck firmly and delicately at the slightest 
 nibble. Pastes are largely used to attract roach, and good 
 sport is sometimes obtained by this means. Koach seem 
 to like sweet paste, and that made with a little honey, gin, 
 and new bread, is often successful when plain paste fails to 
 attract. When the fish are on the feed, a plain paste, pro- 
 vided it is made with clean hands, will be found all that is 
 necessary. I have sometimes found that the addition of a 
 little essence of anchovies to the paste have a killing effect 
 when all other means failed. The principle of success in 
 roach fishing, and with the majority of other members of 
 the carp tribe, is to have fine tackle, a delicate hook, 
 a sharp eye for a nibble, and plenty of patience. The 
 home of the roach is on the deep side of streams, and 
 under bridges. 
 
 The CHUB is to be found in nearly all our English rivers. 
 He is a long, powerful fish, not very attractive in a gusta- 
 tive sense, but tolerably handsome-looking, a bold feeder 
 when he thinks nobody is looking, and not very fastidious 
 as to what he eats. He haunts deep holes, lies at the 
 bottom of old walls, and likes overhanging banks. He 
 spawns early, and is in season again about May. He has 
 what the phrenologists call large inhabitativeness, and may 
 generally be found in the same spot year after year. In 
 summer weather, where no trout stream is near, the chub 
 affords some tolerable sport. He will rise freely at an arti- 
 ficial fly. Red spiders and palmers of various colours seem 
 to be his favourites. Imitate a humble-bee or a blow-fly 
 and they will rise freely. In the evening their fondness is 
 for moths. In dipping for them, the grasshopper, beetle, 
 and cockchaffer may be used, and even a butterfly will 
 not be rejected. The rod must be like a fly-fisher's,
 
 62 ANGLINQ. 
 
 and fitted with a winch and running tackle ; for, when 
 first hooked, Mr Chub makes a desperate effort to 
 escape. He, however, soon tires, and cries " enough." 
 The best plan of baiting with live insects will be found 
 in the chapter on " fishing with the natural fly." To 
 the bottom-fisher the chub is also an object of attrac- 
 tion in consequence of the sport he affords. He is, how- 
 ever, shyer, if possible, than the roach, and requires fine 
 tackle to delude him. In the earlier months of the year 
 the chub prefers a red worm. They are also fond of 
 gentles and cheese paste, or little pellets of tallow and 
 cheese, flavoured slightly with musk. I may here mention, 
 that gentles from a dead rat are held to be more killing 
 than any others in consequence of their musky odour. The 
 chub likes a fair-sized bait better than a small one. The 
 spinal-cord of a bullock, if in convenient bits, will entice 
 him, particularly if bullock's or sheep's brains have been 
 used as a ground-bait. Greaves (see Table of Baits) are 
 used as ground-bait, and the whiter pieces kept for the 
 hook. The hook itself may be tipped with a live gentle, 
 and care must be taken that the greaves will not prevent 
 the fish being hooked when struck, in consequence of their 
 toughness and firmness. In the very early spring he some- 
 times will bite at a minnow or small frog ; but as the fish, 
 when caught, is one of the worst fish possible for the table, 
 he is not much sought after. 
 
 The BRKAM is a common fish in all the rivers that fall 
 into the fenny counties, or flow through marshy ground. 
 They spawn late in June or early in July, and rapidly 
 multiply and grow to a large size. They are broad, ugly, 
 and coarse, and have been likened to a pair of bellows. 
 They bite freely, but they have no little cunning, and it
 
 THE HOME OF THE BIIEAM. 63 
 
 requires the angler to be equally wary if lie wishes to secure 
 these unwieldy denizens of our broad, sluggish, still rivers. 
 Running tackle will be required, and the hook may be a 
 No. 8 or 9, securely whipped to a gut foot-line. A quill 
 float is necessary, as the hook should touch or trail along 
 the bottom. Clay and clotted bullock's blood makes an 
 excellent ground-bait. Red worms are the best bait in the 
 spring, early in the morning and late in the evening. In 
 summer, gentles and salmon roe, with greaves for ground- 
 bait, prove attractive. When the weather is warm and 
 gloomy, or a slight breeze ripples the surface of the water, 
 the bream will bite, particularly after a warm drizzling 
 rain. The bream have a sort of fancy for a dew worm, 
 but he sucks it and does not bite. They must be struck 
 delicately and at once. When he is hooked he exerts his 
 strength, and makes for a weedy, sedgy bottom. The 
 angler must keep him in the open waters, or else the tackle 
 will assuredly break It requires no little patience and 
 skill to land a large bream, and when landed, his skin is 
 slimy, and not peculiarly pleasant. In the summer time 
 he will rise at the natural fly. The stone- fly, house-fly, 
 and blue-bottle are his particular fancy. In the evening a 
 moth will seduce him. His home is in the broad bends of 
 a river, and he is sometimes found with his family beneath 
 the shade of an overhanging willow, particularly where 
 there is a good depth of water.
 
 64 ANGLING. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 BOTTOM-FISHING. 
 
 What to Fish for, and where, continued The Haunts of the Carp, 
 Tench, Barbel, Perch, Eels, and Lampreys. 
 
 THE CAEP is one of the most difficult fish to catch in the 
 bottom-fisher's repertoire. Patience, skill, ingenuity, and 
 the most delicate and lightsome touch is necessary to hook 
 him, and when hooked difficult of management. He is, 
 however, much esteemed when caught, and furnishes a re- 
 spectable dish to the cook. It has not fallen to my lot to 
 catch more than three or four carp during my angling ex- 
 periences, and they were taken in a pond which was full of 
 them. I have been tolerably successful in capturing most 
 other fish, but the Fates in this instance were against me. 
 The tackle must be that recommended for roach-fishing, 
 fitted to a running line, and the hook should be a No. 8. 
 The difficulty of capturing this gentleman has suggested all 
 kinds of fanciful baits, scented pastes, green peas, green 
 gentles, larvce, grains, and worms, not forgetting a grass- 
 hopper or a bluebottle-fly. The difficulty in capturing 
 the .'.nrp arises from his sly method of nibbling away the 
 bait >vithout giving the expectant angler notice of his 
 intention ; for this reason I think that boiled wheat or malt 
 would be more likely to entice his lordship to take the hook 
 into his mouth, particularly if the pitch had been well 
 ground-baited. When hooked he will struggle gamely ; 
 but beware of the weeds In April or May sweet paste 
 made with honey, with a little scent, is said to entice them 
 to swallow the bait. Later in the year half a ripe cherry,
 
 HOW TO FISH FOB TENCH. Co 
 
 or a green pea boiled in sugar, is recommended. They 
 spawn at the latter end of April or the beginning of May, 
 and are very prolific. They will not bite in cold or windy 
 weather, and in sunny weather they leave the muddy deeps, 
 which they love, for the shallows ; and if the angler can 
 keep out of their visual range he may have a better chance 
 of success under these circumstances. The carp, however, 
 do nothing in a hurry ; they like to contemplate the bait 
 ere making their meal. You may capture carp in the 
 night, if you like nocturnal sport ; and a friend who lives 
 where carp abounds says that he is successful with sweet 
 paste, and he has tried the balsam of Tolu paste mentioned 
 in the second chapter, and found it attractive. In stagnant 
 waters, with deep oozy bottoms, and near floodgates, the 
 carp loves to dwell. 
 
 The TENCH, with its shining dark olive coat, is one of 
 the best of the carp tribe. Its slimy mucous skin is said 
 to heal the ills of other fish ; nay, even the ravenous and 
 cruel pike is said to respect this member of the carp tribe 
 out of respect for its healing virtues. It is said to be one 
 of the preventives of the plague, that it relieves pains in 
 the head, cures jaundice, and removes inflammation in the 
 eyes. The tench, like the carp, will live a long time out 
 of water. It is no uncommon thing to catch tench of the 
 weight of two or three pounds ; sometimes, in very favour- 
 able situations, they are found much heavier. The angler 
 should learn the haunts of the tench ere he fishes for him. 
 He should know the depth of the water, and whether the 
 bottom is a clayey, muddy, or gravelly one, for he must 
 fish only an inch or two from the bottom, and suit his 
 ground-bait to the bottom. If the bottom is a gravelly 
 one, a ground-bait of clay, carrion gentles, bullocks' blood,
 
 66 
 
 and chopped worms may be .thrown in the day before, and 
 the hook baited with a fine red worm, well secured on a 
 No. 6 or 7 hook, and, if not successful, a wasp grub or a 
 caterpillar may be tried. In a muddy or clay bottom, 
 later in the year, gentles and garden slugs will be found 
 good and attractive baits. The sweet honey paste is per- 
 haps the best general bait. If the pitch is well ground- 
 baited for a couple of days with the bread and clay ground 
 bait (page 54), and a few small pellets of the sweet paste 
 thrown in the night before, the angler will assuredly have 
 good sport in the early morning with the sweet paste. 
 They feed morning and evening, and all day in warm 
 showery weather, when they will not refuse a snail. The 
 tackle should be strong ; the rod should be long if the 
 banks are much encumbered with weeds, and fitted with 
 running tackle ; the foot line should be of gut, about eight 
 or ten feet long, stained a light green. A small cork float 
 should be used. Tench are wary and careful with the bait ; 
 they do not gorge it quickly, and require time. When the 
 float lies flat it shows they are rising with it. Then the 
 fish may be struck firmly but gently, and when hooked it 
 will be necessary to prevent the fish from indulging his 
 fancy of seeking the muddy bottom or the sedgy weedy 
 banks. Keep his mouth open, and though he starts 
 spasmodically, as it were, from place to place, he will soon 
 tire. I have only met with the tench in a few rivers, 
 except where they were carefully preserved. In ponds, 
 however, they are plentiful enough, and afford good sport 
 from April to October. They spawn in the early summer, 
 and are wonderfully prolific. 
 
 The BARBEL derives its name from the peculiar beard or 
 wattles which hang about his mouth. Though not one of
 
 THE BARBEL. 67 
 
 the best fish for the table, and in this respect is much in- 
 ferior to the tench, yet he is much sought after by anglers 
 in consequence of the sport he affords. They swim w 
 shoals, and love the strong current of a deep river, par- 
 ticularly when it runs over a stony bed. Amongst old 
 piles by the side, in the deep currents of bridges, weirs, 
 and locks, they love to lie and feed on the insects borne 
 down by the current. The strong fins of the barbel enable 
 him to stem the strongest current. In July, August, and 
 September, a day's barbel-fishing on the Trent or Thame? 
 is an event to be remembered. London anglers are par- 
 ticularly skilful in capturing barbel. They use worms, 
 tallow greaves, gentles, cheese paste, bullocks' blood, and 
 pike. The best bait is the lob-worm, well scoured and 
 lively, on a No. 8 or 9 hook, made specially. The best 
 time to fish is at night, or in the early morning. When 
 the lob- worm fails, greaves or gentles may be used. A float 
 is hardly necessary in the fast currents, but as it serves to 
 mark the depth of the water, it may be used ; but the angler 
 must learn to depend on his sense of touch if he wishes to 
 become a successful barbel-fisher. The rod should be 
 strong, and the running tackle equal to that used in salmon 
 fishing. He requires time to take the bait, and when struck 
 it should be done sharply. When hooked it will be diffi- 
 cult for him to escape, strong as he is in the water. Let 
 him have plenty of line in deep water, as he will sooner be 
 tired, particularly if you keep a tight rein, and the end of 
 your rod well up. Half an hour is not too long to tire a 
 fair sized barbel, and his head should be kept out of the 
 water. Isaat Walton truly says that no one did over-bait 
 the place for barbel. The best ground-bait is that made 
 of greaves, lob-worms, bran, and clay. Near London a punt
 
 68 ANGLINO. 
 
 is generally used, which enables the angler to dispense with 
 a long rod. They keep their noses at the bottom, and 
 their heads up stream. A cockroach, water-snail, cheese, 
 carefully prepared greaves, and salmon roe have been recom- 
 mended as excellent baits for this fish, which, when caught, 
 is despised by most cooks. 
 
 The PERCH may be found almost everywhere, and of 
 almost every size. Dashing, bold, and courageous, they 
 afford the angler capital sport; and notwithstanding his 
 humpy back, he is not despicable when the cook has 
 lavished his art on him. It is by no means necessary to 
 be so particular about the nicety and fineness of the tackle 
 in fishing for perch. He is not afraid of a bit of gut, which 
 should be about a yard long, attached to a silk and hair 
 line, and armed with a No. 4 or 5 hook. The size of the 
 hook must, however, depend somewhat on the size of the 
 perch fished for. Even the smallest perch has a large 
 mouth, and will take a large sized bait readily. If a com- 
 mon bottom rod is used, the short top may be fixed. As 
 a rule, running tackle should always be used for perch, 
 though I have noticed that many perch-fishers in the rural 
 districts of England catch a fair basket of perch without 
 running tackle of any kind. There are many ways of 
 fishing for perch, dependent to a great extent on the size 
 of the river, and the size of the fish. If in docks or deep 
 water, the "paternoster" line should be used. This species 
 of line derived its name from the hooks being fixed at 
 regular distances, in the same manner as beads are fastened 
 on a rosary, and used by Roman Catholic devotees. For 
 perch-fishing they may be fastened six or eight inches apart 
 on short stout pieces of gut. In some cases only two hooks 
 are used, the upper one being fastened contrary way to the
 
 THE HOME OF THE PERCH. 69 
 
 bottom hook, so as to hold a different kind of bait. When 
 four hooks are used, and the tackle is strong, it is recom- 
 mended in tidal waters to use a minnow or a gudgeon to 
 bait the lower hook, a fine lob-worm may occupy the next 
 hook, a shrimp the third, and a gentle the upper or fourth 
 hook. When two hooks only are on the line, a large lob- 
 worm, or two smaller ones, may be placed on the lower 
 hook, and a shrimp on the higher, and loaded with a plum- 
 met or bullet at the bottom. It should always be borne in 
 mind that while perch only feed, as a rule, morning and 
 evening in rivers, in all tidal waters they are on the 
 feed at different times, according to the state of the tide, 
 and on the flow and ebb the predatory perch is on the look- 
 out for prey. In open water perch love to lie about mill 
 pools, locks, and bridges. They have a hankering after 
 barges, shipping, and baulks of timber. In more quiet 
 streams they like deep holes where there is an eddy ; back- 
 waters with a sandy or gravelly bottom suit them, and in 
 these places there is no better general bait than the well 
 scoured worm, either red, marsh, or brandling, as described 
 in the table of baits. They do not like bright sunny wea- 
 ther, and the angler will find the forenoons and the evening, 
 even in cloudy weather, more suitable for perch-fishing than 
 the midday or sunshine. There is not much trouble to 
 persuade the perch to bite, and as he hunts in company, 
 when one is captured, there is a great probability of securing 
 his companions also. Excellent sport may be had with 
 perch from a quarter to a pound and a quarter in weight, foi 
 though larger perch have been caught, the}* are by no means 
 common. In the boiling eddies near mill streams you may 
 fish successfully for porch with a paternoster line, loaded 
 with a bullet to keep down the baits : but as a float would
 
 70 ANGLING. 
 
 be worse than useless, the angler will have to depend on hia 
 sense of touch to know when he has a bite. Minnows are 
 an attractive bait for large perch, and in comparatively tran- 
 quil waters it is sometimes an irresistible bait. The hook 
 must be inserted behind the back fin, and the line well 
 weighted, about a foot above the bait, to keep it well clown. 
 Gudgeons, stone-loach, and frogs, have been found effective 
 in attracting perch, (see Chapter XII.) I recollect many 
 years ago hearing an old perch-fisher describe a plan of put- 
 ting a few minnows in a clear bottle nearly full of water, 
 and corking it, leaving a small air-hole, and then sinking it 
 in a river, with a cord attached. These act as a decoy to 
 the neighbouring perch, who are curious to know the why 
 and the wherefore of the strange exhibition. I find that 
 Mr Fitzgibbon (Ephemera) mentions the plan as " poach- 
 ing " for perch, and that the best way of securing the perch 
 is to bait a paternoster line with live minnows, and float it 
 by the bottle. Of all the months for perch-fishing, August, 
 September, and October are the best. Some excellent sport 
 is often obtained earlier in the year. No ground-baiting is 
 necessary when fishing for perch, though a few inferior 
 worms may be thrown in when moving to a fresh spot. 
 Let the perch always have a few seconds to gorge the bait. 
 When live shrimps are used they may be kept alive in 
 clamp sand or sandy gravel, or wet grass or hay in a basket. 
 EELS AND LAMPREYS. The ordinary bottom-fisher 
 scarcely troubles himself about these troublesome but 
 luscious gentry, which are to be found more or less in every 
 river, ditch, and stream in the United Kingdom. I have 
 seen them when no thicker than thin grass ascending the 
 Shannon and Fergus in myriads in the spring of the year, 
 wriggling their small bodies over the sluice-gate, up the
 
 EELS AND LAMPEEYS. 71 
 
 salmon stairs, and over the mill weirs to the upper and 
 clearer water of the lakes and tributaries. This year also 
 the eel fry, or " eel fare," as it is called, has been seen for 
 the first time for a long period in the Thames. Eel weirs 
 were once common, and in many places in Ireland and in 
 the fen country they are yet preserved, and form no despic- 
 able industry. Every angler knows the haunts of the eel, 
 how he hides under big stones, in holes under a bridge, by 
 half-sunk timbers, under projecting roots of trees, and a 
 host of similar places. He is caught at night, by " bob- 
 bing," that is, by stringing large lob-worms completely 
 through with a needle, and tying them in the links with 
 a stout piece of whipcord, at short intervals. These are 
 thrown into the river, either from a boat, lock, or foot- 
 bridge, and each end is held by a person who soon feels the 
 sharp nip of the eel, who bites so hard, so tenaciously, that 
 he submits to be pulled out of the water sooner than loose 
 his hold. Another plan is to tie a series of eel hooks, which 
 are made with rings for the purpose, on to a piece of whip- 
 cord, some eight inches asunder, bait with lob-worms ; tie 
 a piece of lead or a bullet to one end, cast it into the stream 
 in a likely place, and fasten the other end by a peg in the 
 bank, or tie it firmly to the weeds, and leave it all night. 
 Another plan is to bait the hook with the worm, tie a piece 
 of stout line (I prefer the whipcord) to the hook, and then 
 pull the line through the top ring of a trolling or other stout 
 rod, until the bait is tight to the top ; hold the cord and 
 rod together, and place the bait near the haunt of the fish. 
 If the worm is a large one, the eel will not refuse it, but 
 bite greedily. The rod may then be withdrawn. The eel 
 is, however, not yet lauded; he has immense muscular force 
 in his tail, which can only be overcome by a steady, strong,
 
 7 ANGLING. 
 
 but not too strong pull ou the line. Gradually he uncurls 
 and permits himself to be pulled out. The moment he is 
 on shore, put your foot on his body, and cut off his head. 
 There is no better way of preventing the thousand contor- 
 tions and twists of the nimble gentleman round the tackle. 
 The LAMPREY belongs to the eel tribe, and is caught in 
 a similar manner ; the gut of a fowl and other garbage may 
 be substituted in both cases for the worm. A small lam- 
 prey makes a good bait for several kinds of fish, if put on 
 the hook like a worm. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 BOTTOM-FISHING. 
 
 What to Fish for, and where, continued Haunts of the Trout, Gray- 
 ling, Salmon, &c. 
 
 IN the early spring months, ere the fly appears on the 
 rivers, the glorious trout may be lured with the red worm. 
 Fly-fishers affect to despise this method of fishing, as being 
 childish, but it will take all their cunning and skill to suc- 
 ceed in capturing trout by its means in low clear water. 
 It is practised early in March, in shallow streams, where 
 the trout arc on the look-out for prey. It is sought as a 
 refuge when the waters are muddied and coloured after a 
 flood. In the hot burning days of July, it enables the 
 skilful angler to fill his basket, when all flies would be 
 refused. Worms may be used as a tripping bait, as if borne 
 along by the stream near the bottom, or they may be used 
 with a float, as described in fishing for the coarsr:r varieties
 
 BOTTOM-FISHING FOR TROUT. 73 
 
 of the river tribes. In deep pools, under the shade of 
 bushes and trees, they are used instead of natural flies by 
 the bush-fisher. The tackle necessary for worm fishing 
 for trout is similar to that used by ordinary bottom-fishers. 
 The rod should be long, flexible, and pliant one seventeen 
 or eighteen feet will not be found too long, if not unwieldly 
 and beyond the strength of the angler. The running tackle 
 may be the same as before described. The foot line of fine 
 gut, with the hook whipped on with red silk. The worm 
 must be placed on the hook as before described, or by the 
 excellent method recommended by Mr Stewart, who suggests 
 that three or four small hooks should be tied on one thread 
 of gut, one above another, and the worm hitched on them 
 in a serpentine form, like the serpent in the Laocoou, leav- 
 ing the head and tail loose to play. This is no doubt an 
 effective and attractive bait with large fish, but it scarcely 
 compensates the angler for his extra tnrable and risk of the 
 worm breaking away when casting. Baiting with the 
 double worm (page 45) will be found nearly as effective 
 and less troublesome. Different authorities argue in 
 different ways with respect to shotting the line. Unless 
 the worm is a large one, sinkers will be found necessary, 
 particularly if there is much wind. Plenty of worms are 
 indispensable ; they are best kept in a flannel bag, which 
 may be fitted with a loop to hang on a button. The 
 casting of the bait is of great importance. I have had 
 equal sport when fishing down-stream, as up stream. The 
 angler in this must suit his convenience and the state of 
 the water. Tliere must be no jerking of the bait ; it may 
 be sent forward, so as to fall lightly and athwart the 
 stream, and be drawn gradually to the side. The line 
 must be kept out of tlie water as much .a possible. This
 
 74 ANGLING. 
 
 is easier done fishing down-stream than up, and if the 
 angler can keen himself out of sight, perhaps the advantages 
 will be r.-T) bis side, as trout are generally on the look-out 
 at the head of tiie stream in the eddies, and scours for prey 
 coming down, A bite is easily distinguished by the sudden 
 stoppage of the line. In swift waters the bait is generally 
 swallowed at once, in deeper and quieter waters the trout 
 seem to play with it ere gorging it. It is difficult to know 
 when to strike under these circumstances, and it is certainly 
 better to wait until the bait has received one or two tugs 
 than to be too hasty. When the water is still and clear, 
 every artifico must be tried to keep out of sight. Kneeling 
 will be found to be a good practice where the banks are 
 open, and it is best to keep on the shallow side of the 
 stream, opposite to where the trout generally lie. The 
 angler must be up early if he wishes to be successful. A 
 dry July morning, or one when the rain is warm, will be 
 found suitable for the sport the lull after a shower. In 
 calms, the trout lie in the eddying rush at the head of the 
 pools ; when the surface is rippled by the wind, they lie at 
 the tail of the pool. In deep streamy depths, behind 
 stones, in eddies they may be found watching for their 
 prey. In shallow water great care is requisite, as the trout 
 are often at the very feet of the angler. The days to be 
 avoided are those which are dull, heavy, and windy, and 
 those which are clear with a westerly breeze. When 
 August is advanced, trout begin to refuse the worm in clear 
 streams. In flooded streams, where the water is discoloured, 
 trout leave the deep current, and are to be found in the 
 shallows, in the quiet water, at the tail of streams. Pools 
 and streams in these circumstances should be fished round, 
 and trout will take the worm during the whole of the season.
 
 BOTTOM-FISHING FOR GRAYLING. 75 
 
 Trout may be taken by caterpillars, and two or three 
 screws or fresh-water shrimps will often entice him. He 
 may also be caught by spinning with the minnow. 
 
 The GRAYLING, which is not a common fish, will take a 
 small red worm in slightly flooded waters. They will also 
 bite at the grasshopper, and do not despise a gentle. A 
 taking bait is to dress a No. 6 sneck-bent hook, on which 
 a pennyweight of lead is cast with light green silk, with a 
 split straw on either side, ribbed with orange or yellow silk. 
 On the bend of the hook a real grasshopper is placed with 
 the legs clipped off at the first joints. The angler should 
 use a small float, and keep the bait continually on the 
 move, one way or other. I cannot speak of the attractive- 
 ness of this bait from practical experience. 
 
 There are times, particularly in the early part of the 
 season, when the waters are muddy and high, when salmon 
 will bite greedily at worms and other lures of the bottom- 
 fishing. Many anglers and their opinion is entitled to 
 every respect are of opinion that it is unsportsmanlike to 
 catch salmon with any other bait than the artificial fly. It 
 certainly does not possess the charm that fly-fishing does, 
 but at the same time it affords capital sport when the fish 
 will not rise at the fly. The tempting lob-worm may be 
 used as a tripping bait in the same manner as that recom- 
 mended for trout ; the line must be leaded to keep down 
 the bait. The salmon when hooked must be played and 
 manoeuvred in the same manner as when fishing with the 
 artificial fly. 
 
 One of the best baits for salmon is the small silver and 
 black eels found in the sand on the sea-shore, known as 
 sand-eels. An artificial one has been made of white 
 leather, with a dark-coloured stripe down the back. Sal-
 
 75 ANGLING. 
 
 mou may also be taken by shrimps, limpets, snails, but 
 shrimps are valueless as baits unless in salt or brackish 
 water. Salmon are also taken by spinning the minnow 
 and partail. The process is the same as that described 
 in the chapters on Trolling and Spinning for Pike. 
 
 Before I proceed, perhaps I had in this place better 
 cautioi? the tyro against the mischances likely to arise from 
 an awkward use of the gaff-hook. This ugly-looking im- 
 plement is, as before described, similar to a large fish-hook 
 fixed in a handle, varying, according to circumstances, from 
 IS inches to 4 feet in length. It is a useful implement 
 enough if skilfully managed, which is not always the case. 
 The spent fish should be brought to the side carefully, and 
 if it is not possible to bring him in to a shelving shore, to 
 the moit suitable place, and the gaff should be slipped 
 underneath the fish and carefully driven in beneath the 
 pectoral fin by a sharp plunge, if you cannot insert the 
 point beneath the gills. An excellent gaff is one which 
 shuts, and have a handle which screws into two pieces. 
 Such a one can be slung over the shoulder without dan- 
 ger, and is also useful for clearing weeds and other obstruc- 
 tions ii the way of line, bait, and hook. Those anglers 
 who reside, or are staying near the sea-shore, will find a 
 few suggestive hints for the employment of their time, and 
 the use of their bottom-tackle, in the chapter on Sea- 
 Fishing.
 
 TROLLING. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 FISHING IN MID-WATER. 
 
 How to Fish for Pike Trolling The Tackle, Gorge-hookfi, Trace, 
 Baits, &c. 
 
 UNDER the broad and generic term of " Fishing in Mid 
 Water," I propose to treat of trolling, spinning, sinking 
 and roving with the dead, live, and artificial bait for the 
 pike, and of spinning with the minnow for perch, trout 
 and salmon. I place the pike in the place of honour, be 
 cause those ingenious combinations of hooks and bait& 
 were specially invented to tickle his throat, and the thou 
 sand and one contrivances in the shape of artificial baits, 
 with their pleasant but somewhat uncomfortable appen- 
 dages, are for the delectation of his avaricious maw and 
 voracious appetite. 
 
 The most curious part of the affair is, that no one pities 
 Esox Lucius, which by the way is the scientific name -for 
 the fresh- water shark, who is also called " Jack," when 
 under three pounds in weight, and pike, when he assumes 
 more colossal proportions. He is so greedy, so tyrannical,
 
 78 ANGLING. 
 
 BO savage, that everybody's hand is against him, and he is 
 against everybody in general, and every fish in particular. 
 He flourishes and multiplies, notwithstanding his many 
 enemies, and he furnishes sport for the angler, which is 
 second only to fly-fishing in variety and excitement. Bot- 
 tom-fishing may be emphatically the " contemplative man's 
 recreation," and fly-fishing the acme of angling enjoyment, 
 but both can only be practised in certain seasons of the 
 year, while trolling and spinning may be pursued with more 
 or less success in any season, in any water, and in any clime. 
 England is, however, its home, and I recollect the feeling of 
 horror with which an Irish angler spoke of the practice of 
 an English " brother of the angle," who was capturing large 
 trout in the evening on one of the most beautiful lochs in 
 the country by spinning the minnow. This feeling is easily 
 understood by those living in the neighbourhood of good 
 trout streams and salmon rivers who have not been de- 
 prived of the sport of fly-fishing during their lives. But 
 the fly-fisher living on the banks of many English streams 
 finds it the only substitute for the higher pursuit, and 
 those who have tried it know that it is not a bad substitute 
 at all, and that to succeed calls forth all the skill of the 
 angler, while at the same time it furnishes healthy exercise 
 for body, legs, and arms. 
 
 It is a tempting subject this fishing in mid- water. Every 
 troller can give you some anecdote or other of the omni- 
 vorous appetite of the pike, or has some pet bait with which 
 to catch him. I can only say in this place that pike 
 spawn generally early in March ; that they deposit their ova 
 amid aquatic plants an 1 weeds in shallowy streams, and 
 then return to deep water, leaving their young to care for 
 themselves, which they certainly manage to do from a very
 
 THE TROLLER'S OUTFIT. 79 
 
 early age their principal enemies being their own parents, 
 who, when pressed for food, do not hesitate to bolt one of 
 its own species, though it perhaps prefers the offspring of 
 the dace, roach, or gudgeon. A hundred anecdotes rise 
 up in the memory of them seizing every living and moving 
 thing from the bowl of a spoon to the hand of a child. I 
 can only indicate the interesting nature of this subject, and 
 refer the curious reader to Mr Cholmondeley Pennell's 
 " Book of the Pike," which is beyond dispute the most 
 complete treatise on the subject in our voluminous angling 
 literature. I leave this subject, and confine myself to the 
 mode of capture, merely remarking that as an edible the 
 pike, when captured, is by no means a despicable dish. 
 
 The necessary outfit of a troller is somewhat different 
 from that of the bottom and fly-fisher : in fact it should 
 be special, if success is to be achieved or desired. The 
 rod, for instance, should be light, firm, strong, and easily 
 wielded. If it could be so arranged as to be lengthened 
 when fishing with the live bait, a rod of twelve feet long, made 
 either of bamboo or hickory, would answer every purpose. 
 I like a fourteen-feet rod, but I know my case is an excep- 
 tional one. The top joint of a good trolling-rod should be 
 made of greenhart, and hickory is allowed to be best 
 adapted for the other joints by the common consent of tho 
 best trollers. Three tops of different lengths and elasticity 
 are necessary, however, to suit the varieties of trolling, 
 and the different width of rivers, and they should vary 
 six inches in length. The end of the rod should be fitted 
 with a knob of some hard wood to rest against the hip-joint. 
 The rings of a trolling-rod are very different from those 
 on a general or fly-rod. They are solid, and jut out firmly 
 from the side of the rod, as they are formed by braz-
 
 80 ANGLING. 
 
 ing a slightly elliptical steel hoop into a brass plate. The 
 ring should be nearly half an inch in diameter. Mr Pennell 
 Bays 7-16ths of an inch for the middle joints, and 5-Stha 
 of an inch for the bottom ring, which is of the pronged 
 shape, so as to prevent as much as possible the line hitch- 
 ing over it. The top ring is made of various shapes, all 
 being designed to permit the free play of the line with the 
 minimum of any obstruction. From nine to twelve rings 
 are necessary, according to the length of the rod, includ- 
 ing the top and bottom rings. A well-seasoned hazel rod, 
 fitted with solid rings, will answer for a trolling-rod. The 
 best cheap rod is one made of a long bamboo cane, similar 
 to those hung out at the fishing-tackle shops. The rings 
 should be smooth and finely polished, so as not to chafe 
 the line. 
 
 The best lines are those known as eight-plait dressed silk, 
 and should be from 50 to 80 yards long. With respect to 
 the reel : I have before mentioned the essentials of a good 
 reel, and those remarks apply with great force to the reel 
 of a trolling-rod. It should be of sufficient size to hold 
 the line easily. It should wind by a handle fixed in the 
 side-plate, be fitted with a check and the break-spring, so 
 as to prevent the line paying itself out. Mr Ryder, of 
 Ellis Street, Birmingham, has invented such a reel, which 
 is at once light, powerful, and unaffected by either heat or 
 damp. It is sober in colour, and principally formed of a 
 black composition, resembling ebony. It seems almost 
 iaipossible to derange its simple machinery. So manifest 
 are its advantages that all practical fishers speak highly of it. 
 
 The troller also requires a bait-kettle, gaff, and one of 
 the excellent-fishing knives sold by Mr Weiss, 62 Strand, 
 which has been made from Mr Pennell's design, which
 
 mi; GOUGE-BAIT. 
 
 combines a disgorger, minnow-needle, baiting-needle, and a 
 pricker for fly-dressing, besides a corkscrew and a stout 
 useful blade. A series of gorge-hooks, spinning-flights, 
 traces, swivels, as hereafter described, will also be neccs- 
 
 Fig. 20. 
 
 Fig. 21. 
 
 sary. I will commence with trolling proper, as it is gene 
 rally understood, with the gorge-bait. 
 
 TEOLLUVG WITH THE GORGE-BAIT. The first essential
 
 82 ANGLING. 
 
 for this practice is the gorge-hook, which is an instrument 
 of somewhat deadly appearance, as will be seen by the an- 
 nexed engraving, (fig. 20.) A is a double hook, brazed back ; 
 B is the lead cast over the shank of the hook, and enclos- 
 ing a twisted wire shank, which protrudes more or less, 
 and ends in a loop, C, to which three or four feet of gimp 
 is attached. Gimp, I may mention, is highly essential in 
 trolling, as gut is quickly frayed and cut by the weeds and 
 repeated casting. There are two or three cautions neces- 
 sary to be given to the young troller. It is desirable that 
 sufficient lead should be attached to the hook to sink the 
 bait without the addition of any further sinkers. The 
 lead should not touch the bend of the hook, as is some- 
 times the case, but should be left as in the engraving, A, 
 so that the lips of the bait may close over it, as at F. To 
 bait the hook, the loop of the gimp, E, is placed in the eye 
 of the baiting-needle, G. The needle is then passed through 
 the mouth of the bait, and brought out as near the centre 
 of the tail as possible. The needle is then passed sideways 
 through the tail at H, about the third of an inch, or less, 
 from the end, and this, when drawn tight, so that the 
 mouth of the fish rests upon the bend of the hook, forms 
 the half knot, shown at C, by passing the needle through 
 the loop. This plan is now generally adopted in preference 
 to the older plan of tying the tail with white silk to the 
 gimp, and stitching up the mouth of the fish. It will be 
 seen that the tail of the fish is cut short, as shown at H. 
 
 Another form of gorge-hook, or rather, one amongst a 
 number of others, has recently been introduced by Mr Ber- 
 nard, of Church Place, Piccadilly, which, I think, is an im- 
 provement on any of the old forms. I have not yet had 
 an opportunity of trying it, but, as will be seen from the
 
 THE SPRING OORGE-HOOK. 
 
 83 
 
 accompanying illustration, (fig. 23,) it presents some marked 
 advantages, if they work well in practice. The shanks of 
 the triangular hooks, A, instead of being imbedded in the 
 lead, arc attached to a piece of wire looped at the end, B, 
 
 Fi;r. 24. 
 
 Spring Gorge-Hook 
 aa in use. 
 
 Open, after having struclc 
 'the fi*k 
 
 and so arranged as to open widely at the end, in the mau- 
 ner of the old snap-tackle. The lead, C, is cast round a
 
 84 ANGLING 
 
 hollow cylinder, to the upper end of which a shank of wire 
 is cast, which passes through the loop of the hook-shank, 
 B, and ends in a loop, D, to which the ordinary gimp-trace 
 is attached. The manifest intention of the contrivance is 
 to cause the hooks, A, on the fish being struck, to fly out- 
 wardly, as in fig. 24, and so prevent the possibility of his 
 releasing himself except by the failure of the tackle. I 
 can see that the objection, in practice, to this otherwise 
 excellent contrivance, would arise from the difficulty of re- 
 leasing the bait from the body of the fish, the possibility 
 of the spring giving way and showing the hooks too pro- 
 minently after a long cast, and stretching, if not tearing 
 open, the jaws of the bait, and catch every weed and 
 obstruction in its path. On the other hand, there can 
 be no doubt, that if the jack once got the head of the bait 
 inside its mouth, it would not easily escape. There is 
 some difference of opinion and in practice respecting the 
 trace of the gorge-hooks. For many years I used, and many 
 at the present time continue to use, about a foot of gimp, 
 whipped permanently to the gorge-hook ; then they attached 
 
 Fig. 25. 
 
 a swivel, more gimp, sinker, and then the reel-line, if not 
 another swivel. If the troller wishes for the sinker and 
 the swivel, one made in this fashion (fig. 25) will be found 
 better than merely running the wire through the middle 
 of the lead. The swivel of the best form is shown at A. 
 it should be of blue steel, and always kept well oiled. The 
 lead, B, should be cast on brass or iron wire, C, and a
 
 CASTING THE GOUGE BAIT. 83 
 
 loop left at D, or the gut or gimp may be whipped to it at 
 the same place. This great improvement in leads was sug- 
 gested by Mr Pennell, and answers admirably. It has the 
 additional great advantage of nearly preventing the annoy- 
 ing and almost inevitable " kinks " which plagued the 
 troller under the old system. The new school of trollers, 
 if I may so term them, do not use a sinker except in 
 spinning, and attach, as before stated, the reel-line to the 
 three or four feet of gimp, as shown at E, (fig. 20.) If the 
 gimp is coloured with brown or green varnish, before 
 alluded to, or clouded in the manner mentioned in the 
 appendix, the troller may proceed with a tolerable cer- 
 tainty of success. 
 
 The casting of the bait is an operation requiring some 
 attention and skill. OntheTrent trollerscast the bait directly 
 from the reel, which necessitates a long rod and great 
 force. The more common and better plan is to uncoil 
 sufficient line from the reel to reach the distance you in- 
 tend to cast, and let it lie free at your feet. You hold the 
 rod in your right hand, and rest the butt against your hip. 
 With your left hand you draw the bait to within a yard or 
 so of the end of the rod, allow it to swing to and fro in 
 the direction you wish to cast, then throw it to the right or 
 left as the case may be, withdrawing your left hand at the 
 same time, and the line will run freely through the rings 
 as far as it has been uncoiled. This method of casting is 
 the same in spinning as in trolling proper. Short casts 
 are preferred to long ones, as a rule, and the troller should 
 bear in mind that the bait should rove about whilst the 
 line is being drawn in by the left hand by short and gentle 
 pulls. Recollect you are fishing in mid-water, and your 
 bait should be kept thereabouts in water of medium depth:
 
 86 ANGLING. 
 
 if very deep, nearer the surface than the bottom. Tha 
 casts should be made somewhat up and from you, fishing 
 the portion of the river nearest you first, and then the 
 more distant spots. If possible, the fish should enter the 
 water head downwards, as if making a plunge, but this is 
 scarcely possible when a long line is cast. The runs be- 
 tween the weeds should be carefully fished. The bait 
 should not be lifted from the water until brought close to 
 the trailer's feet. Forty, fifty, and sixty yards is not an 
 uncommon distance to cast a gorge-bait ; long distances, 
 however, are likely to injure the bait, and the less expe- 
 rienced angler casting half these distances is likely to meet 
 with better success. 
 
 Suddenly the angler finds his bait checked it may be a 
 weed, possibly it is a fish. A few tugs, gentle, but with 
 somewhat of a wrenching motion, tell that the pike is 
 obtaining a firm hold of the bait ; slacken your line in the 
 meanwhile, see that there is plenty uncoiled from the reel. 
 A slight check may be given to the bait, either to make it 
 appear that the bait is resisting somewhat the treatment 
 it is receiving, or to see if it is a weed or a fish. If the 
 latter, do not hurry him ; a few minutes, from five to ten, 
 must be allowed him to gorge the bait, as he generally 
 seizes it in the middle first, and when " pouched," he 
 generally moves off to his favourite haunt. If Mr Bernard's 
 hook is used, it may be advisable to strike ; but with 
 ordinary tackle, the line may be pulled gently home, so as 
 to allow the points of the hooks to ingratiate themselves 
 quietly into the fish's maw. 
 
 When hooked, the fish may make violent efforts to escape, 
 and display no little indignation. A tight line must be
 
 WHEN TO FISH FOR PIKE. 87 
 
 kept however. Keep him out of the weeds and bushes at 
 any risk, or you will lose both tackle and fish. It will be 
 better to risk losing the latter than both. When thoroughly 
 exhausted, he may be brought to land ; float him on his 
 side, or he may still give you trouble, particularly if he gets 
 entangled among weeds. A knife gaff, or a double one, is 
 perhaps the best assistant the troller can have to lift Esox 
 out of the water ; but beware of his teeth they are sharp. 
 The best plan of extracting the bait is to make a small slit 
 in the belly where the hook is, disengage the trace from the 
 line, and draw it through the aperture. 
 
 "With respect to baits, the best of all is a gudgeon. A 
 bleak or dace are also useful, particularly in murky weather, 
 and when the water is cloudy. In clear weather and light 
 water a smaller bait may be used than in high streams and 
 dull weather. Baits should, if possible, be kept alive until 
 about to be used, when they may be killed by a blow or 
 two at the back of the head. When dead, they are best 
 kept in bran. A cloth kept damp also preserves their 
 freshness. Do not handle the bait too much. 
 
 Sometimes it is necessary to preserve the bait ; brine is 
 used in country districts, but spirits of wine or strong gin 
 will answer the purpose best, if they can be nicely laid flat, 
 and the air kept from them. Mr Pennell suggests that they 
 might be preserved in sardine air-tight cases, and sold at the 
 tackle-shops. 
 
 Pike may be caught in almost any weather when a breeze 
 is blowing, from June to the end of January ; and the river 
 haunts of the pike generally are under the shade of the 
 water-lily leaves, between the opening of the bulrushes, and 
 generally opposite to the deeper waters, where its prey
 
 88 ANGLING. 
 
 abounds, or where the eddy is likely to carry its food. In 
 winter it prefers the backwaters and eddies, and in summer 
 I have watched them just outside the run of the streams. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 FISHING IN MID-WATER. 
 
 Spinning for Pikd New Tackle The reunell Flight SirAing 
 and Roving Fishing with the Snap-Tackle, &c. 
 
 ANOTHER, and indeed the most popular method of angling 
 in mid-water for pike, is spinning. It has all the advan- 
 tages of the old-fashioned trolling, and has the additional 
 attraction of affording much better sport. It may be said 
 to be to ordinary trolling what fly-fishing is to bottom-fish- 
 ing. It is to be preferred on all waters where there are 
 not too many weeds, bushes, snags, or similar obstructions 
 in the river. The trolling-rod will answer the purpose of 
 the spinner indeed they are identical for all practical pur- 
 poses. The reel and reel-line is the same : the bait is, 
 however, not only a different matter, but it is differently 
 presented on a different class of hooks. The veriest tyro in 
 angling must have seen in the tackle-shop windows imita- 
 tion fish of various sizes, and of still more diverse material, 
 armed with the most formidable-looking hooks standing 
 out, hanging to arms of wire, and other contrivances, until 
 the idea suggests itself how a fish, would dare to venture 
 near such a porcupinish monster. 
 
 Let me explain the principle of the spinning tackle. The
 
 SPINNING FOE PIKE. $B 
 
 line is fitted with two, and sometimes more, swivels, which, 
 as before described, must be kept well oiled, so as to revolve 
 freely. The bait is attached to what is termed a flight of 
 hooks, or " spinning flight," in such a manner as to twist 
 or turn in the water like a thing of life, as it is moved to 
 and fro, suggesting the idea of a glittering, splendid fish, 
 wounded, or partially disabled, yet attempting to escape. 
 This flight is attached to a length of gimp, to which a 
 lead (fig. 25) is attached as a sinker, connected with the 
 swivels and the reel line. It is cast similarly to the gorge- 
 bait, but hooks the fish in an entirely different manner, 
 which will be better understood by a reference to the follow 
 ing representation of she Pennell trace and its description. 
 This is one of the best amongst scores of other flights, and 
 I use it for the purpose of illustrating the principles of 
 spinning, because it has the merit of simplicity, and it will 
 be found in practice nearly all that the angler can desire. 
 I have an artificial bait from Sweden before me, armed 
 nearly in the same manner. The angler should keep two 
 or three of the smaller sizes by him. Fig. 26 shows a 
 flight which is made some six inches long, and is fitted for 
 a fair sized dace. Fig. 27 shows the manner of baiting the 
 fish, a gudgeon, on a 4^ inch flight, which is made with 
 only one flying triangle, as the three brazed hooks tied to 
 the short lengths of gut A and B are called, and which in 
 spinning fly loose, not attached to the fish. The tail hook 
 with its reverse is made in one piece, and should be round 
 bent to give the proper curve to the fish. The reverse 
 hook is recommended to be made on the sneck principle, 
 arid is firmly whipped to a piece of strong clear gut. The 
 lip -hook is made to move up and down the line by the 
 following means : a piece of fine wire or gimp is whipped to
 
 90 
 
 TEE PENNELL SPINNING PLIGHT. 
 
 Fig. 2G 
 
 fig. 27.
 
 HOW TO BAIT THE FLIGHT. 91 
 
 the side of the hook, so as to leave two loops, an upper and 
 a lower one, shown at C. The gut is passed upwards 
 through the lower loop, twisted two or three times round 
 the shank of the hook, and then passed through the upper 
 one. A good lip-hook is made with the loops formed out 
 of the steel of the hook itself. On loosening the coils of 
 gut round the shank of the gut, it may be slipped into any 
 required position. 
 
 To bait the flight it is necessary to first fix the tail-hook 
 in the manner described by Mr Pennell himself. The 
 point is inserted " by the side or lateral-line 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 practicable. 
 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 lip first when the bait is a gudgeon, and through 
 the lower one first with all others. This is very important in 
 securing a very brilliant spin." Care should, however, be 
 taken that the upper part of the body should be perfectly 
 straight, and that there should be no strain on the lips of 
 the bait. Fig. 27 shows the fish baited as above described ; 
 the upper triangle being dispensed with in the smaller fish. 
 The hooks should be fine in the wire, and whipped to 
 twisted gut for fine fishing, and to gimp, clouded or coloured, 
 for everyday work. The flying triangles are tied to stouter 
 and stiffer material ; stout gut will be found generally suit- 
 able ; but the author of the trace recommends gut gimp 
 if it can be easily procured. To make it stand well out 
 from the gimp, it is tied first in a half knot before being 
 whipped. This is important to remember if the angler
 
 92 ANGLIXO. 
 
 makes his own flight. The wrappings of the hooks are 
 coloured variously with red varnish or silver tissue. 
 
 The trace is made in ordinary cases of clouded gimp, but 
 " fine fishers " use half a dozen lengths of salmon gut joined 
 together by the knot described in the chapter on lines. The 
 lead shown in the previous chapter is attached about half- 
 way along this line. The old traces were always fitted with 
 from five and even six swivels. With the improved form 
 of lead, two or at most three, kept oiled and free from rust, 
 will be found amply sufficient for the greatest lover of 
 machinery. Mr Farlow, 191 Strand, London, furnishes 
 these flights complete, as above described. 
 
 The baits necessary are those described in the chapter 
 on trolling, (p. 87.) The lead must be adjusted to the 
 weight of the fish. 
 
 Artificial baits are so numcroiis that I need not do more 
 than direct the reader's attention to them. Mr Wright 
 has, however, brought out an artificial gudgeon, formed of 
 the real skin of the fish, which deserves especial mention 
 It may be obtained of any fishing-tackle dealer. 
 
 The spoon bait is still used in many sizes in different 
 localities. The present mode of using it appears defective, 
 and the plan of adding a flying triangle at the side would 
 probably add to its efficiency. Archimedean fish and 
 spoons may be recommended generally when the real fish 
 is not to be obtained. 
 
 The gigantic mass of wool and feathers, known as the 
 pike-fly, is used in some waters, particularly lakes, in the 
 same manner as salmon-flies. The wings are usually formed 
 of the eye feathers of a peacock's tail, and it is used with 
 a double hook in bright weather. In Sweden a curious 
 bait is just brought out. It works similar to the spoon-
 
 PIKE FISHING WITH LIVE BA 
 
 93 
 
 bait, but is in the shape of an egg, which, on being seized, 
 makes the venturesome pike acquainted with a number of 
 
 Fig. 20. 
 
 hidden hooks, which are released by a spring or snap 
 hidden in the interior. 
 
 PiKF.-FrsuiNG wrm LIVE BAIT. I approach this por-
 
 94 ANGLING. 
 
 tion of pike-fishing, which is called in angling books of a 
 quarter of a century since, " sinking and roving," with 
 some qualms. As a fishing practice, it is least to be defended, 
 though perhaps the impalement of a live fish on the hook 
 appears worse than it really is. I give one of the many 
 plans of live-bait fishing. About eighteen inches of stained 
 gimp are formed and armed in this fashion, (fig. 28.) The 
 bait is attached as shown in fig. 29. In baiting, the gimp 
 is passed with the baiting-needle through a hard piece 
 of skin in one or two stitches, until the shank of the 
 hook (A) is brought close up to the skin as shown. The 
 flying triangle (B) then hangs as shown. I can see no advan- 
 tage in the spring snap. The old-fashioned snap-tackle was 
 adapted to smaller fish than the above, and for clear water. 
 It was thus made with three hooks two of No. 3 and 
 one 8 or 9, tied at different angles. The smaller hook was 
 
 Fi-. 30. Fig. 31. 
 
 inserted beneath the back fin, and the hooks were laid by 
 the side of the bait. 
 
 A dace is "highly recommended," as the shopkeepers 
 would say, as a bait for snap-fishing. A gold or silver fish 
 is adapted for murky water and dull days. A gudgeon 
 and even a minnow may be used with advantage on pro- 
 portionately-sized tackle. The bait is suspended iu mid-
 
 SPINNING WITH THE MINNOW. 95 
 
 water by means of the sinker and a float, which may be one 
 large cork, or a series of smaller corks, varnished green, 
 and strung on to the line an inch or two apart. The ad- 
 vantages claimed for these are, that they permit the bait 
 to rove about more freely than a larger one, and are not so 
 liable to get entangled amongst the weeds ; but the greater 
 advantage is the convenience they offer for fishing a long 
 way from the bank, as they act somewhat in the manner 
 of a tumbler float. The bait are best kept alive in a bait- 
 can, described in Chapter IV., and should be taken out by 
 a small hoop-net. 
 
 In striking the fish, either in spinning or with snap- 
 tackle, considerable force is necessary, and the stroke should 
 be repeated until the plunge of the fish shows that it has 
 taken effect. In the next chapter, on spinning with the 
 minnow, I have embodied some general hints on the sub- 
 ject. Iluxing and trimmers are unworthy of the name of 
 sport, however useful they may be for the purpose of cap- 
 turing fish. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 FISHING IN MID-AVATEB. 
 Spinning with the Minnow. 
 
 THIS is one of the most attractive branches of the angler's 
 art, and to me possesses peculiar attractions, for I have 
 succeeded in capturing nearly every kind of fish with the 
 minnow in nearly every part of England and Ireland, and 
 have not found it ineffective on trying it once or twice in
 
 90 
 
 ANGLING. 
 
 the deep salt sea. Premising that the general principles of 
 spinning with the minnow are similar to those mentioned 
 in connexion with spinning for pike, and the minnow may 
 be caught and preserved as described at the end of this 
 chapter. 
 
 The tackle consists of a longer and somewhat lighter rod 
 than that used for general trolling. Gimp may be dis- 
 pensed with, and gut of varying fineness and strength sub- 
 stituted. The reel-line may be finer, and it need not be so 
 long. The arrangements of the hooks consist of one large 
 or body-hook, to slightly curve the fish, and a flying trace, 
 armed with one or more hooks, is appended. One of the 
 simplest forms of hooks is one used largely in the North in 
 spinning for trout, and is highly spoken of. A is the lip- 
 hook, B the body-hook, and C the flying- trace, which may 
 
 Fig. 32. 
 
 have a double hook instead of a triangle. The position of 
 the fish, when baited, is shown by the fine outline. The 
 barb of the hook is inserted in the mouth of the fish, and 
 brought out just below the tail, as shown in fig. 32. In 
 fishing for trout I prefer the flying-trace, or drag, to be from
 
 MINNOW TACKLE. 
 
 9? 
 
 two and a half to four inches behind the tail of the fish, as 
 shown at C, (fig. 32 ;) but in finer water, or when fishing 
 for perch, I take off C, and put on the smaller loop, D. In 
 bright water the lip-hook may be made smaller, and the 
 drag dispensed with altogether. Trout seize their prey by 
 the tail, perch and pike by the middle hence the variation 
 in the tackle. The tackle should be whipped with white 
 silk on strong gut, and a swivel should be placed some 
 wenty inches above the bait, and a second one a yard far- 
 her up. Lead may be cast round the shank of the body- 
 look, or a few split shot added above the first swivel, to 
 ceep the bait well down, particularly in swollen waters, 
 when they are most deadly. In clearer waters they may be 
 lispensed with. In dark, gloomy days, in June and July, 
 
 C' 
 
 Fig. 34. 
 
 and in warm summer nights, the minnow will be found a 
 deadly bait for trout. Par bait is used for the same purpose 
 on the banks of the Tweed. 
 
 The essentials of a perfect mhv.iow-tacklc are thus cor-
 
 98 ANGLING. 
 
 rectly epitomised by Mr Pennell, the modem prophet on 
 spinning and trolling : 
 
 " 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 j (c,) and which will least often 
 let him escape afterwards. 
 
 " 2. A trace, fine, strong, and clear of all encumbrances. 
 
 " 3. A lead so placed as to sink with the greatest rapid- 
 ity, and least disturbance or show in the water. 
 
 " 4. The utmost simplicity of application in the whole 
 tackle." 
 
 The foregoing (fig. 33) represents the author's realisation 
 of the essentials, which I can cordially endorse. 
 
 In it will be seen <: that A represents the lip-hook, 
 (whipped to the main link, and not movable ;) B, a fixed 
 triangle, one hook of which is to be fastened through the 
 back of the minnow; G, a flying triangle, hanging loose below 
 its tail ; D, a lead, or sinker, whipped on to the shank of the 
 lip-hook, and lying in the belly when baited." This excel- 
 lent tackle may be baited by pushing the lead well into 
 the belly of the dead minnow ; the lip-hook is passed 
 through both its lips, the upper one first ; and, lastly, in- 
 sert one hook of the triangle B through its back, just 
 below the back fin, so as to bend the body to produce a 
 brilliant spin. The diagram (fig. 34) should be the posi- 
 tion of the bait when properly baited. 
 
 This tackle combines all the requisites of minnow- 
 spinning, and may be successfully used for perch. An 
 excellent spinning-tackle for trout is also made by adding 
 a loose fly-triangle, whipped on some twisted gut, to a 
 3^-inch spinning-flight, as described in the previous chap 
 ter, over the reverse hook, as shown by the dotted line.
 
 A MINNOW TBAP. 99 
 
 The bait, in minnow-trolling, is swung across the pool, 
 as in trolling ; and though there are various dogmas about 
 fishing up the stream and down the stream, as in fly-fishing, 
 the angler will do well to consult his own judgment, and be 
 guided by the character of the water and surrounding cir- 
 cumstances. I had long in use a pet set of spinning-tackle; 
 but I confess that it will not bear comparison with the one 
 invented by the author of the " Angler's Naturalist." 
 
 In the last chapter of this little book I have given a few 
 hints on catching the minnow, in addition to those general 
 directions when speaking of this pretty fish in Chapter VII. 
 A good stock of minnows is highly necessary to an angler, 
 and they should be small, silver-sided, and about an inch 
 and a half to two inches long. The coarser and dingier 
 members of the family are of little use. 
 
 In the far North minnows are captured by the following 
 ingenious contrivance : A clean glass bottle is obtained of 
 
 Fig. 35. 
 
 the shape shown in fig. 35. A fine meshed net is tied over 
 the mouth, A, and a few crumbs of bread are placed inside. 
 It is then placed with its mouth to the current, in a stream 
 frequented by minnows ; the water agitates the crumbs ; 
 the little gentry assemble to see the fun, and quickly find 
 their way through the aperture B into the bottle, where 
 they are joined by their companions by the dozen. This 
 bottle is invaluable, though awkward to carry ubout. Min- 
 nows may be kept alive in a running .stream in a wire- work
 
 100 
 
 ANGLING. 
 
 box. They should be carried alive in a bait-can. A very 
 good one is made to sling by the side of the angler, and so 
 arranged as to prevent the water spilling over the sides. 
 (See fig. 19.) 
 
 Salted minnows are the alternative if live ones are not 
 to be had. They are chosen for this purpose a size larger 
 than is necessary, as they shrivel up somewhat in the brine. 
 They should be left in the salt some twelve hours, and then 
 preserved in a glass bottle, well sealed. Or they may be 
 preserved in spirits of wine, as recommended for dace and 
 gudgeons. This plan has, however, the drawback of being 
 expensive. 
 
 TLe old Snap Tacklo.
 
 FLY-FISHING. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Throwing the Line and Flies Making a Cast Humouring the 
 Flies How to Fish a Stream How to Strike, Hook, Play, anc 
 Land a Fish. 
 
 To become a good fly-fisher requires address, skill, nicety 
 of touch, and, above all, practice. Experience alone can 
 make the youthful angler proficient in the highest branch 
 of the angler's art. He has to capture the swiftest of the 
 finny tribes with the finest and frailest of material, in the 
 clearest of crystal streams. Other sports may be more 
 exciting than artificial fly-fishing, but there are none which 
 requires more adroitness, more intelligence, a quicker eye, 
 or a lighter hand. While the brain must be quick to 
 apprehend, the senses the most delicate, the body must be 
 robust, the limbs active, and the eye watchful. You see 
 the fly-fisher with his slender rod, gracefully waving hia 
 line over his head, and the flics drop into the stream with 
 the lightness of a gossamer ; the line does not even ripple 
 the water, and the flies dance on the surface. Anxiously 
 the angler watches the miniature insects formed so cnn
 
 102 ANGLING. 
 
 iiingly to deceive the cunning trout, who lies with his nose 
 up stream watching for his prey until 
 
 " He lifts his yellow gills above the flood, 
 And greedily sucks in the unfaithful food ; 
 Then downward plunges with the fraudful prey, 
 And bears with joy the little spoil away. 
 Soon a smart pain, he feels the dire mistake, 
 The danger great ; too late he starts awake. 
 With sudden rage he now aloft appears, 
 And in his eye convulsive anguish bears. 
 And now again impatient of the wound, 
 He rolls and writhes his straining body round ; 
 Then headlong plunges 'neath the friendly wave, 
 With frantic strength tries hard his life to save. 
 Now hope exalts the fisher's beating heart; 
 Now he turns pale, now fears his dubious art. 
 He views the trembling fish with, longing eyes, 
 While the line stretches with the unwieldy prize ; 
 Each motion humours with his steady hands, 
 But one slight hair the mighty bulk commands ; 
 Till tired at last, despoil'd of all his strength, 
 The game athwart the stream unfolds his length ; 
 And there, all efforts o'er, he floating lies, 
 Stretches his quivering fins, and gasping dies." 
 
 Ere the young angler can realise all the delights of his 
 pursuit, he will have much to learn, and it will be his fault 
 if he does not profit by these instructions. He must re- 
 member, however, that all that a book can do is to point 
 out the right road, and practice must do the rest. 
 
 The first lesson which the young fisherman has to learn 
 is to throw the line. To do this properly requires no 
 little address. The rod should be light, stiffish rather than 
 supple, and about twelve feet long. His winch should be 
 fixed with the handle towards the left, and he should draw 
 out from three to four yards beyond the topmost ring.
 
 THE CAST. 103 
 
 The rings must be in a right line with the winch, and the 
 line should run easily through them. The winch and 
 rings should be on the under-side of the rod ; and for the 
 first attempt, the line should not be longer than the rod 
 itself. The beginner may now make his first cast. 
 
 To do this easily and gracefully the rod must be grasped 
 lightly by the right hand, just above the winch, where it 
 will balance properly. The thumb should be straight 
 along the upper part of the rod, and slightly bent, so that 
 the fleshy part of the thumb alone presses on the butt. 
 The upper end of the rod should point towards the left, 
 and the right elbow should be kept close to the side, free 
 from constraint, and the body in an easy posture. Take 
 the tip of your line, or, if armed, the bend of the hook, 
 between the forefinger and thumb of the left hand. You 
 are now supposed to be on the river's brink ready for your 
 first cast. Take it easy. If you are flurried, you will fail. 
 By the motion of your right wrist and forearm, bring the 
 rod round to the right, with the point slightly lowered j 
 and as the line gets taut, let go the hook, point the end of 
 the rod backward ; let it describe an irregular horse-shoe 
 curve, and then cast it forward by a flinging motion of the 
 wrist and forearm. The line will double back as the point 
 of the rod is lowered, the end of the line will be carried 
 forward, and fall lightly on the surface of the water. As 
 the line goes forward, raise the elbow, and carry your arm 
 forward to guide the line, but not so strong as to check 
 the fly. In all probability, to the great chagrin of the 
 young fisherman, splash will go the line into the water, 
 \nd probably the end of the rod with it. 
 
 Our young Walton should not despair, but strive to avoid 
 this drawback. He will best do so by keeping the body
 
 104 ANGLING. 
 
 upright and the chest backward. Stand with your left 
 foot a little forward, and flat on the ground, so as to afford 
 a firm purchase, whilst the right foot should have the toea 
 turned out, and the ball of the foot touching the ground 
 with a firm springy pressure ; and if you are holding your 
 rod properly as you guide your line, you will find the butt 
 of the rod touching the under-side of your fore- arm, and 
 thereby preventing the end of the rod from falling too low. 
 A little practice will enable the tyro to throw a short line 
 with precision. He may then double the length of his 
 cast, and no longer using the wrist and fore-arm alone, the 
 whole of the arm must be used. The shoulder-joint should 
 replace the elbow-joint, so as to give the line a large easy 
 sweep, thrown well from the shoulders. 
 
 When eight or ten yards of the reel-line can be cast with 
 ease and facility in any direction in such a manner so as 
 not to allow more than three or four feet to fall lightly on 
 the water, the angler may add the foot or casting-line, made 
 as already described, of about six feet of silkworm gut, 
 (page 25.) This will give some ten yards of line to throw 
 with, and the practice should be pursued until the gut-line 
 falls first on the surface of the water, before any of the 
 reel-line touches it. At first it will aid the beginner if he 
 practises on that side of the river where he has a good 
 breeze at his back. This will make his earlier efforts much 
 easier, and enable him to drop the flies lightly and gently 
 on to the surface of the water. When the angler can do 
 this, fish fine, and far off, he may fish from left to right, or 
 in the opposite direction to that above described It is 
 well always to practise various methods of casting, so as to 
 avoid obstructions in or on the side of the river, and occa- 
 sionally to cast underhand. The left hand may be prca-
 
 ANGLER'S EYE. 105 
 
 tised likewise in casting, so as to relieve the right arm 
 when tired, but it is by no means essential to success. 
 Avoid the coachman's twist or jerk, or away will go your 
 end-fly with a crack. Your motions should be easy, grace- 
 ful, and precise, not sudden, harsh, and violent. 
 
 The anglers eye must next be acquired. The line must 
 not only be thrown well, but with precision and accuracy. 
 The best method of practice is to have a mark in the water, 
 and endeavour to throw below it, above it, beyond it, on 
 it, and on different sides of it, until you can do what you 
 wish with tolerable precision. You should practise throw- 
 ing the line where obstructions exist, until you can avoid 
 their entanglements and difficulties. Watch the movements 
 of an old angler under difficulties, and endeavour to imitate 
 them. In the compass of this little manual, it is impos- 
 sible to give more than general directions approved by prac- 
 tice, showing what errors to avoid, and what course to pursue. 
 
 I presume at this stage of proceeding the beginner is 
 anxious to try his hand with a fly at the end of his casting- 
 line. If he had one before, he would have lost it again and 
 again. He may take a large single fly, tied at the end of a 
 length of gut, and loop it to the end of his casting-line. 
 This is the tail fly, or stretcher, and with it you may prac- 
 tise until the rising of a fish shows you in the most pleasing 
 manner that you are becoming proficient. Do not, how- 
 ever, be too anxious to emulate the old gentleman above 
 you on the stream, who has a " cast " of five or six flies, 
 which he manages so deftly. Wait till next season before 
 you proceed beyond a single " dropper," as each additional 
 fly is called. Your casting-line may be lengthened from 
 two to three yards, which will be found a very convenient 
 lensrth for a single-hand rod.
 
 106 ANGLING. 
 
 You must learn bow to make the fly-cast, however, and 
 there are several plans of performing that essential operation. 
 The ordinary cast is made by adding from one to four 
 "bobs" or "droppers" to the casting- line, from twenty 
 Inches to two feet apart. The droppers should hang from 
 two to three inches from the main line, and should be 
 joined to it by slipping the knotted end of the "bob" 
 through the links of the fisher's knot, described on page 
 25. This is a simple, easy, and efficient mode of making 
 a fly-cast, and especially suitable for beginners. The drop- 
 pers can be easily removed. It should not be forgotten 
 that the flies must be dressed on the finest gut, and any- 
 thing that will add to the strength of the line, without 
 adding to its dimensions, should not be overlooked. Mr 
 Stewart recommends a fly-cast somewhat different to the 
 above, and much more difficult to make. He takes two 
 flies dressed on long lengths of fine gut, and ties the two 
 ends of gut together, so as to have a fly at each end. He 
 then whips a length of gut about two and a half inches 
 above one of the flies, and to the end of the gut he attaches 
 another length of gut on which a fly has been dressed, and 
 so on until the required number have been added. He 
 claims for this plan the recommendation that really each fly 
 forms a continuation of the main line, and if it does not 
 strengthen, it certainly does not weaken it. The old loop 
 practice, once so common, should never be followed. 
 
 With two or three " casts " twisted round his felt wide- 
 awake hat, the young fly-fisher is ready to commence opera- 
 tions. His dress must be sober coloured. He has his rod, 
 reel, fishing-basket or haversack, landing-net or gaff, and, 
 on his feet his waterproof boots or stockings. He has a 
 knife in his pocket, a pair of tweezers, a disgorger, scissors,
 
 FISHING UP AND DOWN STREAM. 107 
 
 and hU fly -book. Let us hope the sandwich-case, spirit- 
 flask, and cigar or pipe- case is not forgotten. Thua 
 equipped for the day, he may sally forth on his piscatory 
 campaign with pleasurable anticipation. 
 
 For all ordinary purposes a rod of some ten to twelve 
 feet long will be sufficient for all ordinary waters. The long 
 double-handed rod will be found tiresome and unmanage- 
 able when fishing for trout. Young fishermen should use a 
 stiffish rod, and indeed some authorities recommend, for a 
 variety of exceedingly profound reasons, that no other 
 should be used. Of the lines and casts we have already 
 treated. Let us now proceed to the fish. 
 
 One of the first trout streams I ever fished presented 
 greater variety of scenery and water in a shorter space than 
 any other I have met with. While my eyes were feasting 
 themselves on beauty, a learned discussion commenced as 
 to whether the stream ought to be fished "up" or "down." 
 Since that time a great deal of good paper and ink has 
 been wasted on the subject, but it is not yet decided autho- 
 ritatively either way. Excellent authorities can be brought 
 forward to prove that each plan is the correct thing. My 
 experience goea to show that, whilst it is more difficult to 
 fish up a stream, and harder work, it is more truly scientific, 
 and is likely to bring a greater weight of fish to the creel 
 The fish, which generally lie with their heads up stream, 
 are less likely to see the angler when he is going up than 
 when he is going down, and they can be struck easier, and 
 in their subsequent struggles they are less likely to disturb 
 the unfished water than when fishing down a stream, as 
 " troutie " generally rushes downwards when he finds his 
 jaw tickled with the barbed hook. To fish down a stream 
 is easier, is more common, and fair sport may be obtained.
 
 108 ANGLIXU. 
 
 Perhaps, after all, it is best to avoid dogmatically adhering 
 to either of these two schools of angling. Fish upwards 
 whenever you can, even at a little inconvenience, and come 
 down on the opposite bank when the fish are likely to be 
 hungry. 
 
 As you approach the stream do so cautiously, and Keep 
 out of sight as much as possible. Your lines will be all 
 the better if they have been rubbed with india-rubber, and 
 have been slightly soaked in water before you commence, 
 so as to have no harshness or awkward wavy coils on the 
 gut. Always remember that the flies should alight on the 
 water before your line like a rose leaf on a lady's veil. To 
 do this properly, the point of the rod must be kept well 
 up, and the shorter the cast the gieiter probability of suc- 
 cess. The most skilful angler cannot make his flies fall too 
 lightly, or keep too much out of sight. Nay, in some streams 
 and pools it will be necessary to kneel. If the current 
 is strong you may repeat the cast, and fish the river inch 
 by inch, as it were, if the pool or stream looks promising ; 
 and the casts should be made partly up and partly across 
 the stream, so that the flies spread across the stream. 
 Watch your flies carefully the moment they alight on the 
 surface of the Avater, for that is the moment considered 
 the most deadly by all anglers, and when the fish is most 
 likely to mistake them for the real insect, and to seize 
 them. Strike at once, firmly but gently, before the fish 
 can eject the fly on finding his mistake. Striking should 
 be done by a slight but quick motion of the wrist, and in 
 the same direction as the rod is moving at the time. An 
 excellent plan to fish a stream is to keep away from the 
 bank, and fish the nearer side first, keeping the flies on the 
 surface, or but an inch or two below it, until the line gets
 
 PLAYINO THE FISH. 109 
 
 tlragged by the stream. Then return to the tail of the 
 stream and fish the off-side in the same way. In very clear 
 water this plan is essential to success By all means the 
 fly-fisher should endeavour to give his flies as natural an 
 appearance as possible. He should humour them. If pos- 
 sible it should ,be allowed to drop lightly into the water 
 from a stone, leaf, grass-butt, or other substance on the 
 river. The quivering of the rod, the bobbing up and down 
 of the flies, moving them along by jerks, and a variety of 
 other contrivances, may be recommended to give them the 
 appearance of living insects. The best plan is to elevate 
 the point of the rod, so as to keep one or more of the 
 "droppers" skimming the surface of the watei. Never 
 drag your flies straight across the water. Should they be 
 finder water, any motion communicated to them is worse 
 than useless. If the trout hooked is a small one, out with 
 him at once without disturbing the water. If a large one, 
 pull it down stream. By doing this you have the force of. 
 the current in your favour, the fish chokes rapidly, and 
 exhausts itself more rapidly. Playing a fish is the great 
 crisis of angling. The struggle of force has commenced, 
 and it is doubtful which will be the conquerot, But be 
 calm. Decide if you can if your fish be a large one, or a 
 r.:.iall one hooked foul, that is, outside the mouth, in the 
 body, tail, or fin. which is often the case. A small fish 
 under theso circumstances is as strong and as difficult to 
 exhaust as A large one. If a large trout is deeply hooked, 
 he plunges at once to the bottom, and it will be necessary 
 to check him gently by raising the point of the rod. If 
 but slightly hooked, the fish struggles at first on the sur- 
 face of the water, as if by his antics he thought to get rid 
 of the troublesome bit :f steel If the top of the -od is
 
 110 ANGLING. 
 
 lowered, the weight of the line will cause him to descend. 
 You must, however, hold him well in hand. If he rushes 
 from you, keep going with him until you judge it is neces- 
 sary to check his career. At every pause turn the butt-end 
 of your rod to him, bringing the lower joints over your 
 right shoulder. The strain will then be equalised on your 
 tackle. If still vigorous, do not press upon him too hard ; 
 let your rod come more to the perpendicular, and indulge 
 him with another run or two. As he becomes weaker, 
 wind him up, so as to make him show himself. If his fins 
 beat languidly, and he is evidently weak, guide him with 
 the water, not against it, to some easy landing-place ; and 
 if the landing-net or gaff is not handy, take him in the left 
 hand, but do not attempt to lift him out of the water by 
 the line, or take the hook out of his mouth whilst in the 
 water if you should be wading, or you may lose your labour, 
 your temper, and the fish at the same time. 
 
 If the fish is deeply hooked, he darts to the bottom, and 
 you may be certain you have him firm. Though this assur- 
 ance may give you more confidence, do not be rash. Re- 
 member that the success of the angler's craft depends quite 
 as much on suavitor in mode as the fortiter in re. Lead 
 him into the open water gently, and do not let him have 
 an unlimited quantity of line, which, though it may tire 
 the fish, gives you less command over him. As his vigour 
 becomes reduced, and he turns on his side, keep his mouth 
 open at the surface of the water, so as to suffocate him. 
 This apparent paradox is by no means difficult of accom- 
 plishment. Always play your fish with a light hand, and 
 never seize your line in either hand either to shorten or let 
 out more line. It is an awkward, bad practice, and should 
 be avoided.
 
 THE HAUNTS OF THE TROUT. Ill 
 
 Occasionally the hooked fish, prior to taking his deep 
 dive, takes it into its head to perform some serial evolutions, 
 which are exceedingly trying to the angler's skill, as the 
 line may be easily broken by a stroke of the tail. It is best 
 to keep the line taut whilst the fish is rising, and slacken 
 it considerably as the fish falls, so as to prevent the tail 
 striking the taut line. In landing a fish, let the landing- 
 net be slipped under the fish, so that he may drop into it. 
 Bring him, if possible, to a shelving bank, but if this is not 
 possible, bring the exhausted fish close under the bank, and 
 slip the net under him. Do not frighten him, and let the 
 net be kept of a green colour. If you use the gaff, insert 
 it beneath the gills whilst he is gasping, or strike it beneath 
 one of the pectoral fins. A landing-net or a gaff is indis- 
 pensable in fly-fishing 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 FLY-FISHING. 
 
 Trout: their Haunts, Habits, and Tastes Scotch and Irish Fly- 
 FishingMonthly List of Flies General Hints on Grayling 
 and Trout Fishing. 
 
 WHILE the mere mechanical routine of the " gentle craft " 
 is easily acquired by those who have the desire to do so, 
 and who possess the necessary patience ; there is much to be 
 learned ere the tyro become the expert and scientific angler. 
 He must know the haunts of the fish, and tell almost at a 
 glance where the best fish lie, and choose intuitively, as it 
 were, the ni/y*t alluring baits, and those best adapted to the
 
 112 ANGLING. 
 
 season of the year, and the particular locality. Observa- 
 tion and experience must be the joint teachers of this 
 special knowledge, for no verbal directions can impart it- 
 There is also the fine feeling of a sportsman to be acquired, 
 which checks the mere butchery of the fish, otherwise than 
 by fair fishing, which places the love of sport above the 
 satisfactory basketful of shining beauties in tbeir grassy bed. 
 The whole art of angling has been truly said to be the know- 
 ledge of how, when, and where to fish, and what to fish 
 with. 
 
 The trout, which after all is the special object of the fly- 
 fisher's ambition, is a gentlemanly fish, of high instincts. 
 Not for him are the slow sluggish stream or muddy waters. 
 He leaves them for coarser natures. He likes not grovel- 
 ling in the mud, but courses along the watery highway, 
 which runs clear over a gravelly bed. He is nice in his 
 taste, and prefers the sportive fly to the lowly grub. He 
 is not easily entrapped, he calls forth the highest skill of 
 the angler, and often comes off the victor in the encounter. 
 He is truly the fish of the spring, and is in the primex* 
 condition when nature is decked in her gayest apparel. 
 From September to March he disappears from the angler's 
 calendar. He waits until the daisy shoots from the sod, 
 and then he delights in the shallows and the rougher 
 streams, running into deeper water and shady pools, where 
 he sojourns during the heat of summer. In whirlpools and 
 holes he delights. He loves the sharp current of a mill 
 race, where he can retire behind a rock or a big stone. 
 Sometimes he is to be found under bridges, or between 
 two arches which divide the current. He is gregarious and 
 loves his kind, and though his size and condition vary ii i 
 different countries, his main characteristics remain the same,
 
 CHOICE OF FLIES. 113 
 
 Revelling in beautiful scenes, he is susceptible of the in- 
 fluence of the weather, for when the storm rages he refuses 
 to bite at even his most favourite food. 
 
 But what is the favourite food of the trout ] On this 
 subject anglers cannot agree. The taste of the fish varies. 
 He is hungry or the reverse, and from the experience of 
 to-day and to-morrow various theories have been pro- 
 pounded, and learned discussions inaugun ted, which only 
 serve to perplex the inexperienced and to amuse the expert 
 angler. There are as many different sorts of flies recom- 
 mended as there are days in the year. Nay, there are some 
 who use one fly in the early morning, another in the fore- 
 noon, a third during the heat of the day, and a fourth in 
 the evening. The young angler may indulge these fancies 
 when he has plenty of time to spare, and has profited by 
 the result of my experience and of those who have kindly 
 advised me in this disputed portion of our work. 
 
 Those flies will be found to be the best which approach 
 in shape nearest the common flies of the streams on which 
 you are fishing. The colour is not so important as the 
 shape, if they are not too large and clumsy. The finest 
 and best will be useless if the fish are not on the feed. 
 
 I cannot here enter into an elaborate defence of these 
 propositions, which I hold to be truthful and likely to com- 
 mand the adherence of a large body of expert brethren of 
 the craft. I lay them down for the guidance of those who 
 have to acquire experience, so that they may not be misled 
 into continually changing their flies, and wasting their time 
 whenever they are not meeting with the success they feel 
 they deserve. In a succeeding chapter I have given full 
 and explicit directions concerning the flies, and here I 
 need say no more than, as a rule, a dark coloured fly is best
 
 for clear water, a lighter or yellow fly is more suitable for 
 darker waters, and has been found especially killing at the 
 close of the day. An excellent practice is to arrange the 
 " cast " so as, if possible, to embrace the varied taste of Mr 
 Trout, or to meet his caprice. A black, brown, red, and 
 dun fly will always be found to kill well, and will prove 
 the happy medium between the opposing theories of the 
 theoretical and practical school of anglers. Mr Stewart, 
 for instance, recommends, " When commencing a day's fish- 
 ing at any season, the angler should begin with three or 
 four different varieties, say a black spider for the tail fly, a 
 woodcock wing with yellow silk and red hackle for the first 
 dropper, a hare-lug body and corn-bunting wing for the 
 second dropper, and a dun-coloured spider for the fourth 
 fly." It will be easily seen which are the favourites, and 
 then the others may be changed. The tail fly and the third 
 dropper will be found almost invariably to be the most 
 deadly. Larger flies may be used in rivers not much fished, 
 but in well fished cLar streams the flies must be small and 
 neatly made. 
 
 So great is the difference of opinion amongst anglers of 
 experience, with respect to the number of flies necessary, 
 that Mr Fitzgibbon (" Ephemera ") gives a reduced list of 
 sixty-eight flies, while Mr Ronald, in his " Fly-Fisher's 
 Entomology," seems to have exhausted the insect creation 
 in his endeavours to show all the flies a fly-fisher may use. 
 On the other hand, Mr Stewart (" Practical Angler ") gives 
 only six, which for curiosity we extract : 
 
 1. A woodcock wing, with a single turn of a red hackle, 
 or landrail feather, dressed with yelloAv silk, freely exposed 
 on the body. For fishing in dark-coloured waters this fly 
 may be dressed with scarlet thread.
 
 QUALITIES OF FLIES. 115 
 
 2. A hare lug (ear) body with a corn-bunting or chaf- 
 finch wing. A woodcock wing may also be put on the same 
 body, but should be made of the small light-coloured 
 feather taken from the inside of the wing. 
 
 3. The same wing as the last fly, with a single turn of 
 a soft black hen hackle, or a small feather taken from 
 the shoulders of the starling, dressed with dark- coloured 
 silk. 
 
 Thus for flies proper : now for the " spiders " or 
 hackles. 
 
 1. The black spider. This is made of the small feather 
 of the cock starling, dressed with brown silk, and is upon 
 the whole the most killing imitation we know. This fly 
 was shown to Mr Stewart by the renowned James Baillie, 
 and it is used constantly by those gentlemen. 
 
 2. The red spider should be made of the small feather 
 taken from the outside of the wing of the landrail, dressed 
 with yellow silk, and is deserving of a very high rank, 
 particularly in coloured water. 
 
 3. The dun spider. This should be made of the small 
 soft dun or ash-coloured feather taken from the outside of. 
 the wing of the dotterel. As this kind is scarce, a feather 
 from the inside of the wing of the starling will have to 
 serve as a substitute. 
 
 I can speak to the general efficiency of all these, but 
 I cannot endorse the author's doctrine that they are suffi- 
 cient. 
 
 In another chapter I have given a list of forty of the 
 principal flies, selected from various sources, which have the 
 highest reputation as killers, and I have included a list of 
 spiders or Palmer hackles which may be used generally 
 throughout the year. I have found a yellow drake, dressed
 
 116 ANGLING. 
 
 on a bine body, wrapped with silver tinsel, with a strip of 
 golden pheasant, and a blue jay feather, full at shoulder, 
 a killing fly everywhere. It is a favourite with one of the 
 most successful anglers on the Fergus and Shannon. Mr 
 Charles Armstrong of Larch Hill has kindly forwarded me 
 the following hints, with respect to the best lakes and 
 streams in his neighbourhood. With respect to trout and 
 trouting, he says, the principal trout lakes in Clare arc 
 Inchiquin and Dromore. The flies used on both are very 
 much the same, and are known by the name of Inchiquin, 
 Dromore, and Lochabar flies. The colour distinguish them, 
 such as brown, black, cinnamon, claret, frieze-brown, etc. 
 They are nearly all fur or mohair bodies, and are tied on Nos. 
 5, 6, and 7 hooks as follows : Gold tinsel tail, a couple of 
 turns of orange, yellow or green silk under jib, which 
 should consist of three fibres of brown mallard hackle to 
 suit body. The body should be of mohair, slight at the 
 tail, and getting fuller towards the head. Four turns of 
 tinsel on body. For the wing a little peacock blue breast 
 feather to form the body of the Aving, and a sufficient 
 quantity of brown mallard to form each side wing. Pea- 
 cock or ostrich tail for head. 
 
 On some flies partridge and rail may be put on the 
 wing, instead of mallard. These flies of different colours 
 hold good during the season. 
 
 Hare's ear and hare's tail and yellow, with the wing of 
 a starling, are also good. 
 
 Lochabar is another name for the orange or green grouse 
 and rail, with the addition of a little gold pheasant butter 
 feather in the wing. 
 
 In February, cinnamon, copper-coloured, deep brown, 
 and black arc excellent. Large hare's ear arc! yellow or
 
 FLIES FOH TIIi'J MONTHS. 117 
 
 orange, with gold breast. A small peal-fly (see Chapter 
 on the Salmon) is also good. 
 
 In March, the same flies may be used. Some of the flies 
 should have plain rail wings, as few spotted flies are yet 
 smt. 
 
 In April, pale brown and cinnamon, rubbed with gold 
 cord, red hackles, partridge, and rail wings. An excellent 
 fly is one made of deep brown and claret, and all shades of 
 hare's ear are good. 
 
 In the fly-fisher's mouth of May, the trout feed mostly 
 in the evening ; and throughout this and the following 
 month, hare's ear, and all shades of Droinore flies, will 
 take well. In high winds the gaudy black fly should be 
 tried. 
 
 There are few fish taken in July, and the same flies are 
 used ; at>d from this time to the end of October, the trout 
 will take tlo flies named for February. In the Clare lakes 
 trout run from 2 Ibs. to 10 Ibs. in weight. 
 
 The best flies for March are the February red, varieties 
 of spiders, cow-dung, March brown alder. 
 
 In April, the above flies, with the sand-fly, stone-fly, 
 gravel bed, yellow dun, iron blue, the jenny-spinner, and 
 oak-fly. Attention should be paid to the description of 
 flies in the water, as some of the flies are partial, and only 
 found to be of any value on particular waters. 
 
 In May, nearly all the previous flies will secure a run. 
 The green-drake, sky-blue, and the fern-fly will be found 
 the best new ones. 
 
 In June, the gray-drake, the coch-y-bondhu, a beetle, the 
 great whirling-dun, will be good for a change ; but the May- 
 fly (green-drake) is the favourite. 
 
 In July, the pale wing-dun, the July dun, the ant-flics,
 
 118 ANGLING. 
 
 silver-horns, with moths for the evening, are the fishj 
 favourites. 
 
 During August, the palmer-hackles and moths, the 
 August dun, house and blow-flies, are good for a change. 
 
 In September, the cinnamon-fly, pale-blue, whirling-blue 
 dun, and the palmers, are sufficient with the moths. 
 
 For grayling, in streams where they abound, at the heads 
 and tails of streams they love to frequent, particularly if it 
 has a gravelly bottom, similar flies will be found taking, 
 in every sense of the term, if the hook is armed with a 
 gentle or grasshopper. 
 
 The accompanying plate gives illustrations of sixteen 
 useful flies. Fig. 1 is a useful beetle, with a shorter hackle ; 
 it is the coch-y-bondhu of Irish fishermen. Figs. 2 and 3 
 are useful palmers, which, if dressed on larger hooks, form 
 excellent chub-flies. Fig. 4 is the golden palmer. Fig. 
 5 is the house-fly ,i and if dressed with a brilliant harl, 
 becomes the blue-bottle. Fig. 6 is the fern-fly. Fig. 7 
 is the yellow sally. Fig. 8 is the oak-fly. Fig. 9 fairly 
 represents the form of moths. Fig. 10 is the governor, 
 and the general form is that of the ant-flies. Fig. 11 
 is the stone-fly. Fig. 12 is the March-brown; fig. 13 
 the blue dim ; fig. 14 the red spinner; fig. 15, whirling- 
 -dun ; fig. 1C the May-fly. 
 
 There are several maxims which the young fisherman 
 would do well to remember. Tread lightly, and keep your- 
 self well out of sight. Always fish with as fine a tackle 
 as you can use, and think no time wasted in care and pre- 
 paration. 
 
 The best weather for fishing is probably when a warm 
 south-west wind dapples the surface of the water ; but the 
 direction of the wind, with reference to the point of the
 
 THE TIME FOR FISHING. 119 
 
 compass, is of less consequence than its power. It is ex, 
 ceedingly difficult to fish up stream when the wind is 
 blowing down ; but the splash of the falling line into thq 
 water (which it will do under these circumstances, in con- 
 sequence of the force necessary to be used) is less likely to 
 be noticed than in calm weather. When there is no 
 breeze, wait until the motion of the line has subsided, and 
 then draw the flies slowly towards you. Never allow the 
 flies to remain stationary. In sunny weather avoid letting 
 your shadow fall into the stream. Kather have the suo 
 in your eyes. 
 
 The best time for fishing is in the forenoon, and later in 
 the evening, when the trout are on the " feed," which may 
 be easily seen by their rising ; make the most of your time, 
 as quickly, quietly, and steadily as you can, or else you 
 will mourn lost sport in a hitched, tangled, or broken 
 line. 
 
 Do not be in a hurry to change your flies. If a fish 
 rises and refuses your fly, give him a short rest, and try 
 him again. Remember a trout cannot be enticed. If he 
 again refuses, proceed on your way. If a fish rises behind 
 you, do not "hark back;" he is looking for other prey 
 than yours. 
 
 However tempting it may be to wade, and however well 
 prepared you may be, do not do so unnecessarily ; it only 
 disturbs the fish, spoils your neighbour's sport, and is not 
 conducive to the health of those who happen to have even 
 an iron constitution. 
 
 Trout will seldom rise immediately after a flood, as they 
 have been too well fed. The water is best after sufficient 
 rain to just colour it. 
 
 Fishing at night, or in dull weather, the flies should be
 
 120 ANGLING. 
 
 larger than those used in clear weather during the day, 
 In dull, wet weather, the flies take better when they sink 
 beneath the surface of the water. A large moth-fly is best 
 for night-fishing, and not more than two need be used. In 
 the heat of summer the addition of a "gentle" to the 
 fly will add much to its attractiveness. For special direc- 
 tions adapted for each month, the reader is referred to the 
 " Fisherman's Calendar," (Chapter XX.) 
 
 CHAPTEE XV. 
 
 ARTIFICIAL FLIES, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM. 
 
 CHEAP as artificial flies may be bought, and experienced aa 
 the professional hands may be in their manufacture, every 
 angler has felt, from time to time, the want of the special 
 knowledge to make his own flies, or alter existing ones. 
 If the angler practises when young, he soon acquires an 
 expertness which he never forgets, and which will serve 
 him in his need, and enable him to find an agreeable occu- 
 pation on many a wet afternoon, when unable to pursue 
 his favourite sport. 
 
 It is difficult to say anything that is new on this subject, 
 or even to clothe the old practice with new expressions ; 
 but I will endeavour to describe the process clearly and 
 concisely. 
 
 The necessary implements are few. At first, a small 
 hand-vice will be necessary, a small pair of brass nippers, 
 a pair of fine scissors, curved at the points, and a pair with 
 very sharp and fine points, a needle (\\hich may be fitted
 
 MATERIALS FOR FLY-DRESSING. 121 
 
 into a small handle,) for dividing wings and picking out 
 dubbing. 
 
 The materials used by the fly-dresser of the present day 
 are somewhat more simple than was formerly thought pos- 
 sible shape being more attended to and variety of material 
 less. Feathers of various kinds are not only the most suitable 
 but last longer than almost any other substance that has 
 been employed for the purpose, and they are supplemented 
 with fine hair and silk. In selecting feathers, great care 
 is necessary, and they should be plucked from birds when 
 ia full plumage, and every description of bird may be laid 
 under contribution for this purpose. Hackles taken from 
 the neck of the common cock are very useful when of a 
 proper colour and shape. The fibres should taper gradu- 
 ally from the root, and where they should be longest, to- 
 wards the point. The dun or blue hackle is particularly 
 difficult to obtain of the right colour, with the fibres of the 
 proper length, which is about half an inch. The feathers 
 of the cock-starling have a high repute in the north, as 
 combining good colour with that medium strength which 
 avoids harshness on the one hand, and softness on the 
 other. Feathers of the landrail are also highly esteemed, 
 taken from outside the wing, being of a reddish -brown 
 colour. The dotterel feathers are also useful, but apt to 
 get soft in the water. The gray-plover, golden-plover, 
 thrush, partridge, grouse, woodcock, and snipe, are com- 
 monly used. Even a tomtit's tail docs not escape, while 
 the peacock and ostrich tails, or single fibres of their 
 plumes, are in common use, when dyed, for bright and 
 variously-coloured flies. The wings of the flies are made 
 from the wing-feathers of the corn-bunting, lark, starling, 
 chaffinch, woodcock, landrail, and other birds.
 
 !~22 ANGLING. 
 
 Fur and hair are used for the bodies of flies, under the 
 name of " dubbing." These are wanted of every shade, 
 and are usually obtained at the furrier's. A hare's ear, 
 the fur of the water-rat, the fur of the bear, of various 
 shades, badger's hair, the fur of the squirrel, and field- 
 mouse, are also in request. Hog's down is the best hair, 
 and should be obtained about Christmas. It may be dyed 
 any colour. Mohair is sometimes used, and coloured 
 worsted is only used for salmon and pike flies. 
 
 For tying the flies, fine marking silk of different colours 
 is necessary, some hard shoemaker's or saddler's wax, some 
 colourless wax, of which we give the recipe, a variety of 
 hooks, with a little gold and silver twist, and the fly- 
 dresser has all the materials for making flies of any 
 pattern. 
 
 Before commencing to make your flies, arrange all your 
 materials in the handiest possible way under your eye. 
 Let your gut be of the finest description, the hooks adapted 
 to the size of the fly, with the wings, hackles, dubbing, 
 and silk assorted. The flies are generally divided into 
 two varieties hackles, variously called " palmers " or 
 "spiders;" winged flies, dressed with dubbing, or with 
 hackles, in imitation of gnats, midges, and other flies, 
 while " spiders " represent caterpillars and other embryo 
 flies. 
 
 The first process, that of " arming the gut," is thus per- 
 formed. It is essential that every angler should learn to 
 arm his gut and tie his hook, as it is the foundation of the 
 bottom -fisher's, as well as the fly-fisher's, art. The gut is 
 first coiled, and the end flattened and softened between the 
 teeth, so as to make it broad and prevent it slipping. The 
 hook is then taken in the left hand between the forefinger
 
 HOW TO DRESS A FLY. 
 
 123 
 
 and thumb, with the back uppermost, and the barbed point 
 downwards, so as to leave the shank bare. The gut is 
 laid along the upper portion of the shank, and is secured 
 by a slip-loop of well-waxed silk, about the middle of the 
 shank, opposite the barb of the hook. The gut and hook 
 are then whipped firmly and neatly together, in regular 
 
 Fig. 36. 
 
 Fig. 37. 
 
 Fig. 39. 
 
 screw-like twists, until you come to the end of the shank, 
 where a few turns of the thread will form the head, and a 
 slip-noose fastens the silk. If well and neatly done, it will 
 present the appearance of fig. 36. This is the foundation 
 of all flies. 
 
 To make the palmer-hackle, or spider, great care is neces-
 
 124 ANGLING. 
 
 sary, but the operation is not a difficult though a critical 
 one. Still holding the hook as before, you take the feather, 
 lay it with the root towards the bend of the hook, wrap 
 the thread two or three times round it, and then cut off the 
 root end. Fig. 37 will show the hook at this stage. There 
 are two processes of forming the spider open to the student. 
 He may wind the feather neatly round the hook, until 
 he reaches the bend of the hook, where he may fasten off, 
 nnd release any fibres that may have become entangled 
 during the winding. He may then clip away any long 
 rough points, the end of the feather, and the silk, and his 
 fly will represent fig. 38. Another process, and a better, 
 is to run the thread, after tying the hackle on, (as fig. 37,) 
 along the centre of the feather, and with the forefinger and 
 thumb of the right hand twist them together until the 
 feather is rolled round the thread, and in this state wrap it 
 round the hook, taking care that the fibres stick out 
 well to represent the legs of the insect, until you come 
 to the bend of the hook, when it may be fastened off 
 with the whip-fastening, or a succession of hitch-knots. 
 The feathers must be long enough to hide the hook, as 
 shown in fig. 39. 
 
 To make a palmer-hackle, representing a luscious cater- 
 pillar, (fig. 40,) the latter process cannot be followed. 
 When the hackle-feather is fastened on, (fig. 37,) some floss- 
 silk, peacock or ostrich-tail, or dubbing is used, twisted round 
 your vaxed thread, and wrapped round the shank of the 
 hook to form the body ; but beware of getting it too bulky. 
 Fasten at the head, then wind the hackle, as first described, 
 and fasten at the tail. If dubbed with either gold or 
 silver twist, it must be attached to the shank of the hook 
 vith the hackle, and wound over the dubbing and body
 
 HOW TO DRESS A WINGED FLY. 125 
 
 before the hackle is brought down. The ends must be cut 
 away and the silk fastened. It is better not to cut the 
 hackle feathers, but they must be neatly released with the 
 needle, so as to approach the regularity of the engraving, 
 fig. 38. Occasionally, hackles are made from the bend, and 
 wrapped towards the shank, or reversely to the plan above 
 described ; and this plan is adopted when wings have to be 
 added on small hooks. The hackle, in this case, will have 
 to be tied first by the tip, and not by the root. 
 
 The great difficulty in dressing a winged fly is to put the 
 wings on neatly. It is thus done. The hook is armed as 
 in fig. 36 ; but the whipping is not continued to the end of 
 the shank, it stops some three or four turns off, and the 
 feathers are added which are to form the wings. These 
 wings are generally composed of a few fibres of some appro- 
 priate feather, those taken from the wing of some small 
 bird, those lying on the inside of the wing being generally 
 the longest, lightest, and most esteemed. To whip these 
 fibres on neatly, and make them lie properly, is a difficult 
 operation. You take these feathers firmly between the 
 forefinger and thumb of the right hand, and lay them on 
 the bare shank of the hook with the roots towards the 
 bend, as shown in fig. 41. The thread must be whipped 
 three or four times firmly round the butt-ends of the fibres, 
 as shown above, and the remainder of the butt-ends cut off. 
 It is necessary now to divide the wings, by passing the silk 
 between them, and crossing it as you bring it up, bend 
 the fibres back and form the head. The fly may now be 
 finished in two or three ways, principally dependent on 
 whether it is to be dressed with hackle, dubbing, or have 
 a tail. If with dubbing, a little is twisted on to tho 
 thread until it is rolled completely round it. It is then
 
 126 
 
 ANGLING. 
 
 wrapped round the hook, so as to form the body of the fly, 
 and the thread fastened off as in fig. 42. A few hairs of the 
 dubbing must be picked out round the head to give it the 
 feathery appearance represented. 
 
 If dressed with a hackle, the wing should remain as in 
 fig. 41, and the root-end of the hackle attached, and wound 
 to the bend as described in the spider, and the end of the 
 thread should be fastened off with a slip-knot. The wing 
 fibres must then be taken between the forefinger and thumb 
 of the left hand, reversed, and bent down over the back of 
 
 Tig. 41. 
 
 the fly. This done, pass the thread behind the wings, and 
 twist it two or three times close and tight over the base of 
 the wings. The fibres must be divided exactly in the 
 middle, with the dubbing-needle. Pass the thread between 
 them, and wind it round the bottom of one of the wings, 
 crossing it as you bring it round under the other. Now 
 whip the silk behind the wings, form the head, fasten off 
 the ends, touch it and all knots with a little varnish, and 
 you have an excellent fly complete, as in fig. 42, without the
 
 HOW TO MAKE A CADDiS. 127 
 
 tail, which appendage is added before the body is attached 
 or the wings reversed. It is formed of two hairs or fibres, 
 which can be added when the gut is armed, or immediately 
 after the wings are attached. If necessary to wind gold or 
 silver twist round the body of the fly, first tie on the tail, 
 and then the gold twist, spin on the dubbing, wind it up 
 to the wings carefully, fasten with a slip-knot and leave the 
 end of the thread hanging. Take the gold twist and wind 
 it with regular intervals up to the wings, fasten it, and cut 
 away the loose twist. The hackle may then be wound for 
 a couple of turns over twist and dubbing, and then fasten 
 down, cutting away the loose end. The thread may then 
 be brought through the wings, and the fly finished as before. 
 
 A good fly should have both wings equal ; it should be 
 well proportioned, and should sit easily on the water. In 
 arming your gut, see that it is done Avith silk the colour of 
 the body of the fly, and it should be waxed with colourless 
 vax. If the body of the fly is to be of silk, you may make 
 it whilst arming the gut, and tie on the hackle and wings, 
 bring the hackle down two or three turns over the body, (fig. 
 43,) fasten off, reverse the wings,tie them neatly, and always 
 varnish the knot. If the wings are tied on last, they often 
 sit better, though they may not last so long as those tied 
 in the manner above described. If the beginner fails at 
 first, he, by perseverance, will find his difficulties disappear. 
 Let him get good models as he progresses, and he will find 
 our directions sufficiently explicit to enable him to make 
 any useful fly. The illustrations, figs. 43 and 44, showing 
 a dun-fly and the May-fly, are shown as roughly made by 
 a tyro in the art. They are also shown in a periect state 
 in figs. 13 and 16, in our plate of " Trout Flies." 
 
 Artificial caddis- worm for bottom-fishing is thus made :
 
 128 ANGLING. 
 
 wings f;ill, and a brownish-red hue, which should slant 
 over a yellow floss silk body, covered with goldbeater's 
 skin, and ribbed with brown silk \ a lap or two of bronze pea- 
 cock tail will finish the head. On warm windy days it will 
 be found very attractive. 
 
 At first the beginner may fix the bend of the hook in a 
 table or hand-vice, and use the nippers to twist the hackle 
 under the wings, particularly when the wings are placed on 
 the natural way at first. He will, if moderately handy, 
 soon dispense with these impedimenta. 
 
 Now with respect to the colour of the flics. A wide 
 range of material fails to give the fly-maker every tint he 
 requires, so that he is obliged to have recourse to the dyer's 
 art. 
 
 With respect to the dyeing of materials for fly-making, 
 I have found Judson's simple dyes easy of application, and 
 giving nearly every variety of tint, by judicious admixture. 
 In order, however, that the ambitious fly-fisher should have 
 every convenience at command, I give a few tried recipes 
 for making the dyes themselves. 
 
 The green dnike dye. To make the famous May- 
 fly well is the acme of the fly-dresser's art, and one of the 
 great difficulties is the proper colour for the wings, which 
 are generally formed of the dappled feathers from the under 
 side of a mallard's wing, dyed yellow green, which is some- 
 what di^icult to imitate. Mr Placker's method is as 
 follows : " Boil two or three handfuls of yellow wood one 
 hour in a quart of soft water ; wash the mallard hackles in 
 soap and hot water, then boil them a short time with a 
 large spoonful of alum and tartar in a little pipkin with a 
 pint of water, take them out and immerse them in your 
 yellow decoction, and simmer them slowly for an hour or
 
 DYEING OF FEATHERS. 129 
 
 two. The shorter the simmering the paler the yellow of 
 the feathers ; take them out and wash them in clean hard 
 water." "When there is occasion for dyeing yellow green, 
 add a little blue, more or less according to the shade of 
 green you wish to give to the yellow. If Judson's dyes are 
 used, the feathers must be washed and prepared to receive 
 the colour as above, and a green can be mixed easily to the 
 exact tint. Mr Eonald, the great authority on flies, gives, 
 however, another method. He makes a mordant by dis- 
 solving about a quarter of an ounce of alum in a pint of 
 water, and then to slightly boil the feathers in it to get 
 the grease out of them, after which to boil them in an in- 
 fusion of fustic to procure a yellow, and then subdue the 
 brightness of the yellow by a little copperas. 
 
 Dun feathers. Feathers may be dyed any shade of 
 dun and yellowish dun by this means, which is the founda- 
 tion of all good dyes. The feathers are placed in a sauce- 
 pan with a quantity of soft water, and when thoroughly 
 wetted, a small quantity of copperas (sulphate of iron) is 
 added, and the whole simmered gently for a few minutes. 
 Tbis gives the mordant a base. The liquor is then re- 
 moved, and the feathers are covered with a small quantity 
 of soft water, and when simmering a small quantity of 
 powdered Aleppo galls is added. Of course the tint will 
 depend on the quantity of each material used, for by in- 
 creasing the quantities the colour changes to almost every 
 tint of dun. Logwood, madder, walnutpeels, alder tree, bark, 
 and other astringent dye-woods may be used instead of galls, 
 always using soft water, and obtaining the light colour be- 
 fore the dark. The fixing liquid is made from copperas, 
 sulphate of alum, acetate of alum, or acetate of copper; 
 it they are then well washed and simmered in a strong 
 
 I
 
 130 ANGLING. 
 
 decoction of woad or weld, (Reseda luteola,) dyer's weed as 
 it is commonly called, they will acquire a brilliant yellow 
 colour. While feathers may be dyed dun, by first simmer- 
 ing them in alum water until thoroughly soaked, and then 
 boil them in water with fustic, shumac, and a small 
 quantity of copperas. 
 
 To stain feathers an olive dun, &c. Make a very strong 
 infusion of the outside brown coating of an onion, by allow- 
 ing the whole to infuse by the fire for twelve hours. If 
 dun feathers are boiled in this dye, they will become an 
 olive dun, and white feathers a yellow. If a small piece 
 of copperas be added, the latter colour will become a use- 
 ful muddy yellow, darker or lighter as may be required? 
 and approaching to a yellow- olive dun, according to the 
 quantity of copperas used. 
 
 To dye feathers various shades of red, amber, and broivn. 
 First, boil them in alum mordant, already mentioned ; 
 secondly, boil them in an infusion of fustic strong enough 
 to bring them to a bright yellow, (about a tablespoonf ul 
 to a pint of water ;) then boil them in a dye of madder, 
 peach wood, or Brazil wood. To set the colour put a few 
 drops of dyer's spirits, (i.e. nitrate of tin combined with a 
 small quantity of salt,) which may be had from a silk-dyer, 
 into the last-mentioned dye. 
 
 To turn red hackles brown. Put a piece of copperas, the 
 size of half a walnut, into a pint of water ; boil it, and 
 whilst boiling put in the red feathers. Let them remain 
 in it until, by frequent examination, they are found to have 
 taken the proper colour. 
 
 To dye feathers dark red and purple. Hackles of various 
 colours, boiled (without alum) in an infusion of logwood 
 and Brazil wood-dust until they are as red as they can be
 
 FLIES FOB THE SPUING. 13i 
 
 made by this means, may be changed to a deeper red by 
 putting them into a mixture of muriatic acid and tin, and 
 to a purple by a warm solution of potash. As the muriatic 
 acid is not to be saturated with tin, the solution must be 
 made diluted. If it burns your tongue much, it will burn 
 the feathers a little. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 FLY-FISHING FOR TROUT. 
 Artificial Flies and their Varieties. 
 
 IN the preceding chapter I have indicated generally the flies 
 to be used in the various months and seasons. I will now 
 describe the material of which they are made, and their 
 general names, which, however, vary in different localities. 
 There is not a fly mentioned but what has been tested by 
 experience to be useful for trout and grayling throughout 
 the United Kingdom. I am not an advocate for a large 
 assortment of flies. If the angler knows the district and 
 the waters he intends fishing, half-a-dozen varieties, adapted 
 to the season and the circumstances, will prove as a rule 
 sufficient. In giving the following list I have selected 
 those adapted to various localities. 
 
 In the earlier months of fly-fishing, say from February 
 to the end of April, the first ten will be found good and 
 effective : 
 
 1. The February red. Body dark red, squirrel's fur r 
 equally mixed with claret-coloured mohairs, but the latter 
 predominating at the tail of the fly. Let it be warped
 
 132 ANGLING. 
 
 with brown silk, and the wings taken from a reddish-dun 
 covered feather of the wing of a mallard. Legs, a hackle 
 stained of a claret colour. Hook, Nos. 9 and 10. 
 
 2. The blue dun. This fly remains on the angler's list 
 until October. The body of water-rat's fur ribbed with 
 yellow silk, a dun hen's hackle for the legs. The wings, a 
 feather from a starling's wing, with a double strangled or 
 grizzled cock's hackle for tail. Hook, No. 10, (fig. 13.) 
 
 3. Hqfland's fancy. This is an evening fly, useful for 
 dace. Dark brown silk body, red hackle legs, with tail 
 formed of two strands of the same; wings, woodcock's tail. 
 Hook, No. 10. 
 
 4. Furnace fly. This useful fly derives its name from 
 the furnace hackle, which is not often met with. The out- 
 side fibres are a beautiful dark red, while that portion of 
 them next the stem is black. They are obtained from the 
 neck of a cock. This fly is made with an orange-coloured 
 silk body, with a fieldfare's feather for wings, and a fur- 
 nace hackle for the legs. 
 
 5. The March brown. This is a showy fly, and bears 
 many names, as the dun-drake, cob-fly, brown-caughlan, 
 and turkey-fly, (fig. 12.) It is a nearly universal favour- 
 ite. It may be thus made of three sizes, on Nos. 8, 9, or 
 10 hooks. Body, deep straw-coloured silk wound over 
 with reddish-brown fox hair. The wings should stand 
 erect, made of the light fibres of a hen pheasant's wing ; a 
 honey dun hackle may be used for the legs, and two fibres 
 of the wing may be used for the tail. When more than one 
 fly is used at the same time, the tail-fly should be ribbed 
 with gold twist, and the colour may be slightly varied. 
 
 6. A March brown, as it is called, is also made with 
 water-rat's fur, ribbed with yellow silk, partridge hackle
 
 VA1UET1ES OF FLIES. 133 
 
 for legs. Wings, tail feather of the partridge, and the tail 
 two fibres of the same. Hook, No. 10. 
 
 7. The red spinner is a fine showy fly, dressed thus : 
 Viody, red-hog's down, ribbed with gold twist and tied on 
 toith brown silk; wings, starling's wing feather; legs, 
 bright ainber-red hackle ; tail, two fibres of the same 
 feather. Hook, No. 9, (fig. 14.) 
 
 8. Carshalton cock-tail. A dun fly, and will be found a 
 good killer in many streams as well as its native Wandle. 
 Body, light blue fur ; legs, dark dun hackle ; wings, the 
 inside feather of a teal's wings ; tail, two fibres of a white 
 cock's hackle. Hook, Nos. 9 or 10. 
 
 9 The pale yellow dun. Excellent from April to the 
 end of the season. Body, yellow mohair, or marten's pale 
 yellow fur, tied with yellow silk ; wings, the lightest part 
 of a feather from a young starling's wing, Hook, No. 
 12. 
 
 10. The soldier palmer. Body, bronze-coloured pea- 
 cock harl, ribbed with fine gold twist, and two black-red 
 or furnace hackles, struck with strict regularity from the 
 tail to the shoulder. Hook, Nos. 10 or 11. A general fly 
 and special favourite with grayling, (fig. 40.) 
 
 11. Coch-y-bon<)hu. Body, short and full, of black 
 ostrich and brilliant peacock harl twisted together ; wings 
 and legs, a dark furnace cock's hackle of the purest black 
 and red colour. Hook, Nos. 10 and 11. This is a 
 famous fly, says Ephemera ; if fish will not rise at it, you 
 may conclude they are not " on the feed." They either 
 take it for a small red and black caterpillar, or for a round 
 black and red beetle. Fine, warm, cloudy days are the 
 bust for its successful use. Its shape is shown in fig. 1, 
 but the hackles arc too long.
 
 134 ANGLING. 
 
 12. The orange dun. Another fly in request on the Test 
 and other southern streams. Body, red squirrel's fur, ribbed 
 with gold thread ; legs, red hackle ; wings, from the star- 
 ling's wing ; tail, two fibres of red cock's hackle. Hook, 
 No. 9. 
 
 13. Cow-dung fly is in season throughout the year, and 
 is used chiefly in dark, windy weather. Body, dull lemon- 
 coloured mohair ; legs, red-hackle ; wings, from feathers of 
 the landrail, or starling's wing, (fig. 9.) Hook, Nos. 8 
 or 9. 
 
 14. Stone-fly. Wings, a mottled feather of the hen 
 pheasant, or the dark-gray feather of a mallard, rather in- 
 clining to red, to be dressed large, long, and flat ; body 
 yellow-brown mohair, mixed with light hare's-ear fur, and 
 ribbed with yellow silk, so distributed in making the body 
 of the fly that the under and hinder parts may exhibit 
 most yellow to the fish ; 1 <gs, a brown-red hackle ; tail, 
 two fibres of the brown mallard, (fig. 11.) Hook, K"os. 5, 
 6, or 7. 
 
 15. The oak- fly or down-looker. During the last fort- 
 night in April the fly-fisher should never angle without this 
 fly. It is called by some the ash-fly, cannon-fly, and 
 woodcock-fly. It is found on the trunks of trees by the 
 river side in a state of quietude, its wings lying close tc 
 its back, and its head looking downwards ; hence one 
 of its names. In May and June this fly is also in season, 
 and it will kill well in deep streams, and on pools that 
 are ruffled by a strong but tepid wind. I shall give but 
 one way of dressing it, as follows : Body, yellow mohair, 
 ribbed regularly with dark brown silk ; legs, a honey-dun 
 hackle, wound thrice under the wings, which are to lie 
 flat and short, and be made of the wing feather of a young
 
 VARIETIES OF FLIES. 135 
 
 partridge or lien pheasant. To be tipped with, pale gold 
 twist. Hook, Nos. 8, 9, or 10. 
 
 16. The sand-fly. Equally good for trout or grayling, 
 from April to the end of September. The fur from a hare's 
 neck, twisted round silk of the same colour ; legs, a ginger- 
 hen's hackle ; wings, the feather from the landrail's wing. 
 Hook, No. 9. 
 
 17. The alder-fly. Body, any dark claret-coloured fur, 
 as that which a brindled cow yields, and that of a copperish 
 hue, from a dark-brindled pig or a brown-red spaniel's ears ; 
 upper wings, red fibres of the landrail's wing, or red tail 
 feather of the partridge, lower wings of the starling's wing 
 feather ; legs, dark-red hackle ; horns and tail of fibres, the 
 colour of the legs, the horns or antennas to be shorter than 
 the body of the fly, but the tail a little longer. Hook, 
 Nos. 9 and 10, (fig. 8.) 
 
 18. The hares-ear dun. A killing fiy, and in great 
 favour in Hampshire. Body, the fur of the hare's ear ; 
 wings, the feather from a starling's wing ; tail, two fibres 
 of the brown feather from a starling's wing. Hook, No. 
 10. 
 
 19. The Ihie How. Wings, from the tail feather of a 
 tomtit ; body, a blue water-rat's or monkey's fur ; legs, a 
 fine light-blue hackle ; tail whisks, two blue hairs. 
 
 20. Gravel, or spider fly, appears towards the latter 
 end of April ; where it is met with it may be fished with 
 all day, and the trout take it freely. Water-rat's fur ; legs, 
 black hackle ; wings, the feather from a partridge. Hook, 
 Nos. 10 or M. It may also be made with a dark dun 
 hackle, which I prefer instead of the partridge feather. 
 
 21. Black gnat. A capital fly for dace as well as trout, 
 and may be used from April to the end of the season
 
 136 ANGLING. 
 
 Body, black hackle, or ostrich harl, lied with black silk \ 
 wings, the feather from a starling's wing. Hook, No. 13, 
 (fig. 42.) 
 
 22. Red ant. This is the small red ant, and there is 
 another of the same size, called the black ant, and two 
 others named the large black and red ants. Body, pea- 
 cock's harl, made full at the tail and spare towards the 
 head ; legs, red or ginger cock's hackle ; wings, from the 
 light feather of the starling's wing, (fig. 10.) 
 
 23. The bracken-cloth is a kind of beetle. If made 
 upon a large hook, it will be found an excellent fly for the 
 lakes in Scotland. Body, peacock's harl, made full at the 
 tail and spare towards the head ; legs, red or ginger cock's 
 hackle ; wings, from the light feather of the starling's wing. 
 
 24. Brown palmer-liackle. Body, brown floss silk, or 
 brown fur, or mohair of a deep amber, or a rich brown 
 ostrich harl, ribbed alternately with gold and silver twist ; 
 legs, a red cock's hackle. Hook, Nos. 4, 5, or 6. 
 
 25. Red palmer-hackle. Body, dark-red coloured mohair, 
 with a little richly-tinted red fur intermixed, to be ribbed 
 with gold or silver twist ; legs, a blood-red cock's hackle. 
 Hooks, Nos. 6 or 7, (fig. 3.) 
 
 26. Golden palmer-hackle. Body, green and gold pea- 
 cock's harl, ribbed with gold twist ; a bright-red cock's 
 hackle, worked with a rich green silk. Hook, Nos. 5, 6 
 7, or 9, (fig. 4.) 
 
 27. Peacock, palmer-Jiackle. Body, a rich full fibre of 
 peacock harl, ribbed with wide silver platting. Make a 
 head to this palmer with a bit of scarlet mohair. Legs, a 
 dark grizzled hackle, dressed with red silk. Hook, Nos. 
 5 or 6. This hackle, dressed very large, will kill Thames 
 
 .trout and chub.
 
 VARIETIES OF FLIES. 137 
 
 28. A good general palmer . Body, long and tapering, 
 of yellow mohair ; legs, a good furnace hackle, wound on 
 from tail to shoulder ; head, black ostrich harl. Hook, 
 Nos. 5, 6, or 7, (fig. 40.) 
 
 29. The whirling dun. Body, water-rat's fur, ribbed 
 with yellow silk ; wings, cock starling's wing-feather ; legs, 
 blue-dun hackle : tail, two fibres of a grizzled hackle. 
 Hook, Nos. 8 or 10, (fig. 15.) 
 
 30. Dotterel hackle. Body, yellow tying silk, with a 
 very little blue rabbit's fur spun on it, so as to show the 
 yellow of the silk ; wings and legs, dotterel hackle round 
 the shoulder. Hook, No. 12, sneck bend. 
 
 31. Golden plover hackle. Body, yellowish- green floss 
 silk ; wings and legs, golden plover back feathers. Hook, 
 Nos. 10 and 11. 
 
 32. Green drake. Appears late in May or early in June. 
 This short-lived insect is not to be found on every stream. 
 Body, yellow floss silk, ribbed with brown silk ; the ex- 
 treme head and tail coppery-peacock's harl ; legs, a red or 
 singer hackle : wines, the mottled wing of a mallard stained 
 
 o o * o / o 
 
 olive ; tail or whisk, three hairs from a rabbit's whiskers. 
 Hook, No. G. 
 
 33. Gray drake. Body, white floss silk, ribbed with 
 dark brown or mulberry silk ; head and top of the tail, a 
 peacock's harl ; legs, a grizzle cock's hackle ; wings, from a 
 mallard's mottled feather made to stand upright ; tail, three 
 whiskers of a rabbit. 
 
 34. The little yellow sally. Body, light buff-coloured 
 fur ; wings, the yellow feather under the thrush's wing to 
 stand erect ; legs, a very small yellow dun hackle ; tail, 
 t\vo fibres of the same. 
 
 35. Moths. White : body, white floss silk ; white
 
 138 ANGLING. 
 
 wings and legs, and black head. Brown : wings, light 
 brown mallard ; legs, a twine or two of red hackle, with 
 a fibre or two for the tail ; body, brown silk, twisted 
 tightly with gold wire. Green moth : brown mottled 
 wings, with a twist of brown hackle for wings j body, 
 light brown, finished with bright green silk; no tail. 
 Hooks, 9 and 10. The general shape is shown by 
 fig. 9. 
 
 36. Fei-nfltj. This is an admirable May and summer 
 fly. The proper sized hook is No. 10, and when the water 
 is very low, a size smaller. The body is to be made of 
 deep brilliant-coloured orange silk, whipped sparingly with 
 fine gold wire ; wings, lying rather flat, to be made of the 
 light mottled fibres of a young partridge's wing feathers ; 
 legs, a turn or two of a small fiery- red hackle. Hook, Nos. 
 11 and 12, (6g. 6.) 
 
 37. The wasp fly is dressed thus : Body, light-orange 
 mohair, dubbed in very thin ribs, and alternated with black 
 ostrich harl, neatly and finely. Form the head of bronze 
 harl ; legs, two turns of a light-brown red hackle. Hook, 
 7, 8, and 9 ; and make the wings of a partridge hackle or 
 mottled mallard's feather. 
 
 38. T/ie governor. Body, bronze-coloured peacock's 
 harl, tipped with red silk ; legs, black ; red hackle ; wings, 
 from the starling or partridge tail feathers. Hook, 
 No. 8, (fig. 10.) 
 
 39. House-fly. Body, black ostrich harl, dressed rather 
 full ; wings, a lark's wing feather to be flat and extended ; 
 legs, a dark dun hackle. Hook, Nos. 9 and 10. In autumn, 
 on windy days, this fly is often greedily taken by trout 
 and grayling. It is a better fly for chub and dace, 
 (fig. 5.)
 
 HE MAY-FLY. 139 
 
 40. The May-fly, (fig. 16.) This fly is very difficult to 
 dress. The body is formed of yellow-green mohair ; 
 wings, mallard's feather, dyed yellow ; a black head ; legs, 
 yellowish hackle ; tail, three strands from a rabbit's whis- 
 ker, or from a black bear. See receipts in Chap. XV. 
 
 Mode of Twisting a Horse-hair Lin*.
 
 FISHING WITH THE NATURAL FLY. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Dipping, Dabbing, or Daping. 
 
 DURING the beats and droughts of summer, when the 
 waters are low and clear, and the fish betake themselves 
 to the shadow of the water-lilies and weeds, both the bot- 
 tom and the fly-fisher may practise fishing with the natural 
 fly. Indeed, it varies agreeably the somewhat monotonous 
 pastime of the bottom-fisher ; and there are few rivers 
 where it may not be practised, wherever a trout, grayling, 
 chub, or, occasionally, a carp or roach may be found. It 
 is a practice only adapted for such streams as have over- 
 hanging banks, shaded by foliage and fringed with shrubs, 
 which hide the person of the angler. The art of dipping 
 is simply to drop a natural fly, fixed on your hook, so 
 gently on to the surface of the water that it may seem but 
 the sportive tendency of the insect, and not the artificial 
 line of the angler. It is a somewhat difficult operation to 
 do this successfully, for it requires a light hand, light 
 tackle, and the most delicate manipulation. 
 
 Let us see the tackle necessary to practise this quiet, s<*-
 
 THE NATURAL FLY. 141 
 
 ductive, sleuth-like, piscatory sport. The length of the rod 
 must depend on the situation and closeness of the waters. 
 If the banks are shrouded with trees and shrubs, then a 
 thirteen or fourteen feet rod, fitted with a light reel, will 
 be best. If the banks are comparatively open and un- 
 sheltered, then a long rod will be necessary. One eighteen 
 feet long will not be too long, as it will enable the angler 
 to keep well out of sight, and use a blow-line. The line 
 itself should be of fine tried stout gut, about a yard long, 
 attached to a foot silk line, which may be lengthened or 
 shortened according to circumstances. The hooks should 
 be short in the shank and neatly whipped, and of sizes 
 adapted to the bait you use. 
 
 The living insects used as baits for this description of 
 fishing are various. House-flies, wood-flies, stone-flies, 
 green and gray drakes, blue-bottles, moths, cockchaffers, 
 grasshoppers, beetles, bees, ants, are used according to circum- 
 stances. Whatever fly is on the water, or whatever insect 
 is plentiful along the river-banks or water-side, may be 
 used with effect. Great care is, however, requisite in plac- 
 ing the insect on the hook, so as not to kill it or harm it. 
 If properly hooked, it ought to display all its natural 
 motions, but it cannot do this if it is roughly handled or 
 clumsily used. If one fly only is used, insert the hook 
 under one of its wings, and bring it out between them at 
 the back. If two flies are used, the first fly must be hooked 
 between the wings, at the upper part of the back, and the 
 second fly be placed with the head reversed, and the hook 
 inserted under one of its wings, and come out at the back. 
 This is an excellent mode of baiting, and generally proves 
 a seductive one for the fish. The May-fly is hooked through 
 the thorax, and then placed heads to tails. In baiting with
 
 142 ANGLING. 
 
 grasshoppers, the hook may bo placed under its head 01 
 lodged in its body, or passed through the upper part of the 
 back. The fly -baits may be caught with a gauze-net, and 
 kept in a box full of air-holes. House and wood-flies are, 
 however, apt to be too nimble for the angler when the box- 
 lid is opened. An old powder-horn, with a few perfora- 
 tions, answers very well as a receptacle for these agile 
 gentry, as only one can escape at a time through the 
 aperture. 
 
 Dipping may be practised from the middle of May to 
 the end of August. Chub and roach will rise at the natural 
 fly in September, on warm evenings. During the day 
 trout and grayling will rise at the May-fly, when on the 
 water, and in the evenings they seem to prefer a blue- 
 bottle, house-fly, or moth. The fish, however, do not jump 
 at the bait ; they appear lazily to rise, suck in the flies as 
 they flutter on the top, for they should never be allowed to 
 sink beneath the water. Strike gently ; do not play the 
 fish long ; tire him by keeping his head well out of the 
 water ; and then bring him quietly to the side. 
 
 In bush-fishing the angler must be divested of all encum- 
 brances as far as possible. His equipment must be placed 
 in a haversack under his coat; he must approach his 
 scene of action noiselessly and unseen. Having fixed on a 
 suitable spot, twirl your foot-line round the top pieces of 
 your rod, so as to avoid the twigs and branches. Let it 
 hang over the river ; untwist the line gently by turning the 
 rod, and then let the flies gently alight, fluttering at the 
 top of the water. If there are any weeds near, so that the 
 fly may appear to have jumped from them, so much the 
 better. The angler must keep out of sight and make no 
 noise. The fish and, generally, it is big fish that are
 
 THE AKT OF DIPPING. 145 
 
 caught with the natural fly open their lordly jaws, and 
 generally hook themselves. If a few grubs or brandlings are 
 thrown in ere you begin, the fish appear more greedy to 
 swallow your bait. Everything will depend on the caution 
 and tact of the angler. 
 
 Where the banks are more open, a longer line may be 
 used, and the fly may be suffered to blow about by the 
 wind, or be gently cast to some likely spot. This is diffi- 
 cult to accomplish ; for everything like violent whipping 
 must be scrupulously avoided. A gentle motion of the 
 fore-arm must only be used, and the line brought gently 
 round, and the bait allowed to touch the water softly. 
 Occasionally, the fly may be gently " chucked " beneath 
 some overhanging bushes; but this is scarcely possible 
 without the angler showing himself. On narrow rivers no 
 reel or winch is necessary nay, it is rather an encum- 
 brance. The casting-line may be fixed to the upper point 
 of the rod, and then cast without fear. 
 
 When using beetles or cockchafers, the shield, or exter- 
 nal wings, should be cut off, and the hook inserted at the 
 back of the neck and out at the middle of the back, so as 
 to permit the feet to hang downwards. If the water is 
 open, and the surface rippled with a breeze, a split shot 
 may be attached to the line some distance above the bait, 
 so as to sink it a few inches. This plan hardly comes 
 within the denomination of dipping, which is generally 
 practised when the sun is shining, and the fish are off the 
 feed, from ten o'clock in the morning until four in the 
 afternoon. 
 
 Many plans have been tried to dip with an artificial 
 bait, but without any great success. The plan recom- 
 mended by Ephemera (Mr Fitzgibbon) is perhaps the best.
 
 1 44 ANGLING. 
 
 He recommends that a " pair of wings should be made of 
 the feathers of a landrail," (see chapter on "Artificial Flies, 
 and how to dress them,") " and on the bend of the hook put 
 one or two caddis. The head of one caddis should go up 
 close to the wings. Angle with a stiff rod, about fourteen 
 feet long, a foot-line, eight feet, and a hook Nos. 5 or 6. 
 Let the bait float down the stream, just below the surface, 
 then gently draw it up again, a little irregularly, by shak- 
 ing the rod, and if there be a fish, in the place it will be 
 sure to take it. If you use two caddis with the wings, 
 put the hook in at the head and out of the neck of the 
 first, and quite through the other from the head to the 
 tail. Two brandlings or red worms may be fished with in 
 the same way." I have caught roach frequently with a 
 house-fly and a caddis attached, by dipping ; but of the 
 merits of the above plan for trout I cannot speak from ex- 
 perience. Where there are no bushes or other shelter for 
 the angler, an artificial one may be made of a hurdle and 
 bushes, or other handy contrivance. It must, however, be 
 fixed some time before the angler commences operations. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIIL 
 
 FLY-FISHING. 
 
 The Salmon, Hints on Fishing for. 
 
 THE salmon is undoubtedly and pre-eminently the monarch 
 of the rivers and the streams. His size, vigour, grace, and 
 proportion stamp him as the " noblest Roman of them all." 
 Out of the water he has long enjoyed the highest reputa-
 
 SPECIES OF SALMON. 145 
 
 tion ; but until recently lie has been simply the illustrious 
 stranger, of whose good qualities we saw and acknowledged, 
 but of whose history we were ignorant. We have been 
 guilty of such gross mistakes respecting this noble fish, 
 that, until a short time since, we were literally extirpating 
 the salmon from our rivers. Now, however, a better sys- 
 tem prevails under improved knowledge. Even now but 
 few fishermen can tell how many different species of this 
 magnificent and common fish there are in British waters. 
 Nay, even prof essed ichthyologists have been at fault on this 
 matter. Mr Garnell, in a comparatively late edition of his 
 work on " British Fishes," gives but six species, whereas the 
 best and latest work on the subject, " Couch's British 
 Fishes," gives us twelve good and distint species of salmon 
 and trout, as indigenous to the United Kingdom. They 
 are as follows : 
 
 MIGRATORY SPECIES. 
 The Salmon (Salmo salar, Lin.) 
 The Salmon Peal which is the salmon trout of Yarrell, who haa 
 
 confounded it with the true salmon trout (S. trutta, Liu.) 
 The Sewin (S. Cambricus, Don.), which appears to be exclusively 
 confined to the rivers of the Welsh coast. 
 
 The Sea Trout or Bull Trout (S. eriox, Lin.) 
 
 The Salmon Trout (S. trutta, Lin.) 
 
 The Slender Salmon (S. gracilis, Couch.) 
 
 The Blue Pole (S, albres, Flem.) 
 
 NON-MIGRANTS. 
 
 The Lake Trout (S. ferox, Jard.) 
 The Common Trout (S. fario, Lin.) 
 The Gillaroo or Gizzard Trout. Thomson. Irish. 
 The Lochleven Trout (S. ccecifer, Parn.) Scotland. 
 The Parr (S. stimulus, Will.) 
 
 With respect to the latter, it has always been considered 
 to be the young of the salmon. Mr Couch, however, classes
 
 146 ANGLING. 
 
 it as a good and distinct species, and describes many dis- 
 tinguishing marks between the parr and the samlet, amongst 
 which may be mentioned that the bones of the samlet are 
 soft, whilst those of the parr are stout and hard. Mr 
 Couch also states that the latter are not nearly so common 
 a fish as is generally supposed. These twelve species of 
 ' salmon may all be caught by the angler. They furnish 
 ! him with the highest sport, amidst the most lovely and pic- 
 turesque scenery ; but above all, the capture of a large- 
 sized salmon with the frail tackle of the angler demands an 
 amount of skill, perseverance, and adaptation of means to 
 a given end which is not often met with. It is no w r onder 
 that high prices are paid for the right of fishing for salmon, 
 and that distant waters are visited for the purpose of enjoy- 
 ing this exciting sport. I shall never forget the thrill of 
 delight with which I viewed the first salmon which fell a 
 victim to my angling skill, under the shadow, as it were, 
 of the old Cunimeraghs, and within the sound of the 
 hoarse surge of the Atlantic billows. I have a thousand 
 memories haunting the spot, and a thousand kindnesses to 
 acknowledge j but, alas ! numbers of those who were with 
 me then are in distant lands, and others gone to the " land 
 of the leal j" and my darling golden-haired first-born rests 
 in the sunny church-yard overlooking the vale. I next 
 tried my 'prentice hand in the Fergus, and I have not been 
 unsuccessful in the queenly Shannon. 
 
 Leaving the history of the salmon to other and abler 
 pens, I may be permitted to describe the approved method 
 of capturing this princely fish. I will take the rod as the 
 first, if not the most essential portion, of the salmon-fisher's 
 equipment. In my remarks on rods in general, I have
 
 THE SALMON BOD AND FLIES. 147 
 
 described the principle on which a rod should be made, and 
 the material of which it should be constructed. A salmon 
 rod should be from sixteen to eighteen feet long. Though 
 not one of the shortest or weakest of mankind, I have 
 found the twenty-feet rod sometimes become too tiresome 
 and unwieldy for daily use. A rod eighteen feet long at 
 the outside, with a top of greenheart or of split bamboo, 
 springing gracefully from top to butt, balanced with a 
 winch containing from eighty to a hundred yards of stout 
 line, is one that would delight the heart of the most ardent 
 brother of the angle. The winch may be one of those con- 
 taining a break spring, or what the makers call a spring 
 washer. The new composition reel, which is at once 
 light, compact, easily worked, not deranged by heat or 
 water, seems to have every essential quality of a good 
 reel, though time alone can prove its endurance. The run- 
 ning line should be of plaited silk, and the casting line of 
 the strongest gut the three-ply twisted is generally recom- 
 mended. The fly-cast should be of the strongest single 
 gut, well tested, and selected with great care. The lengths 
 may be joined together with the single fisherman's knot; 
 but the knot elsewhere described, with a buffer whipping, 
 is the best of all. Salmon flies are dressed somewhat dif- 
 ferently to those used for trout. They are so whipped as 
 to leave a small but strong loop of stout gut at the extreme 
 end of the shank, close to the head of the fly. The end of 
 the fly-cast is slipped through this, and knotted with a 
 single knot ; a running hitch-knot is then made round the 
 the gut, and, when drawn tight, makes a strong neat com- 
 pact knot which, while firm, admits of the fly being changed 
 easily when required. Some anglers attach a drop-fly some
 
 148 ANGLING. 
 
 four feet from the end fly, but the best anglers do not. One 
 fly will be found quite enough to manoeuvre and manage 
 properly by the tyro iu salmon-fishing. 
 
 Ere we proceed to the consideration of the flies them- 
 selves, and the hooks on which they ought to be dressed, 
 perhaps the method of casting a salmon-line and manoeu- 
 vring the flies ought to be considered, as they differ some- 
 what from the ordinary fly-fishing, in consequence of the 
 greater length and weight both of the rod and the line, 
 twenty-five and even thirty yards of line having been 
 frequently thrown by skilled anglers. The best and clear- 
 est directions for salmon-casting are those given by Ephe- 
 mera, a well-known angler in salmon rivers, and an author 
 of no little repute. He says, 
 
 " The salmon rod is to be held with both hands, one 
 above, and the other below, the \vinch. In throwing 
 from the right side, the right hand is to grasp the rod 
 above the winch, the left below it. In casting from 
 the left shoulder, the left hand is to be first, and the 
 right last; that is, it must clutch the rod between the 
 winch and the extreme butt-end of the rod. In fishing 
 down a river on its right side, the left shoulder cast is to 
 be used ; iu fishing from the left bank, the right shoulder 
 throw is the proper one. Stand at the head of a stream, 
 looking down it as it runs from you, the bank on your right 
 side is the right-hand bank, that on the left the left-hand 
 shore. In ascending a river, the left-hand bank is on your 
 right side, and the right-hand bank on your left. This ex- 
 planation may be deemed superfluous, but I fancy it will 
 enable me hereinafter to be more perspicuous than if I had 
 not given it. 
 
 " I '11 suppose the salmon-fisher coming down the right
 
 METHOD OF CASTING. 149 
 
 side of a river, and that above him, to his right, are cliffs 
 or trees, how can he bring back to that side over his right 
 shoulder, rod and line, without causing them to come into 
 collision with the impediments behind him on his right 1 
 He can do so in two ways, the first in greater part 
 wrong, the other perfectly right. The first and imperfect 
 way I call the back-handed cast. It is performed thus : 
 The point of the rod held nearly perpendicularly up before 
 you ; the forward and upward slanting direction being very 
 slight indeed ; the point of the rod is swept to the left, and 
 with it the line to its entire development; then the hands, no, 
 not both, but the right one, wrist and fore-arm are turned 
 over, backwards, to the right, and the rod brought round 
 in the same direction ; the line is turned over circularly, 
 and propelled down or obliquely across the current. I fre- 
 quently throw in this way, for the purpose merely of easing 
 the arms, fatigued from the monotonous action of throwing 
 overhand from the right or left shoulder. It will be seen 
 that the effect of this throw will be to carry the line clear 
 from the bank over the current's course, and cause it to 
 alight down stream to the right. Notwithstanding, the 
 action of the arms must be cramped, for it is reversed in 
 the overhanded throw, and the cast must be very limited 
 in extent. Besides, when fishing from the right bank of a 
 river, the fly can never be so neatly worked against the 
 water with the right hand holding the rod above the winch, 
 as when the left hand holds it there." 
 
 The second method of casting from the right bank, and 
 which is the proper one, I will now explain : 
 
 "You hold your rod, the left hand being above the 
 winch, and the right one beneath it; left leg foremost, 
 and left side towards the river,
 
 150 ANGLING. 
 
 " You bring your rod round, by, over, and beyond tha 
 point of your left shoulder, which motion will carry the 
 line to its full extent upwards over the bed of the river, 
 and feeling that the line is so extended, you bring back a 
 little, in the direction you are going to cast, the point of the 
 rod, and making use chiefly of the action of the left arm, 
 you propel the line forward by a motion you give the rod, 
 as if you were going to strike at something hovering in the 
 air before you. The forward motion of the rod will be 
 checked at a short distance, unless you bend forward with 
 it, and the line will be sent straight out, the fly and gut- 
 line to which it is attached coming first in contact with 
 the water. 
 
 " Giving the arms and bending the body too much with 
 the rod, in making the cast, is a very bad habit, as it brings 
 the point of the rod too close to the surface of the water, 
 deadens its elasticity, and causes the line to fall in a loose 
 and slovenly manner on the water. This left shoulder cast is 
 only absolutely necessary when you are fishing from beneath 
 the right bank of a river, and have behind you impediments 
 to a right-hand sweep of your rod and line. If the right 
 bank be flat or shelving, if it be clear of obstructions, I 
 can see no material objection to right-shoulder casting 
 from off it. 
 
 " The straight right-shoulder cast is done thus : The 
 right hand holds the rod above the winch, the left below it , 
 the right side is next the river, and of course the right foot 
 is foremost. You bring your rod and line boldly and freely 
 in a fine, easy, wide, semicircular sweep over your right 
 shoulder, and then you send them forwards by communi- 
 cating to the right fore-arm sharp action, as if you were
 
 THE RIGHT-HAND CAST. 151 
 
 going to hit something elevated before you \vith the soft 
 part of your closed hand, on the little-finger side. 
 
 " If all this compound action bringing back the rod and 
 line over the right shoulder, and then sharply sending them 
 forward be performed dashingly and energetically, with- 
 out nervousness, stint of sweep and strength, your fly will 
 be sent straight away to its destination, similarly to, but 
 not so swiftly as an arrow shot from above at an object 
 sitting beneath you on the water, at a distance of five-and- 
 twenty or thirty yards. The straight casts, whether from 
 the left or right shoulder, are, generally speaking, the 
 best. At any rate, executed by a proficient, they are always 
 the neatest, and should by beginners be the first learnt 
 and practised to perfection. 
 
 " They can be performed with great accuracy, so as to en- 
 able the angler to determine almost to an inch the precise 
 spot on which his fly is to fall. They cause the fly and 
 casting-line to touch the water first, and enable you to com- 
 mence working the fly, or showing it to the fish, sooner 
 than you could do if much of the winch-line came in con- 
 tact with the water simultaneously with the casting-line. 
 The effect of the straight-cast is less disturbance to the 
 water than that of any species of cast ; the only defect that 
 can be attached to it is, that you cannot by its means throw 
 so far as by using the side, or rolling-cast, but you can 
 throw it more neatly. 
 
 "Your fly and gut-line must fall always first upon the 
 water, and not roll on to it by means of the winch-line first 
 coining into cojjfeact with the liquid surface. The rolling 
 descent of the line and fly should be avoided totis veribus, 
 with mortal might and main. The error of the majority
 
 152 ANGLING. 
 
 of salmon-fishers lies in their working the fly through the 
 water with too much force and rapidity. I am told, and 
 I have reason to believe it from some personal observa- 
 tion, that the error is more frequently committed by Irish 
 salmon-fishers than by Scotch. The latter, however, per- 
 petrate it commonly enough to be adjudged sinners re- 
 quiring earnest admonition. I advise gentle working of 
 the fly through and against the water, with no more 
 action than is required to display before the eyes of the 
 fish the artificial bait attractively ; with no more speedy 
 power than can be easily compassed by a pursuing fish." 
 
 These remarks embody the essential principles of casting 
 the salmon-fly. With respect to the manoeuvring the fly 
 on the water, there is no such differences of opinion as in 
 fishing for trout. There are no up and down stream-men. 
 The fly must not be allowed to float down with the cur- 
 rent, but worked up against it, up and down beneath the 
 surface of the water, not dangled on the top, as in dipping. 
 The rod must not be allowed to remain still, but work up 
 and down, gradually drawing the fly towards the point of the 
 rod, up stream, until it sweeps over the possible haunts of 
 the salmon. The fly, under this motion, seems like a thing 
 of life from the action of the water, and when the waters 
 are high and cloudy, a large fly possesses an attraction 
 which few salmon can resist. It will be obvious, that with 
 the tip of the rod lower in proportion than in trout-fishing, 
 the angler has no light work to perform when fishing for 
 salmon. 
 
 The salmon-fisher must never be disheartened. If there 
 are salmon in the water, there is a chance o" catching them 
 by any one possessing the necessary skill, and no little per-
 
 STRIKING THE SALMON. 153 
 
 severance. With a creature so impulsive, the angler need 
 never despair. Even though the stream runs pure as crys- 
 tal, and the water is low, fine tackle and suitable flies will 
 do wonders. 
 
 He will sometimes rise at your fly, refuse it, and come 
 again. This will try the angler's patience, test his expe- 
 rience, and prove his skill. Do not be in a hurry ; haste 
 may spoil all. Some able sportsmen will say " Cover 
 him again directly;" others advocate a few minutes' rest. 
 Perhaps the latter is the best plan* in well-fished waters. 
 Again and again will Mr Salmon rise at the tempting bait, 
 and still refuse it, and yet be hooked at last. If he should 
 refuse altogether let him remain quiet for a few minutes, 
 and try a fresh fly. If this does not tempt him, try a 
 smaller fly of the first pattern, and work the fly so that it 
 sinks a few inches beneath the surface. At length he will 
 show his " silvery sides " in earnest. If you can help it, 
 do not strike in a hurry, or you may jerk the fly from him. 
 Watch for the turn after he has seized the bait, and then 
 strike. If you feel the fish before this occurs, you will of 
 course strike at once. The rattle of the reel announces 
 that the contest has begun. If the salmon is fresh run, 
 he will seize the bait with eagerness, and hook himself. 
 When the water is low and bright much judgment is re- 
 quired ; for too much haste in striking will spoil all. 
 
 Away goes the startled and indignant fish ; swift goes 
 the line from the reel ; and then the angler watches his 
 opportunity to check the mad career of the fish. He can 
 only do this by letting the fish feel the pressure of the line 
 and the hook as he turns, and away the fish dashes again, 
 and perhaps indulges in some gyrations in the air, in tlia
 
 154 ANGLING. 
 
 hope of breaking the Hue with his tail. If you can, just 
 let him feel the line when he gets to a long distance, so as 
 to induce him to turn, and exhaust himself by rapid races, 
 backwards and forwards. Beware of bullying the fish when 
 first hooked, or he may lead you a pretty dance over rapids 
 and shallows and through pools, where the angler must 
 follow. If the banks are clear of rocks and trees, it is not 
 difficult to do this ; but, otherwise, the chances are all in 
 favour of the fish. A few turns will sbow the habits of 
 the fish, and he must be treated accordingly. Some fish 
 are sulky, and lie like a stone at the bottom, and will not 
 stir even when well stoned. Others take to the leaping 
 and jumping exercises. Some dash to and fro, while others 
 take the straight course, either up or down river. Patience 
 and coolness are requisite, for the angler is apt to be carried 
 away by the excitement, loses his presence of mind, com 
 mits some bungle, and snap goes some part of the tackle. 
 Do not listen, however, to the advice of a bystander, but 
 use your own judgment. If you fail, you will, at least, 
 have gained experience, while, if you see the scaly gentle- 
 man turn exhausted on his side your pleasure will be the 
 more intense. A fair-sized fish will take you an hour to 
 kill; others will occupy your time and skill for two or 
 three hours. 
 
 While on this part of the subject, let me give the young 
 salmon-fisher a few general hints: 
 
 When tired, leave off fishing until " tired nature is 
 restored." 
 
 Do not fish when your style is careless or indifferent. 
 It is better to take a nap than be surprised by a sharp-set 
 salmon. 
 
 You must be up early to obtain the best casts.
 
 GENERAL HINTS. 155 
 
 Always play your fish with as little line as possible. 
 Butt him as soon as he exhibits signs of weariness. 
 
 When the fish leaps in the air, lower the top of your 
 rod, so that the line may fall slack. 
 
 Endeavour to direct the fish into clear and open water 
 away from narrow channels, choked bottoms, or overhang- 
 ing banks. 
 
 Do not, if possible, attempt to haul in the line with 
 your hands. Run backwards if you have the opportunity. 
 Always use your legs rather than your hands. If in a 
 boat, and the salmon rushes towards you, it may be impe- 
 ratively necessary, with a common reel to your rod, to haul 
 in the line through the rings to let it fall at your feet, and 
 in this predicament a multiplying reel is valuable, and, in- 
 deed, this is its only value. 
 
 Fish the water well, and do not think the time mis- 
 spent, if there be salmon in the river ; for in no sport is 
 perseverance better rewarded than in salmon-fishing. 
 
 It requires great experience to know the haunts of the 
 salmon. On most rivers guides are accessible who know 
 the run of the water, and the most likely places for the 
 fish. Without such help the angler will have to exercise 
 his judgment, which will be assisted by the study of the 
 following hints : 
 
 Salmon, as a rule, lie on a stony, and avoid smooth, 
 muddy, and even gravelly bottoms. They are seldom to 
 be found in a long, straggling reach of shallow water, 
 which does not lead directly to some pool, or still, deep 
 water. A swift stream, on the contrary, running into some 
 still watery depths, is much frequented by the best fish. 
 Salmon are seldom found in the middle of the current , 
 they avoid it, and lie at the sides, close to pieces of rock.
 
 156 ANGLING. 
 
 Where the stream is but light, and equally diffused, the 
 salmon is quite as likely to be in the middle of the stream 
 as at the sides. It has a fancy for the quiet water be- 
 tween two currents formed by pieces of rock intercepting 
 the stream. Where the streams unite, there the salmon 
 lie. 
 
 I have pointed out, in a previous chapter, the method 
 of bottom-fishing for salmon. I will now touch upon the 
 tender ground of the flies. 
 
 There are some anglers who affect to believe that it little 
 matters what combination of colours or materials you use 
 salmon will rise at them. That mere patterns are absurd 
 we do not believe, though mere form is perhaps of less 
 consequence in salmon- fishing than in fishing for trout. 
 The size of the fly is, however, of more importance. When 
 the waters are high, large flies are freely taken ; when low 
 and clear, smaller flies are imperatively necessary. Old 
 anglers used to affirm, that in dull weather a bright fly 
 should be used, and in bright weather a dull fly. Modern 
 anglers know better than this, and practice has confirmed 
 their knowledge. Bright insects belong to sunny weather, 
 as philosophy and reason have pointed out. 
 
 Before I proceed to describe the different sorts of salmon 
 flies, let me advise the young angler to make his own. He 
 will find it a great advantage, and a source of great recrea- 
 tion ; and to enable him to judge of how they should look, 
 here are six or seven beauties, old friends of mine, well 
 known on the Shannon. 
 
 On the " Queen of Island Rivers," as the guide-books 
 call the magnificent Shannon, these flies are exceedingly 
 popular, though many of the ordinary flies are larger and 
 Borae even more gaudy,
 
 SALMON FLIES. 
 
 157 
 
 From the 1st of February to the 10th of March, writes 
 one of the best anglers on the Shannon, the flies used are 
 very large, as the water is generally high. Those most in 
 use and highly approved of are 
 
 1. Body, half light orange, half blue silk, ribbed with 
 broad silver tinsel and gold twist. The hackle should be 
 light-blue all over the body, under the shoulder a blue jay, 
 orange silk bag, with one of darker hue just over it ; a 
 large lapping for tail, with ten or twelve of the largest-sized 
 lapping' for wings. Sprigs of the leading tail feathers 
 of the golden pheasant, and four long feelers of blue and 
 yellow macaw. This is one of the spring Shannon flies, 
 which has immortalised O'Shaughnessy. It is dressed on 
 a No. 3 and 4 hook with a long shank. 
 
 2. The goldfinch, which is made with a gold-coloured 
 
 The Goldfinch. 
 
 floss silk body, black silk tag tipped with gold tinsel, 
 yellow hackle and gold tinsel, over body, blue jay at the 
 shoulder, and king-fisher over the butts of the wings, which 
 are to consist of eight or nine golden pheasant toppings of 
 uiiddling-size, feelers of red macaw ; head, black ostrich ;
 
 158 ANGLING. 
 
 tail, golden pheasant lappings. Dressed on a No. 5 or 6 
 hook. This is one of the best flies in use, though the 
 golden pheasant toppings render it somewhat expensive. 
 Fig. 45 and fig. 3 are varied dressings of this fly. 
 
 3. Black-fly, with deep yellow hackle. 
 
 4. Magpie. Half black, half orange silk body, with black 
 hackle and gaudy wings. 
 
 5. Black silk body, black hackle, bright and gaudy 
 wings. 
 
 6. Orange silk body, black hackle, brilliant wings. 
 
 7. The colonel. Gold-coloured silk body, with a black 
 hackle and brilliant wings. 
 
 The whole of the above are to be tied on four or five 
 twist gut. 
 
 Large gray donkey's furflies are useful as a change. 
 
 From the 10th of March to the 1st of April, if the water 
 holds high, the same flies are recommended ; but if it be- 
 comes clear, a smaller size will be necessary. 
 
 From the 1st April to 1st May, all shades of green flies 
 answer well, with green hackles. One made with green 
 peacock body, with a black hackle, is highly spoken of. 
 Green and brown, olives, gray flies, black, all shades of 
 brown, are killing flies. The colour of the natural fly on 
 the water should be watched as nearly as possible. I have 
 often been most successful by so doing. 
 
 The salmon peal or grilse begin to run about the 20th of 
 May. The flies must now be much smaller, and the tackle 
 much lighter. Orange body with the jay hackles, blue 
 bodies with the same, black bodies, brown bodies of all 
 shades, and Lochabars, (see Chapter XV.) All shades of 
 green and olives will hold good during the remainder of 
 the season.
 
 SCOTCH AND WELSH FLIES. 159 
 
 In the river Fergus, where the water is not so deep or 
 so rapid as in the Shannon, flies of a smaller size may be 
 used. 
 
 I have indicated briefly the principal flies that are 
 used by the Irish anglers, and the principles that govern 
 their dressing. Similar flies, making the same allowance 
 for depth and rapidity of water, will answer also for the 
 Blackwater, Killarney, and Waterville. 
 
 In Scotland a smaller fly is generally preferred, and of 
 quieter colours ; an excellent fly is thus made, and may be 
 used wherever a salmon will rise, (fig. 4.) A yellow mohair 
 body, ribbed with gold twist and black hackle ; long yellow 
 floss silk, tipped with gold rail, a small topping, blue jay at 
 shoulder, brown turkey or kite tail feathers for the wings, 
 mixed with golden jmeasant tail and neck feathers ; guinea- 
 hen and teal, and a topping over all ; blue mohair head, 
 and blue and yellow macaw feelers. Hook, No. G. 
 
 Another good fly is one made with a mixed blue, green, 
 and yellow body, silver tinsel, black hackle, peacock 
 wing feather for wings, and a tail of red mohair, with a 
 No. 7 or 8 hook. 
 
 A third Jly is one with a body half pale red, and the re- 
 mainder orange mohair, ribbed with gold twist; legs, 
 turkey's wings, red hackle, with a black and white tail 
 feather of the turkey for wings. 
 
 A Welsh angler states that the flies recommended by 
 Mr Hansard are the best for the Cymbrian salmon. In 
 the early portion of the year, orange body with broad gold 
 twist, smoky hackle, wings dark-brown from the bittern, 
 (fig. 1.) As the summer advances, a fly, with yellow silk 
 body, ribbed with gold twist, blood-red hackle, and wings 
 taken from the wing of a turkeycock, brown and mottled
 
 160 ANGLING. 
 
 added to a few of tlic green fibres from the eye of a tail 
 feather of a peacock, (fig. 2.) 
 
 I can only indicate the varied assortment of salmon 
 flies which find favour with salmon-fishers in this ele- 
 mentary guide. If the young angler is puzzled in choosing 
 a fly, he should always observe one point to suit the size 
 of the fly to the depth and clearness of the water, using 
 brilliant flies in the sunshine, and dull flies in murky 
 weather. Salmon will rise when the barometer is rising, 
 but will not when it falls, and, as a rule, they do not bite 
 In the middle of the day.
 
 SEA-FISHING. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Fishing for Hake, Cod, Liug, Bream, Turbot, Mackerel, Whiting, 
 
 fee. 
 
 IN this age of excursions, when everybody, more or less, 
 passes some time at the sea-side, it may be useful to give 
 a few hints as to the sport which may be obtained by the 
 angler, or rather by one who uses a line and hook by the 
 shore, on the " deep sea wave," or in a tidal river or estuary. 
 
 Let me, however, premise that few sea fish afford much 
 sport in the angler's sense. Some enthusiastic Waltonians 
 would probably call it butchery, but a large quantity of fish 
 may be caught, and though, from the strength of the tackle, 
 there is but little chance of the fish breaking away, still it 
 is not free from excitement, and affords an opportunity of 
 changing the monotony of a sea-side residence, and of 
 securing a basket of fish. 
 
 For rod-fishing, except sea trout, there is but little 
 opportunity. At low water, on rocky projections, a species 
 of perch may be caught with a rod and line freely. The 
 hook is baited with a bit of garbage, the inside of a cockle. 
 
 L
 
 162 ANGLING. 
 
 periwinkle, or other small shell-fish; probably a bit of paste 
 would answer the same purpose, as these small fish bite freely, 
 and are by no means so timorous as their river congeners. 
 I have caught a fish not much unlike a gudgeon, or rather 
 a smelt, in the same manner by the dozen, and when fried 
 they make anything but a despicable addition to the break- 
 fast table. 
 
 Far up in the rivers, by the side of old piles, bridge piers, 
 or near a boat stage, some excellent sport may be obtained 
 by fishing for smelts, crabs, and flounders, with a rod, line, 
 and worm, or a piece of mussel. These latter extraordinary- 
 looking fish bite freely, and have but little fear of the line. 
 Whiting, of fair size, will also take a worm, a bit of fresh 
 fish nicely wrapped over the hook, freely, if fished for about 
 a foot from the bottom, where the stream is not too 
 strong. A piece of eel chopped will attract a smelt in tidal 
 rivers. 
 
 When mackerel are off the coast, they may be caught 
 freely from a boat, with a rod and line, or a line only, if 
 turned up and down, and the hook baited with a piece of 
 red cloth, or piece of fresh fish. The spoon bait is also at- 
 tractive to the larger and better fish. It may be dragged 
 after the boat, or leaded and cast freely with the hand and 
 leverage of the rod. 
 
 Whiting and turbot, and other flat fish are attracted by 
 the sand-eel, found on the sea-shore. The hooks are tied 
 by short lengths of line to a cross-bar of wood fixed to the 
 principal line, and the hooks much smaller than those used 
 in ordinary sea-fishing. 
 
 Hake, bream, ling, conger-eel, gurnet, and several kinds 
 of flat fish are caught from a boat, in the cool of the evening
 
 SEA FISHING. 163 
 
 and during the night, in from two to seven fathoms of water, 
 with a strong sea-line and a large hook, which puts an 
 ordinary angler's hook entirely in the shade. 
 
 Hake is a common fish on the coast of the United King- 
 dom, though it is seldom seen inland. It partakes some- 
 what of the cod in shape, and they are caught of all weights 
 in the autumn months. They are fished for on a sandy 
 bottom, some mile or two miles from shore, at varying 
 depths, ranging from three to six fathoms. A sinker is first 
 placed at the end of the line, and the depth ascertained and 
 marked by a link on the line. The hook is then baited 
 with a piece of the tail of the fish, rolled round so as the 
 white flesh is seen, and the hook comparatively hid. If 
 fresh fish is not obtainable, salt may be used, but it should 
 be soaked carefully before using ; the bait, sinker, and line 
 is then cast over the side, so that the bait may nearly touch 
 the bottom. The spare end is belayed, or fastened to the 
 boat seat or suitable place. The fisherman holds the line 
 in his hand, and if an adept, he has one in each hand, which 
 he " saws " over the side of the boat, which gives the bait 
 an " up and down" motion. The boat is motionless, save by 
 the heaving of the swell, for it is held by a large stone or 
 grapnel. Suddenly, without previous warning, the fisher- 
 man feels a sharp tug at one of his lines, he lets the other 
 line run to its length, and commences to haul in the fish 
 with both hands, so that the line falls in coils at his feet. 
 The weight of the fish is not so perceptible as might be 
 imagined, until it nears the surface, then its great mouth 
 and eyes are anything but pleasant objects to the timorous 
 angler. Quickness and dexterity is now requisite to lift in 
 the fish, or else he will soon be off the hook. As soon as
 
 1G4 ANGLING. 
 
 lie is in the boat, strike him with a boat-stretcher behind 
 the head, so as to kill him by breaking the spinal cord. 
 A sharp knife will aid you in slicing a longitudinal piece 
 from his tail, with which to bait the hook, and the same 
 process is repeated. 
 
 The above plan of catching sea 6sh may vary in different 
 localities. I have described the plan which I have found 
 to answer along the western and southern coasts of Ire- 
 land and England. It is equally successful in the Bay of 
 Galway, as off the Lizard or in the Downs. When lying 
 at Spithead, I had no difficulty in securing a quantity of 
 fish when fishing from the stern of the vessel. 
 
 The ling, which is a much esteemed Lenten fish, for it 
 may be preserved by salt, and dried so as to preserve its 
 rich oleaginous flavour better than many and better known 
 species, requires a little extra care. The first large fish I 
 ever caught was a ling, and his formidable jaws were any- 
 thing but pleasant to look at. I had caught him certainly, 
 but I little knew what to do with him, for he was about 
 five feet long. The " old admiral," a well-known fisherman 
 in county Waterford, who was with me in the Little 
 Gypsey, fortunately came to my assistance, or else it is 
 possible that the fish would have caught me, for the line 
 had become entangled round my legs, and the fish was 
 thumping in the sides of the boat with its tail, the power 
 of which trollers know when they attempt to land a jack 
 before it is fully spent, and in appearance a ling is not 
 unlike a gigantic pike. The admiral broke its back, and I 
 looked at my prize in amazement. I was, however, roused 
 from my reverie by an immense conger-eel being hauled 
 into the boat. By the clumsiness of the fisherman, the
 
 SEA FISHING. 165 
 
 hook escaped from its jaws before the death blow was given 
 him, and the savage fish snapped at his leg, but fortunately 
 seized the boat seat, where he left the marks and the points 
 of several of his teeth, when his head was stove in, and 
 further mischief prevented. I had the skin of a similar 
 brute hanging among my other trophies for a long time, 
 as a " caution," as the Yankees would say, against being 
 too venturesome. 
 
 For the benefit of my town-bred readers visiting at the 
 sea-side, let me caution them against attempting to fish 
 from a boat without they have the assistance of a practised 
 hand, for an accident is not unlikely, in consequence of the 
 power of the fish, and the necessity of killing them imme- 
 diately. Smaller fish are kept alive in the "wells" of 
 regular fishing-boats and smacks. I am now writing for 
 the behoof of amateurs. 
 
 Some sport, or rather fun, may be obtained at the sea- 
 side, by bobbing for crabs from a pier-head or projecting 
 point of rock. A cinder is tied to a piece of cord, properly 
 weighted and dropped along the bottom, inch by inch, in 
 all the likely places for a crab to hide. As soon as the 
 cinder comes near his claws, he seizes it firmly and with 
 proverbial obstinacy holds it tight until he is drawn to the 
 surface. 
 
 A fisherman will gladly take a stranger with him for a 
 night's fishing for " a consideration," and to those in quest 
 of a new sensation I recommend the investment
 
 166 ANGLING. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 THE FISHERMAN'S CALENDAR. 
 
 AFTER describing the angler and his equipment, what to 
 fish for, and where, the question naturally arises, When are 
 we to fish? We have known tyros, and even people who 
 ought to have known better, rush to the river side on the 
 first fine day with their rods, creels, and tackle, heedless 
 that the fish were out of season, and consequently unwhole- 
 some. I will therefore review the angler's year, and show 
 what to fish for in each month, in answer to the question 
 of when to fish. 
 
 JANUARY. Chill and inhospitable as January some- 
 times is, it is one that sometimes affords a little sport to 
 the angler on a mild and open day. Jack and perch will 
 bite freely at a live bait if you can procure one. Minnows, 
 which may be caught by thousands when you do not want 
 them, are somewhat scarce now, and without them you 
 may fish for perch in vain. If, however, you search in a 
 quiet retired nook in the creeks and brooks, you may find 
 them ; but you will have to do it quietly. You may find 
 them in an out-of-the-way hole, and secure them by means 
 of a hand-net ; nay, I am not certain that the minnow- 
 bottle would not answer the purpose best. If you are bent 
 upon securing the sharp-set jack, by all means secure a fair- 
 sized dace rather than a gudgeon, it will be seen better in 
 the murky waters. Towards the latter end of the month, 
 the finest roach may be taken. A fine red worm will be 
 found the most tempting bait if you know where there are 
 any red worms to be found. Boiled pearl-barley, allowed
 
 THE FISHERMAN'S CALENDAR. 167 
 
 to get cold, and then cut into suitable bait pieces, will be 
 found attractive, next to freshly-made clean bread-paste. 
 Don't be afraid of the damp and muddy banks of the river ; 
 put on your waterproofs, and you may easily secure a fair 
 basket of fish. Grayling, too, may be caught, in suitable 
 waters. In the far off Westmoreland lakes, the famed 
 char may be caught also in January. The fly-fisher should 
 air his budget of feathers, furs, and dubbings, and flies, in 
 the sun, just to see that the moth is not taking his revenge 
 on his effigies. Look out your rod, and examine the splices 
 of your top-joint, and see that the mildew is not seizing 
 the ring fastenings, or decaying the varnish. A glance at 
 the fly-hooks will not be amiss. 
 
 FEBRUARY. This month is not an enticing season for 
 the angler. Perch, jack, and roach may be still taken in 
 open weather. Grayling will rise to the fly, if the angler 
 can tickle his fancy with a tempting one a few inches be- 
 neath the surface. A light dun will often prove effective ; 
 if the angler knows what flies are earliest in the stream, 
 let him use one of the same kind; he will not regret 
 the trouble. Salmon-fishing commences this month ; but 
 the angler should rather look to and air his fishing-boots, 
 wading-stockings, and flies, than to the fish. If you do 
 tiy your luck with a fly, Let it be a big and a gaudy one. 
 
 MARCH. Though salmon-fishing is sometimes in its 
 prime this month, yet the prospect of sport depends 
 somewhat on the state of the rivers, and whether there is 
 any " snow-broth " about. Salmon fishers should remember 
 to hang their lines up to dry on their return home, or else they 
 will find them crack and snap when that " exceedingly fine 
 fish " of a disappointed angler happens to fancy your fly. 
 You may tickle a trout's memory and make his mouth
 
 168 ANGLING. 
 
 water by a delicate blue dun. The February-red, the cow> 
 dung, and the brown dun and the March brown, are a good 
 selection for troutie's bill of fare in the merry month of 
 March. Remember, jack are spawning ; perch and grayling 
 are heavy with spawn, and should not be taken even where 
 the law does not interfere to prevent it. 
 
 APRIL. Trout-fishing commences in the Thames, and 
 salmon-fishing is in its zenith. The artificial flies must 
 now decrease somewhat in size, as the waters are become 
 clearer. The trout will take a small dace in the larger 
 streams,"and the minnow, and even a fine scoured lobworm, 
 has an attraction for them, and the salmon will not refuse 
 the latter. In addition to the flies mentioned in the chapter 
 for trout-fishing, try the yellow dun on bright days. The 
 hawthorn is not to be despised. As the month passes on, 
 the iron-blue and other flies of that class will be found 
 taking. It is thought that the larger Thames trout are too 
 voracious to be in good condition until May. If the spring 
 is a forward one, carp and tench may be taken : jack, 
 grayling, and perch are spawning. Spring is now coming 
 on apace ; the hedges are green, and the sides of the streams 
 are redolent with life. 
 
 MAY. Every north stream is now open, and the fly- 
 fisher is in his glory. The bottom-fisher, however, finds his 
 eccupation gone. Barbel, carp, tench, bream, chub, roach, 
 and gudgeon, are spawning. Eels run well, but setting a 
 night-line hardly becomes an angler, though it is the only 
 engine that can be depended on for capturing them. After 
 rain, when the water in the river runs high or is coloured, 
 perhaps the spinning-minnow will afford the best bait for 
 trout. In clearer waters, in rivers where the stone-fly 
 abound, its larvae, or "creepers," form a most seductive
 
 THE FISHERMAN'S CALENDAR. 169 
 
 bait. The most sagacious of the trout family are deceived 
 by it. In a retired nook or cranny on the banks of the 
 rivers, or under damp mossy stones, they may be looked 
 for and found. The yellow May-fly now appears as a pre- 
 cursor to the May-fly. The stone-fly jerks along the surface 
 of the water, and the black gnat lies thick on the water, 
 but the angler should beware of its sting. The yellow 
 " sally " on some streams forms an excellent bait ; but in 
 others, gray and green drakes are in request, and the 
 " alder " forms a tit-bit seldom refused. Dipping with 
 either of these flies on warm days will secure a good basket- 
 ful of fish. The appetite of the finny tribes, however, is 
 satiated by the plentiful supply of food, and it is only by 
 presenting the most attractive bait that the angler can suc- 
 ceed. In the very early morning, or in the " gloaming," a 
 pair of light wings, and the top of the hook covered with 
 a gentle or a creeper, will bring the angler a run, and fur- 
 nish him with a breakfast or a supper. 
 
 JUNE. Beautiful, indeed, are the flowers of the field in 
 a June morning, when the dew is still upon them, and 
 before the heat of the sun makes their beautiful heads 
 droop. Salmon will not now take the large and gaudy 
 flies ; their appetites require to be tickled with a choice, 
 pretty, and delicate morsel, no bigger than a trout-fly. 
 The sea-trout (seroius) and grilse are coming up. Bottom- 
 fishing commences on the Thames, but the fish are not in 
 condition yet. Dace will take a gentle, which, with red 
 worms of the tinniest description, form the best bait for roach. 
 Trout will rise to any of the flies mentioned last month. 
 All kinds of dun-flies, fern-flies, and the coachman, is 
 adopted for evening sport. All flies must be small and 
 delicate in size. The jenny-spinner (which, by-the-by, is
 
 170 ANGLING. 
 
 very difficult to imitate) will be found useful. Thames 
 trout will take the fly well, particularly in the early morn- 
 ings and evenings. Dipping is the only plan of catching 
 them in the sunny mid-days, but the angler should keep 
 well out of sight. Loch trout-fishing may be successfully 
 practised when a " flush " is found ; a well-scoured bait in 
 rising water will be found the best. In falling water fish, 
 as a rule, are gorged with food, and indifferent to the most 
 tempting morsel. 
 
 JULY. The glorious summer is now upon us, and the 
 eventide is beautiful in its soft delicious loveliness. The 
 waters are low, and the salmon is scarcely to be tempted ; 
 a nice fly, sunk a few inches beneath the surface, will, how- 
 ever, sometimes tempt him. A neat bunch of lobworms 
 or a spinning-minnow may be tried as a change for his 
 lordship. The sea-trout and grilse in some rivers will 
 afford good sport, if tempted with a silver horn, with its 
 ringed, black, and silver body the golden-eyed gauge wing, 
 red and black ant-flies, the July dun, the " hopper," (which 
 is sometimes too familiar,) are the best flies. Moths are 
 more suitable in the evening. Grubs and larvae of all kinds 
 will be freely taken meal-worms, and the wasp, grub, 
 toughened, will add to the angler's resources in July. A 
 cockroach is not despised by trout. Chub, dace, barbel, 
 carp, gudgeon, &c., begin to bite freely. Look out for the 
 dace with a small fly in shallow running streams, and chub 
 under the friendly shade of the bushes with a palmer-fly. 
 The cheese paste will not be rejected by the latter gentle- 
 man, and barbel will take the same morsel freely. Roach, 
 perch, and jack are still suffering from the effects of spawn- 
 ning, but not so in 
 
 AUGUST. For it is the bottom-fisher's carnival. On
 
 THE FISHERMAN'S CALENDAR. 171 
 
 Thames, Trent, Avon, or Ribble, he may secure as many 
 fish as he can carry, if he is industrious, and possesses a 
 fair amount of skill, and attends to these directions. Let him 
 look after his gentles, and try to secure a few bred from a 
 dead rat. The roach are delicate in their appetite, but even 
 the biggest amongst them will look at a fly tipped with a 
 gentle. The best trout lying lazily at the bottom of the 
 stream may be tickled with the same bait, if a shot is added 
 to sink the line, and it is brought up and down and moved 
 by a series of jerks. It is worth while trying, for the trout 
 are iu capital condition. The flies that may be tried are 
 the orange, cinnamon, and the August dun. Some of the 
 earliest flies may be tried with success ; indeed, in some 
 rivers, night is the only time to fish for trout, and the 
 proper baits are black, white, and gray moths. Salmon 
 are not insensible to the charms of a fine moth. Char may 
 be taken with a spinning minnow, and may be tried with a 
 fly. Throughout the month, fish of all kinds are in good 
 condition. 
 
 SEPTEMBER. The salmon-fisher on many of the rivers 
 finds his occupation gone, the fish begin to breed, and 
 should be left quiet. In the early weeks the whirling blue 
 dun, the little pale blue, and the willow-fly may be tried 
 for trout, but they should not be disturbed during the last 
 fortnight in any river. Dace and gudgeon are in demand 
 for trolling purposes, for jack are in fine condition, and bite 
 freely. Perch may be caught by spinning with a moderate- 
 sized dace or minnow if the former is used, a jack is often 
 tempted by it. This is the month for bottom-fishers ; all 
 coarse river fish bite with avidity. Cockroaches and blue 
 bottle-flies have a wonderful charm for the chub in deep 
 holes. Roach will look at the willow-fly, and many kinds
 
 172 ANGLING. 
 
 of fish will rise at night to a moth. Lobworms will now 
 be at a premium. They should be well scoured and 
 watched day by day, so that the dead and diseased worms 
 may be removed. 
 
 OCTOBER. This is an excellent month for the troller 
 and spinner, and while you have the chance, try and secitre 
 a stock of baits a friend adds, if you can. I have already 
 given the pike-fisher hints as to how to preserve his bait 
 for a season, when fish are plentiful and baits scarce. Roach 
 will take boiled malt and pearl-barley now freely, if pre- 
 sented in a neat and delicate form. Barbel and bream are 
 in good way for their excellent condition. Except you have 
 access to a grayling stream, put away your fly-tackle after 
 drying it carefully. Varnish your rod when you take it to 
 pieces, and see that it is well dried, rub boiled oil over the 
 brass-work. In the absence of more suitable baits, pike 
 will take mice, frogs, and other strange morsels, but the 
 trout and salmon-fishing is over. 
 
 NOVEMBER. Bleak and disagreeable as this month too 
 frequently is, the enthusiastic angler will find much to re- 
 ward his perseverance, particularly if he has secured a good 
 stock of pike-bait and minnow for perch-fishing. Perch 
 are in good condition, and you will find him in deep still 
 water after a flood, or near to a gentle eddy, where the food 
 is brought by the water. Roach of the largest kind may 
 be taken in deep water. Bream, chub, and grayling are in 
 fine condition. Barbel may be coaxed with greaves and 
 chopped lampreys, if the frost holds off. Pike are ravenous, 
 and will take almost anything. Other sports, however, 
 interfere with the angler's recreation, and if the weather is 
 not propitious, he had better stay at home. 
 
 DECEMBER. Jack and roach arc still to be taken in open
 
 THE FISHERMAN'S CALENDAR. 173 
 
 weather, and are well worth the trouble. Trolling, which 
 affords the angler plenty of exercise, is, however, the only 
 endurable sport for the most enthusiastic Waltonian. Some 
 fish are taken from under the ice. Char, grayling, and 
 perch will bite freely if you know their winter haunts and 
 habits. The angler may, however, cheer himself by par- 
 taking of the excellent bait which Christinas generally 
 presents, and hope for coming triumphs iu the coming 
 spring.
 
 THE WEIGHT OF FISH. 
 
 As it is inconvenient to carry a weighing machine about, 
 and as anglers will persist in guessing at the weight of the 
 fish, I give here a scale which will enable them to ascertain 
 with tolerable precision the weight of the fish when in good 
 condition. It must be borne in mind, however, that the 
 weights given are only approximate.
 
 API'EMJIX. 
 
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 175 APPENDIX. 
 
 USEFUL RECIPES FOR ANGLERS. 
 
 To keep moth from feathers and tackle. Pepper them profusely, 
 and keep them from the damp. Tobacco-leaf cut small and dis- 
 persed among the feathers and tackle is very useful. Put no faith 
 in camphor, as it evaporates. Turn the tackle and feathers out and 
 expose them to the air once or twice in the winter. 
 
 Varnish for hooks and tackle. Dissolve shellac, or even sealing- 
 wax, in double the bulk of spirits of wine ; allow it to dry before 
 using. One application is sufficient. 
 
 Varnish for rods. The best coachmakcrs' varnish. Two coats, 
 each thoroughly dried, is requisite. 
 
 White wax. 2 oz. of best resin, \ oz. of bees-wax, simmer for ten 
 minutes in a pipkin ; add \ oz. of tallow, and simmer for a quarter 
 of an hour ; pour the whole into a basin of water, and work it about 
 with the fingers until it is tough and pliable. 
 
 Liquid wax. Dissolve some cobblers' wax in spirits of wine ; 
 shake up before using, and lay it on the silk with a feather. It is 
 capital for weak or frayed silk, as the spirit evaporates and leaves 
 the wax behind. 
 
 DIRECTIONS FOR STAINING GIMP. 
 
 Soak brass gimp in a solution of bichlorate 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. This will take 
 from a quarter of an hour, to two or three hours, according to the 
 strength of the solution, then dry the gimp before the fire, and, 
 whilst warm, with a brush, give it a coat of " lacquer." 
 
 The above process only applicable to brass gimp, copper and silver 
 gimp do not take the stain properly. 
 
 TO STAIN GUT THE COLOUR OF WEEDS, WATER, &o. 
 
 Make an infusion of onion coatings as before directed, and when 
 quite cold put the gut into it, and let it remain until the hue becomes
 
 APPENDIX. 179 
 
 aa dark as required. A strong infusion of green tea will dye gut a 
 useful colour. 
 
 So will warmed writing ink ; the gut to be steeped in it a few 
 minutes, and immediately afterwards to be washed clean in spring 
 water. You will obtain another good colour by steeping gut for 
 three or four minutes in a pint of boiling water, in which you have 
 put a teaspoonful of alum, a bit of logwood the size of a hazel nut, 
 and a piece of copperas the size of a pea. To make your gut a 
 water colour, take a teaspoonful of common red ink, add to it as 
 much soot, and about a third of a teacupful of water ; let them 
 simmer for about ten minutes ; when cool, steep your line until it 
 be stained to your fancy. 
 
 This is a very good colour for the purpose, but should be applied 
 gradually, taking out your gut frequently to examine the depth of 
 the tint, lest it should become too dark. 
 
 LAWS AND REGULATIONS RELATING TO FISHING. 
 
 Any person being armed and disguised, and who shall steal or un- 
 lawfully take away any fish out of a river or pond, or maliciously 
 break down and destroy the mound or head of any river, whereby 
 the fish shall be lost or destroj'ed, or shall rescue any person in 
 custody for such offence, or procure another to assist him therein, 
 shall be found guilty of felony, without benefit of clergy. 
 
 For destroying or killing fish in enclosed ground, being private 
 property, a penalty of five pounds, or imprisonment in the House 
 of Correction for not exceeding six months. 
 
 For breaking into an enclosed or private ground, and stealing or 
 destroying the fish, transportation for seven years, and receivers the 
 same punishment. 
 
 No persons may have in possession, or keep any net, angle piche, 
 or other engine for taking fish, but the makers and sellers thereof, 
 and the owner or renter of a river fishery, except fishermen and 
 their apprentices, legally authorised in navigable rivers ; and the 
 owner or occupier of the said river may seize, and keep, and convert 
 to his own use, every net, &c., which he shall discover laid or used
 
 1 80 APPENDIX. 
 
 or in the possession of any person thus fishing without his con- 
 sent. 
 
 Damaging or intruding, by using nettrices, fish-hooks, or other 
 engines to catch fish, without consent of the owner or occupier, 
 subjects the party thus trespassing to any amount of fine the magis- 
 trate or justice orders, provided it exceeds not treble the damages, 
 and to a further fine, not exceeding ten shillings, for the use of the 
 poor of the pariah, or imprisonment in the House of Correction, 
 not exceeding one calendar month, unless he enters into a bond, 
 with one surety, in a sum not exceeding ten pounds, not to offend 
 again, and the justice may cut or destroy the net, &c. 
 
 If any person unlawfully or maliciously cut, break down, or de- 
 stroy any head or dam of a fish-pond, or unlawfully fish therein, he 
 shall, at the prosecution of the king, or the owner, be imprisoned 
 three months, or pay treble damages, and after such imprisonment, 
 shall find sureties for seven years' good behaviour, or remain in 
 prison till he doth. 
 
 To prevent the fish in the Thames from being improperly de- 
 stroyed, the 30th of George the Second enacts that no pt/son shall 
 fish, or endeavour to take fish, in the said river between London 
 Bridge and Richmond Bridge, with other than lawful note : 
 
 For salmon, not less than six inches in the mesh. 
 
 For pike, jack, perch, roach, chub, and barbel, with a flew or 
 stream net, of not less than three inches in the mesh throughout, 
 with a facing of seven inches, and not more than sixteen fathoms 
 long. 
 
 For shads, not less than two inches and a half in the mesh. 
 
 For flounders, not less than two inches and a half in the mesh, 
 and not more than sixteen fathoms long. 
 
 For dace, with a single play net, of not less than two inches in 
 the mesh, and not more than thirteen fathoms long, to be worked 
 by floating only, with a boat and a buoy. 
 
 For smelts, with a net of not less than one inch and a quarter in 
 the mesh, and not of greater length than sixteen fathoms, to be 
 worked by floating only, with a boat and a buoy ; 
 
 Under the penalty of paying and forfeiting the sum of five 
 pounds for every such offence. 
 
 No fish of any of the sort hereinafter mentioned may be caught
 
 APPENDIX. 181 
 
 in the Thames or Medway, or sold, or exposed to or for sale, if 
 caught in the Thames or Medway : 
 
 No salmon of less weight than six pounds. 
 
 No trout of less weight than one pound. 
 
 No pike or jack under twelve inches long from the eye to the 
 length of the tail. 
 
 No perch under eight inches long. 
 
 No flounder under seven inches long. 
 
 No sole under seven inches long. 
 
 No plaice or dab under seven inches long. 
 
 No roach under eight inches long. 
 
 No dace under six inches long. 
 
 No miolt under six inches long. 
 
 No gudgeon under five inches long. 
 
 No whiting under eight inches long. 
 
 No barbel under twelve inches long. 
 
 No chub under nine inches long ; 
 
 Under pain to foi-feit five pounds for every such offence. 
 
 Salmon and trout may be taken only from January 25, to Sep 
 tember 10. 
 
 Pike, jack, perch, roach, dace, chub, barbel, and gudgeon, may 
 be taken between July 1 and March 1. 
 
 Bottom-fishing is prohibited in the river Thames, as far as the 
 Corporation of London has jurisdiction, from the 1st of March to 
 the 1st of June. 
 
 The right of fishing in the sea, and in all rivers where the 
 tide ebbs and flows, is a right common to all the king's sub- 
 jects. 
 
 Any person or persons consideringthemselvcswrongedor aggrieved 
 by any decision against them by the magistrate or justice, may 
 appeal against it at the quarter sessions. 
 
 PROTECTION OF PRESERVES. 
 
 " That no person shall fish with any sort of well, rce', night-hook, 
 any other device, except by angling in, or make use of any net, 
 engine, or device to drive the fish out of any place uLk-li shall be
 
 182 APPENDIX. 
 
 staked by order of the Lord Mayor of the City of London for th 
 time being, as conservator aforesaid, for the preservation of the 
 fishery, and whereof notice shall be stuck up in some public place 
 of the town or village, next adjoining to the place or places so 
 ordered to be staked ; and that no person shall take up or remove 
 any stake, burr, boat, or anything which shall have been driren 
 down or sunk in any such place as aforesaid, upon pain to forfeit 
 and pay from time to time the sum of five pounds for every offence 
 oc breach of any part of this order." City Ordinance, Mem. 44.
 
 5ALMCN FLIES 
 
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