THE BEEAM.] 



ANGLING. 



[THE TENCH, 



hrf^e amount of patience is required. In the 

 \\inter months it haunts the broadest and 

 Ipast disturbed parts of rivers, where the 

 bottom is muddy and soft ; but in summer it 

 usually occupies deep holes beneath hollow 

 banks, under the roots of trees, or in the 

 neighbourhood of beds of aquatic plants. On 

 account of its being a wary fish, it is difficult 

 to deceive it when it has " come of age." The 

 best months to take it are May, June, and 

 July ; and the best times of the day are from 

 sunrise to eight in the morning, and from 

 sunset throughout the time of twilight, and 

 onwards through the night. Mr. Daniel says 

 that "three rods may be employed, one with 

 the bait at mid-water, another a foot or less 

 from the bottom, and the third to lie upon it 

 when the line and lead are not discovered, as 

 in the two former. The places intended to be 

 fished in should, the night before, be ground- 

 bated with grains, blood, and broken worms, 

 incorporated togethei- with clay ; the hook bait 

 should be red worms taken out of tan, flag or 

 marsh-worms, green peas, so boiled as to 

 soften, but not to break the skin, and throw- 

 ing some in now and then. "When this bait 

 is used (which should be with one on the 

 hook to swim a foot from the ground), in case 

 of a bite, strike immediately ; a large carp, 

 upon taking the bait, directly steers for tiie 

 oDposite side of the river or pond." 



THE BREAM. 



The carp-bream is called by "Walton a large 

 and stately fish, which thrives best in large 

 pieces of water, and in deep, quiet rivers. It 

 is to be found in the Mole and the Medway ; 

 and also in the Cumberland lakes. In those 

 of Ireland it has been caught of such a size as 

 to weigh from twelve to fourteen pounds. In 

 Scotland it is little known, Lochmaven bein<y 

 its only recorded habitat. May is the time 

 for spawning, when they feel rough to handle. 

 This, however, according to Mr. Tarrell, " is 

 nothing more than a periodical assumption, 

 wliich, as in the other Cypridse, disappears 

 when the season of reproduction is passed." 

 A well-conditioned earth-worm is said to be 

 the best bait for bream ; but wasp-grubs, 

 grasshoppers, and paste made of bread and 

 honey, will all lure them to their destruction. 

 For angling this fish Walton gives very minute 

 1008 



instructions. He tells us carefully to study 

 the selected spot ; advises an abundant supply 

 of ground-bait, and a visit, with fitted tackling, 

 to the water-side, about three or four o'clock 

 in the morning. The angler, however, is not 

 to venture too near the water, as bream 

 " have a cunning sentinel, and are watchful 

 themselves too." Mr. Daniel gives the fol- 

 lowing account of a day's sport in Essex with 

 this fish : — " The weather w as cloudy, and the 

 wind brisk ; there were seven rods used by 

 the party, and very frequently were there 

 biters at them all at the same time. When a 

 fish was hooked, and played at the top, or near 

 the surface of the water, numbers were seen 

 to follow him ; and as soon as the hooks were 

 fresh baited, were alike greedily taken. They 

 averaged at least two pounds a fish ; and of 

 these, from six in the morning till dusk in the 

 evening, some hundredweights were taken." 



.THE TENCH. 

 As an agreeable habitat the tench is said 

 to prefer ponds to rivers, and pits to both. 

 Where it is found in rivers it is mostly in 

 those which are slow and deep ; but in such 

 situations it does not breed so abundantly as 

 it does in ponds. In deep pits, in which clay 

 for bricks has been dug out, it is often plenti- 

 ful, as it likewise is in broad, shallow waters, 

 on muddy bottoms. It is alleged that this fish 

 is possessed of certain sensitive properties, 

 which render it invaluable to other piscatory 

 tribes as a physician. Indeed, in Germany it 

 is called the Dootor-fish ; and hence Boccius 

 affirms that no fish of prey will ever touch a 

 tench. Walton says— "I hope I may be so 

 bold as to tell you that tlie tench is the phy- 

 sician of fishes, and for the pike especially ; so 

 that a pike, being either sick or hurt, is cured 

 by the touch of the tench ; and it is observed 

 that this fresh-water tyrant will not play the 

 wolf to his physician, but forbears to devour 

 him though he be never so hungry." The fish 

 spawns from June till September, and is in 

 best condition from the latter month till the 

 end of May. As bait, small marsh-woi'ms, 

 middle-sized lobs, or the red species found in 

 rotten tan, are recommended. Walton says, 

 " he will bite at a paste made of brown bread 

 and honey, or at a marsh-worm or a lob-worm : 

 he inclines very much to any paste with which 



