u 



LEGEEING FOE CHUB. 87 



the shank end of which has been softened in the flame of a candle, 

 and bent out as shown in Fig. 33. Gentles are much used 

 on the Thames for casting. About eighteen should be placed 

 on a No. 5 hook, and a few added every quarter 

 of an hour. Many anglers prefer a small tri- 

 angle, but I always fancy I do best with the 

 single hook. 



Dibbing is another method of surface fishing 

 for chub. It requires no particular skill, but 

 great care and caution. The tackle is a stiff 

 bamboo rod, an undressed silk line, a pierced 

 pistol bullet, 1ft. of not too fine gut, and a hook Fig. 33. Hook 

 the size of which depends on the bait used. shank, ^for 

 Bees, wasps, black beetles, small frogs, cock- worm  cast- 

 chafers, grasshoppers, moths, large flies — all are 

 good baits for the purpose. The bullet is threaded on to 

 the running line, and kept from slipping on to the gut by the 

 knot joining the gut to the line. To dibb successfully, learn 

 the haunts of the fish by peering cautiously over the banks the 

 previous day. Knowing, then, a chubby spot, attach to the 

 hook one of the baits mentioned, reel up the line until the bullet 

 touches the top of the rod, approach the river- side on tiptoe, 

 and put the bait, which dangles 1ft. below the rod tip, through 

 some convenient hole in the branches — for I presume trees over- 

 shadow the spot. "When the bait overhangs the water, wait a 

 few seconds, for the movement of the rod may have aroused 

 the suspicions of the fish ; then slowly unwind line — which the 

 weight of the bullet draws out — until the bait just touches the 

 water, where it should kick about for a while. If no fish seizes 

 the bait in four or five minutes, try another spot. When a fish 

 is hooked, hold him tight, and get him out as seemeth best 

 under the circumstances. Catching a chub usually frightens 

 others, and it is best to go on to another place. 



Bottom Fishing for Chub is carried on either with the leger 

 or with float tackle. Legering for chub differs little from leger- 

 ing for other fish (see pages 27 and 75). The weight of the 

 bullet must, of course, depend on the strength of the stream. 

 A suitable bait (cheese, greaves, lobworms, &c.) must be used. 



