168 THE COMPLETE ANGLER 



fishing, but it is far better for experience and discourse 

 than paper. Only, thus much is necessary for you to 

 know, and to be mindful and careful of, that if the pike 

 or perch do breed in that river, they will be sure to bite 

 first, and must first be taken. And for the most part they 

 are very large ; and will repair to your ground-bait, not 

 that they wall eat of it, but will feed and sport themselves 

 among the young fry that gather about and hover over the 

 bait. 



The way to discern the pike and to take him, if you 

 mistrust your bream-hook, for I have taken a pike a 

 yard long several times at my bream-hooks, and some- 

 times he hath had the luck to share my line, may be 

 thus : 



Take a small bleak, or roach, or gudgeon, and bait it, 

 and set it alive among your rods two feet deep from the 

 corkj with a little red worm on the point of the hook ; 

 then take a few crumbs of white bread, or some of the 

 ground-bait, and sprinkle it gently amongst your rods. 

 If Mr. Pike be there, then the little fish will skip out of 

 the water at his appearance, but the live-set bait is sure 

 to be taken. 



Thus continue your sport from four in the morning 

 till eight, and if it be a gloomy windy day, they will bite 

 all day long. But this is too long to stand to your rods 

 at one place, and it will spoil your evening sport that 

 day, which is this : 



About four of the clock in the afternoon repair to your 

 baited place ; and as soon as you come to the water-side, 

 cast in one half of the rest of your ground-bait, and stand 

 off : then whilst the fish are gathering together, for there 

 they will most certainly come for their supper, you may 

 take a pipe of tobacco ; and then in with your three rods, 

 as in the morning : you will find excellent sport that even- 

 ing till eight of the clock ; then cast in the residue of your 

 ground-bait, and next morning by four of the clock visit 



