THE NORFOLK BROADS 261 



broads, turn to the right when he pushes off from the 

 landing-stage, and then row as far as he can. Having 

 rowed as far as he can, he must go on farther, an 

 impossibility that will be rendered possible by the dis- 

 covery of a narrow channel not immediately obvious. 

 Through this he will come upon a great round pool 

 that almost deserves a name to itself; in its corner is 

 the nook, a creek leading up to an old disused boat- 

 house, and shaded with such trees as are not often 

 found in this part of Norfolk. The creek is, as has 

 been said, about five feet deep, with a width of some 

 thirty yards between the reeds and bulrushes that grow 

 thick on either side. A narrow cutting on the left 

 gives direct passage to the boat-house, and it is off the 

 corner of this that it will be best to fish. 



The boat is moored to a pole at head and stern 

 about ten yards out, and then the ground-bait is 

 thrown in close to the reeds. It consists of bread and 

 bran soaked and loosely kneaded ; in still water it does 

 not do to have it too stiff, as it will not scatter suffi- 

 ciently. A handful or so of stewed wheat is also cast 

 after the bread and bran, and, in addition, a few crusts 

 of dry bread are dropped overboard. What wind there 

 is comes, of course, from the east that is to say, from 

 behind the angler and it will blow the crusts to the 

 edge of the reeds, where they will remain to entice the 

 rudd. Local fishermen would consider it useless to 

 fish for rudd so close to the boat ; they are accustomed 

 to casting thirty and even forty yards, but that is on 

 the broads more particularly noted for this fish. Those 

 waters have paid the penalty of fame, and have been 

 much over-fished, with the consequence that their 



