Bream and Barbel. 



17 



foretell, but soon gives in. There 

 should be as little fuss as possible 

 in getting him to the net, in order 

 that his confreres may not be dis- 

 turbed. 



Legering is another way of 

 catching bream. It had its origin, 

 no doubt, in negotiating portions 

 of the river too far distant to fish 

 with a float, although in the case 

 of barbel it is often used for its 

 own sake, and in preference to 

 other methods. The device is 

 simple, and consists in adding a 

 leaden bullet to the gut tackle. 

 About 3 feet from the hook a pellet 

 of shot is squeezed on. Above 

 this the leger is placed. There 

 are several patterns, but the best 

 is made of a round lead bullet 

 filed or cut off on opposite sides 

 so as to lie flat on the bottom. 

 A hole is bored from edge to edge 

 large enough to give free play to 

 the gut. The pellet of shot pre- 

 vents it from slipping down to the 

 hook. The link on which it runs 

 consists of fine gimp or gut. If 

 the latter, it must be of sterling 

 quality, as it has to bear a heavy 

 strain. Salmon gut is not in- 

 ferior to gimp in strength, and is 

 less conspicuous in the water. 

 When the fish pulls the bait, the 

 gut travels through the hole with- 

 out disturbing the bullet, and the 

 movement is immediately felt by 

 the angler. Care must be taken 

 that it runs freely ; any resistance 

 or a slight prick of the hook 

 makes the fish drop the lure be- 

 fore there is time to strike. Bream 

 have a strong bellows power of 

 blowing out a bait. 



Swift currents and weirs are 

 suitable places to leger. The rod 

 must be of a stiff build, as the 

 weight of the line and bullet have 

 to be counterbalanced. A long 

 sweeping stroke of the rod is the 

 form the strike should take. The 

 early morning is the time for 

 bream fishing, and late in the 



evening, and in August and Sep- 

 tember the fishing is at its best. 

 Ground baiting overnight will 

 materially improve the chances. 

 For weirs, clay mixed with the 

 food will prevent it from being 

 swept away. River bream are 

 better conditioned fish than pond, 

 and give more sport, as their broad 

 sides against the current offer 

 strong resistance. Patience is a 

 virtue in angling for them ; they 

 come on the feed in unexpected 

 moments, and after long waiting ; 

 when hope deferred makes the 

 heart sick they begin to bite, and 

 a dozen may be landed in rapid 

 succession. 



BARBEL (Barbus vulgaris). 



Barbel are the most sporting of 

 coarse fish ; they are found in 

 rivers and do not flourish in ponds 

 like the bream. The great rivers 

 of Europe contain them, where 

 they are reputed to grow to an 

 enormous size, and to reach 50 Ib. 

 in weight. Every Thames angler 

 knows the barbel, and attains the 

 height of his ambition when he 

 adds to his record the capture of 

 a twelve-pounder. The fish is 

 easily recognized by the hanging 

 protuberances from which it de- 

 rives its name. One is situated 

 on each side of the upper lip, and 

 two in front of the nose. The 

 head is wedge-shaped, the body 

 elongated, and of a greenish-brown 

 colour on the back, and yellow on 

 the sides ; the throat and the 

 under portion are white, and the 

 fins reddish. They are shy fish 

 and easily disturbed. Their feed- 

 ing habits are most erratic and it 

 is difficult to predict their mood. 

 One may angle for a week with- 

 out getting a bite, at other times 

 they feed so ravenously as to be 

 taken in large quantities. They 

 move about the river in large 

 shoals, playing in the water and 

 kicking up Meg's diversions, for 



