408 MANUAL FOB YOUNG SPORTSMEN. 



page 880 will suffice ; line of plaited silk or twisted hair, 

 with a good length of stout gut 5 float of cork or swan- 

 quill; hook, No. 6 or 7. A plummet will always be 

 required. Sometimes, as in fishing for chub, sinking and 

 drawing are practised exactly as they are described. 



Ground-baiting over night is always to be practised 

 for carp or tench if the boat is to be used ; and if the 

 angler fishes from the bank, he should cast in a little of 

 this useful accessory every few minutes. 



The best baits are a couple of red worms or gentles ; 

 sometimes one of each will take the fancy of the carp, 

 which is a very fickle and cautious fish, and very difficult 

 to bring to hand. Taylor advocates green peas, whch are 

 said by him to be very efficacious ; but all sorts of baits 

 succeed at times and fail at others. The angler, therefore, 

 who is anxious to take carp, may try caddies, bees, grass- 

 hoppers, and in fact the whole range of baits described at 

 pages 380-1-2-3. 



Carp are in season from February to September. They 

 take a bait better after rain than at any other time. The 

 deepest and stillest parts of the river or pond are those 

 where these fish are the most likely to be found, but in 

 summer they are very fond of basking near the surface, 

 among the weeds, and it is then extremely difficult to per- 

 suade them to take any bait. 



In fishing for carp, great care must be taken by the 

 angler to keep well out of sight, as they are so cautious as 

 to refuse all baits when alarmed by the sight of man. 

 The line must also be very carefully and lightly dropped 

 into the water, and not even the shadow of the rod allowed 



