BUSH-FISHING, ETC. 359 



rocky, or stony, and mostly denuded of trees, and conse- 

 quently do not produce this kind of food for their finny 

 inhabitants.^^ 



"BUSH-FISHING, EflPPING, OR DAPING. 



"One great recommendation to bush-fishing is, that it can 

 be practised with success in the months of June, July, and 

 August, when the river is low, and the sunshine bright, and in 

 the middle of the day ; at a time and season when no other 

 circumstance would stir a fish, the largest Trout are taken by 

 this method. The angler must be provided with a fourteen-feet 

 rod, with a stiff" top, and strong running tackle ; he will seldom 

 have to use more than a yard of line, the bottom of which 

 should be of strong silkworm gut. I recommend strong tackle, 

 because, in confined situations, overhung with wood, you will 

 not have room to play your fish, but must hold him tight, and 

 depend on the strength of the tackle. 



" The size of your hook must depend on the size of your fly, 

 from No. 7 to 9 for small flies and grubs, and, for beetles, 

 No. 4 or 5. For bush-fishing, you should be provided with 

 well-scoured brandlings and red worm, cad-baits, clock-baits, 

 earth-grubs, beetles, grasshoppers, and a horn of flies, or, at 

 least, as many of the above as you can procure. A small green 

 grub, or caterpillar, which may be got in June and July, by 

 shaking, over a sheet or tablecloth, the boughs of an oak-tree, 

 is a most killing bait for this kind of fishing. 



" Great caution is necessary in using your rod and line ; for, 

 if there are few bushes or brambles to conceal you, the water 

 must be approached warily, as the large Trout often lie near 



