e5 THE RUDD. 



plenty of ground bait, and stick to one swim> most of the 

 day. In rudd fishing it is necessary to fish nearer the sur- 

 face of the water than the bottom, ground bait is not a neces- 

 sity, whilst roving about to all likely looking swims, as in 

 chub fishing, must be carefully attended to ; in fact, to put it 

 plainly, you must proceed exactly opposite as for roach fish- 

 ing, if you mean to make a bag of very heavy rudd. The 

 author of the " Modern Angler " also treats the rudd with 

 scant respect, telling us '' that as a sporting fish he is one of 

 the worst, very seldom exceeding a pound in weight, and 

 hardly worth the trouble of catching," Whereas, he is a 

 sporting fish of a very high order, and in weight reaching a 

 very respectable size. It seems a very peculiar thing that our 

 great authorities on fish and fishing should know so' little 

 about the rudd and the method of its capture, because he is 

 one of the, if not the, most handsome coarse fish that in- 

 habits our inland waters. The Nottingham style of bottom 

 fishing, too, is exactly suited for this sport. Fine and far 

 off must be the rudd fisherman's motto ; he must use the 

 handiest of chub rods, the easiest of running reels, and the 

 finest and best of silk lines and tackle in order to successfully 

 operate on the fish now under notice. 



The rudd, like the roach, is a member of the carp family, 

 and his specific name is Leuciscus, or Cyprinus Erythrop- 

 thalmus, ana as I have hinted just now is a very handsome 

 fish. He has several local names, such as " red-eye," " roud," 

 and " shallow," and is found in the waters of several English 

 counties in more or less abundance, but perhaps they reach 

 the greatest weight and the finest condition in the Bedford- 

 shire Ouse and the streams and broads of Norfo'lk and Suf- 

 folk. At one time there was a deep-roo.ted belief among 

 naturalists and anglers that this fish was a hybrid between 

 the breami and the roach ; even Walton himself advanced 

 that opinion as being held by some learned in the matter ; 

 but now it is generally acknowledged to be a distinct species. 



A two-pound rudd in good condition, fresh from the 

 stream in the month of August, presents a sight which once 

 seen is not easily forgotten. The deep and brilliant scarlet 

 of the fins, the golden bronze of the sides, the light golden 

 yellow of the belly, the beautiful brown, green, and blue of 



