

ANGLING. 



mixed, of a dark-cinnamon shade ; wound with 

 silver twist and dark-red hackle ; shoulders com- 

 posed of breast-feather of the argus pheasant 

 wings composed of golden pheasant tippet or neck 

 feathers, distinctly marked teal, four fibres of blue 



Fig. 6. 



and red macaw tail-feathers, with pairs of wings 

 from the brown and black barred feathers of the 

 peacock wing surmounting the whole ; a blue 

 feather from the kingfisher or blue chatterer on 

 each side of the wings ; feelers from blue and 

 buff macaw tail-feathers ; head black ostrich 

 herl.' 



PRACTICE OF ANGLING. 



There are two distinct kinds of angling bait- 

 fishing and fly-fishing, and these are variously 

 practised according to the depth, current, and 

 state of the water, or the nature of the fish sought 

 to be caught. 



Bait-fishing. 



The mode of fishing with bait differs according 

 as it is practised on sluggish rivers and ponds, or 

 on rapid streams. The fish usually sought for in 

 the deep and somewhat dull rivers of England, 

 are gudgeon, dace, roach, bream, chub, barbel, 

 tench, carp, perch, and pike : all are sometimes 

 taken by fly ; but a bait of worms, or gentles, is 

 commonly employed. The angler in these rivers 

 either stands on the shore while fishing, or fishes 

 from a punt, or small flat-bottomed boat, in which 

 he sits watching his float, and pulling in his line 

 when a fish appears to be hooked. The float con- 

 sists of a piece of cork or a porcupine quill, kept 

 in a perpendicular position on the surface of the 

 water by an exact balance of leaden shot ; and is 

 attached to the line at such a distance from the 

 end as to allow the bait to trail slightly on, or just 

 free of the bottom, while the float swims on the 

 surface. Having chosen a spot for his operations, 

 the angler usually baits the bottom of the water, 

 in order to draw the fish together. This ground 

 bait consists of chopped worms, gentles, bran, 

 boiled grains, cheese, &c. It should be made up 

 in balls or pellets, mixed if necessary with marl 

 or clay, so that it may reach the bottom without 

 breaking up. It is well that the ' pitch,' or ' swim,' 

 as it is called, be baited twenty-four hours before 

 being fished, that the fish may have time to become 



hungry again. If this has been neglected, a few 

 fragments of worms may be scattered over the 

 spot during operations. 



The first thing the bait-fisher has to learn is the 

 art of baiting his hooks. Taking the hook in his 

 right hand, and the bait between his fingers in 

 the left, let him enter the hook at the head of the 

 worm, and carry it through the animal to near the 

 tail, covering the entire hook and its tying. The 

 worm should be broken or mangled as little as 

 possible ; and the more lifelike it appears, the 

 greater the probability of its proving an effectual 

 lure. 



In throwing the line with bait, take care not to 

 splash the water, but throw somewhat horizontally 

 forward, so as to let the bait fall gently on the 

 surface, and sink slowly in the water to the 

 required depth. After sinking, the rod and line 

 should be very slowly moved in a direction against 

 the stream, or in some other way to give motion 

 to the bait, which the fish perceiving to glide 

 through the water, will hasten to seize upon. 



Occasionally the angler will feel a nibble, but 

 he must not be in a hurry to strike that is, to 

 pull so as to run the hook into the fish's mouth. 

 Perhaps it is no more than a nibble, and it is well 

 to allow the fish time to get the hook in his mouth. 

 If drawn too quickly, you may actually pull away 

 the hook after it is half-gulped Experience and 

 dexterity are required in this ticklish part of the 

 craft As a general rule, do not strike till the line 

 has been distinctly tugged ; then strike by a slow 

 side-motion at first, then a more quick jerk, so as 

 to cause the hook to catch in the jaws of the 

 animal. Supposing the fish to be hooked, do not 

 draw it violently out of the water, as if in a trans- 

 port of delight, but wind up part of your loose 

 line if necessary, and holding up your rod, retire 

 gradually backward, by which the fish may be 

 landed on the shore. 



The gudgeon, a fish of the trout shape, affords 

 a favourite amusement to anglers in the Lea, 

 a river near London, and also in the Thames. 

 Blaine thus speaks of this branch of angling : 

 ' Fishing for gudgeons in the Thames is usually 

 practised by means of a punt, which is fixed across 

 :he stream part of the river just above a tolerably 

 sharp scoiver, running over a fine gravelly bottom, 

 Free from weeds, at depths varying from five to 

 eight or ten feet As the eddy is greater, generally, 

 and the water deeper, in these scowers than in 

 those of the Lea, so the tackle used is commonly 

 somewhat stronger, and a fine gut-line is more 

 requently met with there than one of single hair. 

 Fine tackle, however, in a good hand, is to be 

 always preferred ; and we have seen many hundred 

 dozens of gudgeons taken in the sharpest currents 

 of this river also with a single hair only for the 

 two bottom links. Punt-fishing for gudgeon in 

 the Thames is a delightful amusement, particularly 

 to the luxurious angler who is not inclined to take 

 much trouble.' 



The roach is a thick fish, deep from the back to 

 :he belly ; it inhabits the bottom of deep rivers or 

 akes, and is usually reckoned so incautious and 

 silly as to be called the water-sheep ; nevertheless, 

 "t is not taken without some degree of skill, as 

 s shewn in the Book of the Roach, by Grevillc 

 Fennell (to whom we are indebted for revising the 

 jresent sketch). It is angled for by means of 

 jait sunk to within a few inches of the bottom. 



701 



