iv. Preface. 



shillings, he will like it far better than if a whole host of 

 things were set before him and most strongly recommended. 



To this end I have brought my own experiences as a 

 working man angler, who has had to toil in factory and 

 farmyard, to bear ; and have given what I consider to be 

 the simplest and most effective methods to adopt in all 

 conditions of pike and perch fishing, that the ordinary 

 working man will have placed at his disposal. 



This question was once summed up neatly by a journey- 

 man sweep, who one day was spinning a likely-looking 

 stretch of the Trent ; his attention had been called to a 

 paragraph in one of the sporting papers, in which it was 

 stated that " Mr. S , fishing Lord B's private lake, had 

 succeeded in landing a splendid bag of large pike." 

 " Ah," said our friend the sweep, at the same time jerking 

 his head in the direction of a woman and two children 

 sitting on the bank, " If Mr. S., the noted pike slayer, was 

 on this, or any other well-fished public water, and had his 

 wife and two kids sitting on the bank, waiting while he 

 caught a jack, which had also to be sold before a bit of 

 bread could be procured for their breakfasts, same as they 

 are waiting for over yonder, I reckon his Vags would not 

 be much heavier than the rest of us anglers are." I hope 

 none of my readers will be so hard up as to depend for 

 their breakfasts on the fish they catch, but the little inci- 

 dent is useful in illustrating my meaning. 



Personally I don't pretend to have any literary ability. 

 What I have written is only a plain statement of fact, and 

 written as one old worker would write to his mates. Neither 



