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
.-J
