GH. III.] HOW TO CATCH CARP. 35 



.two great objects should be, not to alarm the 

 Carp, and to get them to feed. They are very 

 timid, and if they have once taken fright at 

 anything, and left a place in consequence, it will 

 generally be a good while before they will return 

 to it. For this reason I prefer not to throw in 

 any ground-bait when fishing for them, until all 

 my preparations are made, and the actual bait 

 is in the water. If you can once induce them 

 to begin to feed, they will continue their search 

 for food in every direction, and infallibly in due 

 time come to your bait. When they begin to 

 come to the bread, if the bottom is at all muddy, 

 and the water not too deep, you will see lines 

 of mud stirred up by them as they come on nuz- 

 zling in it like so many pigs. You have then 

 only to keep perfectly quiet and bide your time. 

 The float will give you sufficient warning when 

 to strike, and you should only do so when the 

 Carp is going well and steadily away with it. If 

 your tackle is sound, and you are not in too 

 great a hurry, you may make pretty sure of 

 landing him, for, as Izaak Walton truly says, 

 " The Carp is a leather-mouthed fish, which doth 

 seldom break his hold." 



Although I think it better, for fear of alarm- 



D2 



