106 ANGLING FOE COARSE FISH. 



greater accuracy tlian my friend. For hooks we use small 

 triangles, and bait them by passing the loop of the hook-link 

 through a lump of half -boiled potato, or a small, new potato, by 

 means of a baiting-needle (see Fig. 36), burying the triangle 

 right in the potato. Our legers are made according to the direc- 

 tions on page 27 ; but the gut below the lead is stained to match 

 the colour of the bottom as nearly as possible. Our leger leads 

 have to be rather heavy, as we have a long way to cast. If we 

 had a less distance to cast, a small pistol-bullet would do. 

 Having cast out the leger, we take the check off the winch, put 



Fig. 36. Baiting-needle. 



the rod in the forked sticks as before, wind up the line taut, 

 and wait until we see the line drawn ofi: the reel, when we at 

 once strike. It is better to lay down the rod than to hold it : 

 If held in the hand, the rod is bound to shake a little, and give 

 a quivering motion to the line, which is, no doubt, observed 

 and appreciated by the fish. The carp bites slowly; with 

 quicker-biting fish it is better to hold the rod. The result of 

 our legering is only four fish, but they are very large ones. We 

 should, no doubt, have caught more but for the splash made by 

 our heavy leads. 



Carp-fishing is not a branch of the sport which I can re- 

 commend to beginners — it is too discouraging. Success depends, 

 in a great measure, on the angler keeping the carp in absolute 

 ignorance of his presence, on judicious ground-baiting, and on 

 presenting the bait to the carp in such a way that they have 

 no reason to suppose there is any connection between it and 

 a human destroyer of fish. 



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