ANGLING FOR COARSE FISH. 



5ft. above the float (see Fig. 19). After my hook is baited I 

 shall wind up my line until the reel is stopped by the match 

 catching against the top ring. By this means the line will be 

 kept from falling into loops between the top ring and the reel, 



Fig. 19. Tight-line Fishing with Running Tackle by means of a Lucifer 



Match. 



and I shall be enabled to strike much sharper than I could if 

 there was any slack Hne between the rings. Only very careful 

 anglers adopt this plan. The next thing is 



Baiting the Hook. — I begin by using gentles. The hook is 

 a small one — about No. 10 Crystal Bend, with the shank painted 

 white (see page 20) — and on it I draw two gentles, not threading 

 them on from head to tail, but catching them by a small piece 

 of skin on the side. (When I have many bites, but few fish, I 

 sometimes put on a No. 13 hook, and attach by the tail a large 

 gentle, which wriggles as it goes down the stream, and some- 

 times proves very killing.) I then take a trial swim, dropping my 

 tackle very carefully and lightly into the water, to see if the 

 bottom is clear.* If the bottom is foul my hook catches, and my 

 float is forced under by the current ; but this swim is clear, and, 

 laying down my rod, I leave my tackle in the water to soak while 

 I prepare my ground-bait. If I had been acquainted with this 

 swim, I should have thrown in some ground-bait before baiting 

 my hook, but not before plumbing the depth. 



With regard to hook-baits for roach, those really required 

 are paste, gentles, and worms; one of these three will kill 

 almost anywhere and at any time. But it is as well to know 

 that some other baits are, on occasions, equally killing, namely, 

 wasp-grubs (baked in the oven, or boiled in milk), caddis (the 

 larvae of various water-flies, easily found in ditches), boiled wheat 

 or pearl barley, the white portions of greaves boiled, and 

 blow-flies used under water. A few weeks ago a friend per- 

 suaded me to try earwigs. I did so, and found them kill 



* If an otherwise good roach-swim is spoilt by a few weeds, the vigorous use of a 

 5;udgeon-rake (see Chap. VIII.), a few hours before the swim is fished, will vastly 

 improve the swim by clearing away weeds and rubbish. 



