100 ANGLING FOR COARSE FISH. 



described on page 50. We sit facing down stream, precisely as 

 if we were going to fish for roacli, plumb tbe depth, arrange our 

 float so that the bait all but touches the bottom, bait, and take 

 a trial swim or two. The gudgeon may be there in great 

 quantities, and if so, no raking is requisite for some time. "We 

 strike sharply, but not hard, on seeing the slightest depression 

 of the float, and gudgeon come fast into the punt. I must not 

 forget that we so shot our lines that only the tip of the float is 

 in view, and therefore the float goes under water at a very 

 slight pull from the fish. After a while the fish leave off biting. 

 Then the rake is brought into requisition, and the bottom is well 

 raked in front of the punt. This muddies the water, and stirs 

 up various items of fish food, and the gudgeon swarm up to the 

 punt to feed. When that swim is fished out we try another, and 

 as we count up our dozens we smile at the infatuated individuals 

 who will waste their time trying to catch jack or roach on this 

 blazing hot summer's day. 



In small, shallow streams, where the fishing is done from the 

 bank, a long-handled garden rake will be found useful to rake 

 the bottom with ; and sometimes anglers wade in, stir up the 

 sand or gravel with their feet, to bring the gudgeon near 

 them, and fish while standing in the water. It may be 

 inferred from this, and rightly so, that the gudgeon is 

 not a shy fish. Gudgeon placed in ponds have increased 

 wonderfully in a few years. In such places I have heard, on 

 very good authority, that they will sometimes rise to a fly, but 

 have never seen such a thing happen. 



