243 



the spring, and fall ; and sometimes in the winter, whea 

 the weather has been mild for some time, and there fall* 

 a little sleety rain. 



These fishes are partial to soft water, such as flows 

 over chalk, marl, or deep, slimy mud ; but not to clay- 

 soils j nor are they found much where the bed of the 

 stream is coarse or pebbly ; on fine sand, where soft 

 weeds float, they are sometimes to be seen in numbers 

 especially in die spring, when they are about to cast, 

 or have spawned. If you use a float, let it be very small 

 and put only as much shot as will make it stand. 



The rudd will sometimes rise with great avidity at a 

 neat, browoflyj or at a rcd-spi*nex $ but they are ex- 

 tremely cunning, and are more easily taken by means of 

 a natural fly ; especially the grey stone-Jly, and the 

 yclloii' cow-dung fly ; both of which they seem to be par- 

 tial to. 



When you angle for this fish, keep well out of sight ; 

 for it in general, swims near the surface; and from its 

 Iiaunt among the weeds, looks around very sharply -, 

 scudding away at the least appearance of danger. 



You may occasionally use other baits ; .such as gentles, 

 laked ivasps, and tire salmons roe; but, in my opinipn, 

 the ivorm and high coloured cadbate are by far die best, 



I believe the rudd is never found in ponds, or any 

 water that has not some current. I recollect -conversing 

 with a brother angler, whom I met by chance some 

 years ago at JVansford j when, on rny mentioning the 

 ruddf and inquiring whether there were any in the river 

 Nen, which passes through that town, he said diat one 

 had been caught full of roe, and was conveyed into a pond 

 on a gentleman's estate j where however it did not live, 

 M 2 but 



