CHAMBERS'S INFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE. 





sight ; but they are destitute of the power of con- 

 tracting the iris of the eye, so as to accommodate 

 themselves to different degrees of light. In ordinary 

 circumstances, this is of no consequence, as the 

 water diminishes the intensity of light, and the 

 animal has the means of retiring to the bottom, or 

 into holes, to escape the glare of the mid-day sun. 

 As regards the sense of hearing in fishes, opinions 

 are conflicting ; but the senses of taste and smell 

 are largely developed : they are also provided with 

 an appetite of boundless voracity. 



'Every aquatic animal that has life,' observes 

 Daniel, ' falls a victim to the indiscriminate vorac- 

 ity of one or other of the fishes. Insects, animal- 

 cules, worms, or the spawn of other tenants of the 

 waters, sustain the smaller tribes ; which in their 

 turn are pursued by millions larger and more 

 rapacious. A few feed upon mud, aquatic plants, 

 or grains of corn; but the far greater numbers 

 subsist upon animal food alone ; and of this they 

 are so ravenous as not to spare those of their own 

 kind.' 



It is understood that fishes possess a blunted 

 nervous energy, which renders them almost insen- 

 sible to any ordinary infliction ; and so mean are 

 their reflective faculties, that after escaping from 

 a hook which has lacerated their palate, they will 

 in the next minute catch at a similar bait. Yet, 

 in strange opposition to this is the rapidity with 

 which river trout, at least, will discover the 

 deceit in any new scheme or lure devised for 

 their capture, and to all appearance transmit 

 their cunning to posterity. 



FISHING-TACKLE. 



The equipment of the angler consists mainly of 

 his rods, lines, hooks, and baits, with the means of 

 keeping them in order, or supplying their place in 

 the event of an accident. To these, dealers have 

 added numerous accessories, more cumbrous than 

 useful, and always more sought after by the holi- 

 day angler than the genuine disciple of Walton. 

 As one-half the art depends on proper equipment, 

 we shall describe the leading implements in detail. 



The Rod 



This is the chief implement of the angler. The 

 wood most suitable is hickory or ash, with yew 

 for the butt. Young anglers are too apt to select 

 rods measuring from twelve to sixteen feet in 

 length for trout-fishing, when in reality a simple, 

 and not too elastic wand of from ten to twelve feet 

 for trout, and from eighteen to twenty feet for 

 salmon, will amply suffice. Whatever be the 

 length, it must be quite straight, and on all occa- 

 sions bend back to its original straightness. Ii 

 there be a single knot in the timber, reject it, for 

 it will certainly snap at the first severe pull or jerk. 

 It should be varnished, to protect it from the 

 action of the water. The rod is not all of one 

 piece ; for the sake of convenience, it is dividec 

 into three, and sometimes as many as six pieces 

 in the length. 



The Reel. It should be as simple as possible 

 in mechanism the complex invariably go wrong 

 and so may spoil a day's sport. 



Lines. 



The part df the line which is wound on the reel 



and goes along the rod, is called the reel-line 



M 



Reel-lines used to be made of horse-hair ; they 

 are now preferred made of hair and silk mixed, 

 >r of plaited dressed silk. The mixed hair and 

 ilk is perhaps preferable for trout-fishing ; and 

 eight-plait dressed silk line for salmon. The 

 veight of the line should be proportioned to the 

 weight and stiffness of the rod, otherwise it will 

 not cast well. For trout-fishing, thirty or forty 

 ards of line are sufficient ; but it is well to have 

 at least 100 yards for salmon, although it is seldom 

 ;hat so much is run out. 



The casting-line should be made of twisted gut,. 

 Beginning with three threads and ending with 

 one. It ought to be attached to the reel-line 

 jy a splice, whipped with silk. To cast well, it 

 s essential that this line taper from the splice to- 

 be end to which the fly or bait line is to be 

 attached. From two to four yards is the proper 

 ength. In fishing large clear rivers, a much longer 

 casting-line is required than in fishing streamlets. 



he^/?y or bent line is of single gut. It also should 

 aper from the point at which it is united to the 

 casting-line to the end. It should not be joined 

 to the casting-line by a loop, but by a knot. At 

 east, loops are considered fatal to sport in clear 

 streams by the cunning anglers of the Scottish 

 Lowlands. 



Gut. This material, of such importance to the 

 angler, is prepared from the silkworm at the 

 time when it is just about to spin, and the 

 sericteria or silk vessels are distended with the 

 secretion. The worms are immersed for twelve or 

 fourteen hours in strong vinegar, and then taken 

 separately, and pulled in two very gently. The 

 skilled operator knows at sight if the soaking in 

 vinegar has been sufficient, and if so, he lays hold 

 of one end of the viscid secretion, which is seen in 

 the silk glands, and attaches it to the edge of a 

 board ; the other end he stretches to the other 

 edge of the board, and attaches it with a pin. 

 When a number are drawn across the board, it is 

 set in the sun for the threads to dry, when they 

 are tied into bundles for use. They are chiefly 

 produced in Italy and Spain. 



Good gut should be round, transparent, and 

 thin. Flat gut glitters in the light; if it has a 

 glossy, milky appearance, it is also conspicuous ; 

 and however round and transparent, it will not 

 answer for delicate trout-fishing, unless it is as thin 

 and fine as is compatible with the necessary 

 strength. Of the immense quantity of gut imported, 

 the greater part is of very inferior quality. Accord- 

 ing to the Practical Angler (the late Mr Stewart), 

 'nine hanks out of ten are totally unfit for fine 

 trouting purposes, and even the very finest hanks 

 seldom contain more than twenty threads fit for 

 dressing flies, or bait hooks upon.' 



To deprive gut of the clear glitter which it 

 naturally has, it is usual to stain it of an amber 

 colour, or of a bluish green. Steeping the gut in tea 

 or coffee lees, cold, gives a slight amber discolor- 

 ation ; a deeper tint is given by water in which 

 walnut-shucks have been steeped. An infusion of 

 logwood with a little copperas added gives a 

 bluish green. Diluted ink is objectionable. 



In knotting gut, it should be well moistened, to 

 prevent cracking ; to keep well, it requires to be 

 moistened with fine oil. A line should never be 

 put away wet After fishing, as much as has been 

 exposed ought to be drawn off the reel, and 

 thoroughly dried before being wound on again. 





