AND HOW TO USE IT. 41 



shoals, consisting of several hundreds ; all of a 

 size varying from 1 J pounds to 3 pounds ; and 

 I have found, that, by ground-baiting a particu- 

 lar spot "over night, or early in the morning, 

 and then angling for them with paste or worms, 

 they would sometimes bite so freely, that no 

 sooner than one fish was landed and the hook 

 re-baited, another bite was made, and another 

 fish taken. I have gone to this pond two or 

 three times a week, with a brother angler, and 

 we have frequently taken more carp than we 

 could, individually, lift from the ground ; and 

 not one of the fish has been under the weight 

 of 1 J pounds ; and from that up to 4 pounds. 



But the carp we used to take in this pond 

 were as inferior in flavour to those taken in 

 another pond in the adjoining county, as a 

 barbel is to a salmon. 



In rivers, carp are generally found in the 

 deepest holes, and near beds of weeds and 

 rushes. 



Carp taken from a rich gravelly loam, or 

 sandy-bottomed pond, are always of much finer 

 flavour and quality than those taken from a 

 dark, muddy, or fenny pond. And though they 

 are more prolific in the fenny-bottomed waters, 



