Clear-Water FisJiing. 205: 



then, that such a river should be de- 

 stroyed by the basest sort of people, by 

 those unlawful ways of fire and netting 

 in the night, and of damming, groping, 

 spearing, hanging and hooking by day, 

 which are now grown so common, that, 

 though we have very good Laws to punish 

 such Offenders, every Rascal does it, for 

 ought I see impunt." 



Cotton, when mentioning the number 

 of fish he has taken, says "thirty Trouts,' r 

 instead of " fifteen brace," and it appears 

 at that time to have been the custom in 

 the North to give the full number, and in 

 the South to say so many brace, because 

 in one place (p. 85), where Cotton makes 

 Viator say, " Look you, Sir, here are three 

 brace," Walton has added this note in the 

 margin : " Spoke like a South-Country 

 man." 



Stewart and others have claimed for 

 upstream, clear-water worm-fishing, that 

 it is as artistic as, and more difficult than,, 

 fly-fishing; and although whole books 

 have been devoted to this one branch 

 of the sport, I do not think that Cotton's 

 directions have been, or can be, improved 

 upon. He may fairly claim to be the first 

 to fully describe this fascinating style ; 

 he was also the first to note that grayling 

 take a worm swum a foot from the bottom 



