44 THE ANGLER S GUIDE. 



Metropolis, subscribe to the Fisheries on the River 

 Lea, for the sole purpose of a few months' Angling 

 for Gudgeon. These Anglers for Gudgeons in the 

 river Lea use very fine tackle, fish from the bank 

 of the river, and also take much pains to get a 

 dish of these delicious Fish. The best Anglers pre- 

 pare to commence Gudgeon-fishing in this river at 

 the middle or latter end of March, with a light cane 

 rod, a single hair line, tip-capped float, and the hook 

 a No. 10 or 11, made of the finest wire. Shot the 

 line with small shots, so that about a quarter of an 

 inch only of the float appears above water, and strike 

 immediately you perceive a bite ; but, before you 

 begin fishing, it is necessary to disturb the ground 

 which you intend angling on, with a rake (an iron 

 instrument so called, fastened to a long pole) as, by 

 thus loosening the gravelly sand, you uncover various 

 small worms and insects, and the Gudgeons imme- 

 diately repair to the spot to feed on them, as do small 

 Perch, which are frequently caught while angling for 

 Gudgeons. The best place to fish for Gudgeons is 

 in gentle eddies and sharps, where the bottom is clean 

 and gravelly, or sandy, and from three to six feet deep, 

 and the stream or current running pretty sharps 

 plumb the depth before you begin fishing, and let 

 the baited hook gently drag on the ground : when the 

 fish leave off biting, ply your rake, and, occasionally, 

 try another swim, as before observed. Some Anglers 

 have two hooks on their line, when Gudgeon fishing, 

 but I have found, in fishing with one, that I generally 



