36 ANGLING FOE COARSE FISH. 



and smelling sweetly of wild honeysuckle, is very enjoyable. 

 There is no wind, but a few clouds in the South give us 

 promise of a shower or two during the day. The nine miles and a 

 half from the house to the river are covered in something under 

 the hour, and, almost before we know it, we are standing 

 knee deep in rich meadow grass, putting our rods together. 

 The ferrules of the rods we always keep rubbed with vaseline 

 or soft soap, or any kind of grease, to prevent them sticking. 

 On the butt of the rod we fix the small Nottingham winch 

 (see page 16), with the handles to the right when the reel is 

 hanging below the rod, and we draw the fine twisted or plaited 

 silk line through the rod rings. Being so far ready, the next 

 thing to do is 



To Find a Swim — a subject on which a good-sized volume 

 might easily be wi'itten. The river is, let us say, about 30yds. 

 wide, slow flowing, with here and there reed beds and islands. 

 About a mile above us is a weir and mill, and the same distance 

 below us the river is also dammed up about 4ft. for the 

 purpose of turning another mill. If we walk down stream, we 

 shall find the water get deeper; if we walk up stream, we 

 are certain to find it more shallow. "What we require is a swim 

 from 5ft. to 10ft. deep, so near the bank as to be fishable with 

 our 15ft. rods — a swim where the bottom is of gravel or sand, and 

 level for a few yards, and where weeds or reeds, or both, grow in 

 the immediate neighbourhood. It should also be out of the wind 

 for if the surface of the water is ruffled, many of the largest fish 

 will be missed, as they bite most gently, hardly moving the float. 

 Above all, there must be some stream, for at this season we do 

 not find roach in still water, except it be in a lake, canal, or pond. 

 Where we stand the river widens out, and a mudbank, on which 

 weeds grow luxuriantly, stretches out some 20ft. from the 

 shore. If we had a boat we might find a gravelly bottom on the 

 edge of the weeds, but we have to walk farther before we can fish 

 from the bank. About half a mile up stream I espy a good- 

 sized eyot, and I know from experience that where the river is 

 thus divided the stream often runs sharply on both sides of it, 

 and cuts a clean channel close into the banks, thus forming an 

 easily reached swim. Besides, fish always lie about such spots. 



