ANGLING. 



169 



tomed to nibble the bait before they swallow it. It 

 frequently happens, that in angling for gudgeons, 

 perch are caught. The Loach, or Groundling, sheds 

 its spawn in April, and remains in the gravel ; where 

 they are usually caught with a small red worm. They 

 are principally found in the north of Great Britain, and 

 in the streams of the mountainous parts. They are 

 about three inches in length ; and their flesh is plea- 

 aiit and wholesome. The Minnow or Minim, one of 

 the smallest river fish, seldom exceeds two inches in 

 length. They spawn generally about once in two or 

 three years, and swim together in shoals, in shallow 

 waters, where they are very free, and bold in biting. 

 They serve also as excellent baits for pike, trout, 

 chub, perch, and many other fish which prey upon 

 and devour them greedily. Mullet take almost the 

 same baits as the trout, and will very eagerly rise to 

 an artificial fly ; they are considered free biters, and 

 come and go with the tide. If artificial flies are made 

 use of, their size should be larger than those gener- 

 ally used to insnare the trout. They are found in 

 their greatest perfection, in the river Arun, Sussex ; 

 but are seldom or never seen in Scotland. The Par, 

 or Samlet, is a fish that is known by different names 

 in different parts of Great Britain. On the river 

 Wye it is usually called a skirling, in Yorkshire, a 

 brandling, in Northumberland, a rack-rider ; and in 

 some parts of England, a fingering, from the resem- 

 blance of its spotted streaks to the human fingers. 

 Par, or Samlet, is its Scottish name, and in that part 

 of Britain it is best known. Some have affirmed, that 

 it is the blended spawn of the trout and salmon. This 

 opinion is strengthened by the circumstance of their 

 usually frequenting the same haunts with the salmon 

 and sea trout, and their being forked in their tail like 

 the former. The Perch is a very bold biting fish, 

 and affords excellent amusement to the angler. He 

 is distinguished by the beauty of his colours, and by 

 a large erection on his back, strongly armed with stiff 

 and sharp bristles, which lie can raise or depress at 

 pleasure. Defended by this natural excrescence, he 

 bids defiance to the attacks of the ravenous and enor- 

 mous pike, and will even dare to attack one of his 

 own species. Perch spawn about the beginning of 

 March, and measure from eight to fourteen inches. 

 In fishing for perch with a minnow, or brandling, the 

 hook should be run through the back fin of the bait, 

 which must liang about six inches from the ground. 

 A large, cork float should be attached to the line, 

 which should be leaded about nine inches from the 

 hook. It must be observed, tliat they invariably, re- 

 fuse a fly. The Pike, Luce, or Jack, is a fish of en- 

 ormous size, and the greatest voracity ; indeed, so 

 notorious is he for the latter quality, as to have 

 gained the appellation of the fresh water shark. 

 They are also great breeders. Their usual time 

 of shedding their spawn is about March, in ex- 

 tremely shallow waters. The finest pike are those 

 which feed in clear rivers ; those of fens or meres, 

 being of very inferior quality. They grow to a 

 vast size in these last mentioned places, where they 

 feed principally on frogs, and such like nutriment. 

 They are reckoned to oe the most remarkable for 

 longevity of all fresh water fish ; are solitary and 

 melancholy in their habits, generally swimming by 

 themselves, and remaining alone in their haunts, un- 

 til compelled by hunger to roam in quest of food. 

 There are three modes of catching pike : by the led- 

 ger, the trolling, or walking bait, and the trimmer. 

 The Pope, or Ruff", is a fish very similar in its na- 

 ture and appearance to the perch, and is frequently 

 caught when fishing for the latter. They spawn 

 in March and April, and are taken witn a brand- 

 ling, gentles, or caddis. They are extremely vora- 

 cio\is in their disposition, and will devour a min- 



now, which is almost as big as themselves. In their 

 favourite haunts of gentle deep streams, overhung by 

 trees, they swim in shoals together ; and you may 

 fish for them either at the top or the bottom of the 

 water, as they are known to bite in almost any 

 weather, and in any situation. Their average length 

 is from six to seven inches. Roach are frequently 

 taken with flies under water. They will bite at all 

 the baits which are prepared for chub or dace, and 

 are considered a simple and foolish fish. They spawn 

 in May, and turn red when boiled. The compact- 

 ness of their flesh gave rise to the proverb, " Sound 

 as a roach." The roach haunts shallow and gentle 

 streams, and the mouths of small streams whicii run 

 into larger ones. In angling for roach, the tackle 

 must be strong, and the float large and well leaded. 

 The Rud, or Finscale, is a very scarce fish, found 

 only in the river Charwell, in Oxfordshire, and a few 

 of the lakes of Lincolnshire and Yorkshire. It sheds 

 its spawn in April, will take all kinds of worms, and 

 will rise at an artificial fly. Its colour is a kind of 

 yellowish brown, and its average length from nine to 

 fifteen inches. Salmon are accustomed to quit the 

 fresh waters, and retire into the sea at the approach 

 of winter, which, at the commencement of April, they 

 usually leave for rivers; but the Wye. and Usk in 

 Monmouthshire, and the Exe in Devonshire, have 

 them in season during the six wintry montlis. The 

 finest species are canght in the Exe, Thames, and 

 Tamar, but not so abundantly as in many other places. 

 Salmon prefer more chilly streams, and are conse- 

 quently found in greater numbers northward, in the 

 rivers of Scotland, particularly in the Tweed, the 

 Tyne, the Clyde, and the Tay. In the latter, they 

 occasionally occur at the immense weight of seventy 

 pounds ; and in the Tweed, and Clyde, at about fifty 

 or sixty pounds weight. They are also found in all 

 the great streams of Europe N. of 51, and in the 

 United States of America N. of 41. Some recent 

 accounts of the N. W. coast of America, describe them 

 also as abounding there. In the American rivers 

 they seldom exceed from fifteen to twenty pounds 

 weight. They appear some time in the rivers before 

 they are in a healthy state ; and the best season for the 

 angler to commence his operations, is in the close of 

 the month of May, or the early part of June. The 

 usual time for the salmon to deposit their spawn, is 

 from the first of September to the latter end of Octo- 

 ber, when they grow very sickly both in appearance 

 and flavour. Previous to this, they generally retire 

 to brooks which branch out irregularly from the main 

 river, or remain in shallows, where they sometimes 

 are scarcely covered with water. During their resi- 

 dence in fresh water, it is a well authenticated cir- 

 cumstance, that they always lie with their heads 

 pointing up the river; and never swim down the 

 stream, unless during the period of their emigration 

 to the sea, or when their position is molested. The 

 length of the rod for catching salmon should be from 

 about seventeen to twenty feet, which, however, can 

 be regulated according to the breadth and general 

 size of the river in which the angler pursues his ope 

 rations. The reel, which on these occasions, forms 

 the most material appendage to the rod, is made of 

 brass ; it should be constructed with the utmost nicety, 

 and capable of the swiftest circumvolutions. The line, 

 which is fastened to the reel, may be composed either 

 of strong silk or twisted horse hair, gradually dimi- 

 nishing at the top, and having a loop at the end of 

 the wheel, and another at the cast lines, to fasten 

 them to each other. Let this last line be very care- 

 fully twisted with the fingers, and shorter than the 

 rod, so that none of the knots may come within the 

 top ring ; sixteen to twenty horse hairs may be used 

 in the upper links, but they must be diminished to- 



