NIGHT-FISHINO FOR BKEAM. Ill 



10ft. to 15ft. deep. At certain times of tlie day bream rise to 

 the surface and sport, so that, by a very slight strain upon his 

 powers of observation, the angler can easily discover the where- 

 abouts of the fish. When sporting, they of course do not feed 

 on the bottom. It often happens that almost immediately 

 they disappear from the surface the angler begins to catch them. 



The great objection I have to bream is the early hour — 

 particularly in rivers — at which they usually breakfast. In 

 most streams no sport worth the name will be had except between 

 2 p.m. or 3 p.m., and a mortal's breakfast hour. Many bream-fishers 

 make a night of it, going to the river's bank abont midnight, 

 and waiting there until the fish come on the feed. And when 

 the bream do " come on," what mighty takes are made ! Great 

 fellows, varying from 21b. to 51b., take the bait one after another, 

 as fast as the angler will allow them, only stopping when the 

 sun rises well above the tree- tops. Then, weary, with aching 

 back, and a sack half full of fish, the bream-fisher goes home, 

 staggering under his burden. This is no fancy picture. On 

 the Bedfordshire Ouse, men go out night after night and bring 

 home fish which they weigh, not by the pound, but by the 

 stone. Many a time have I met them coming home to break- 

 fast just as I have been starting to fish that glorious river, and 

 now and again have joined them in one of their night attacks 

 on a bream stronghold. In certain streams, to wit the Lower 

 Thames, good baskets of fish are sometimes made in the daytime. 



Baits and Ground-baits. — Worms are the very best bait 

 for bream — either a small lob, three redworms, or two brandlings. 

 Boiled wheat (see pages 33 and 42), greaves, gentles, wasp-grubs, 

 caddis baits, and paste, will also take these fish, but are de- 

 cidedly inferior to worms. For ground-bait, lobworms are best, 

 when obtainable in sufficient quantities (see page 57) ; failing 

 these, greaves can be tried, or boiled wheat, or a mixture of any 

 of the aforementioned baits, made up into balls with clay or 

 barley-meal. Sheep's blood is supposed to add greatly to the 

 attractiveness of the ground-bait.* No doubt the fish do like 



* The following is a nice mixture for ground-bait sometimes used in the Norfolk 

 Broads : One pail fresh (brewers') grains, half pail bullock's blood, half pail clean 

 clay, with a few handfuls of greaves, and a little crushed oilcake. The whole 

 should be made into balls, and dried in the sun. 



