CHAPTEK XIII. 



THE BLEAK. 



Hahits and Haunts — How to Preserve for Spinning Baits — Cast- 

 ing a Gentle — How to Clear a Roach Swim — A Hint to 

 Thames Trout-fishers. 



F the river fish which may be said to afford 

 sport to the angler, the bleak is the most 

 insignificant. In some parts of England it 

 is called a tailor, and it is a curious fact 

 that in the south of Germany it is usually 

 teiTtned a Schneider. In size and appearance 

 bleak are not unlike sprats, but are more sil- 

 very, and when seen in the water have a very 

 beautiful tinge of sea green. They are delicate eating, but are 

 rarely caught for the table, their principal use being as spinning 

 baits for trout and pike.* They are found in most of the English 

 rivers containing coarse fish, and are particularly numerous in 

 the Thames. All through the summer they swim in shoals 

 close to the surface, but in the winter are rarely seen. They 

 do not favour very strong or very shallow swims, and the most 

 certain spots to find them are near overhanging trees, where the 

 stream is gentle, and where, of course, small flies are very 

 plentiful. In roach swims they are often a great nuisance, 

 seizing the bait before it can get down to the roach. I have 



* To preserve bleak for winter use, dry them on a cloth, and place them in spirits, 

 in a pickle-bottle. At the end of a fortnight change the spirits. If kept a year or 

 two, they get very tough. I am indebted to Mr. Jardine for the knowledge of the 

 advantage of changing the spirits. The first lot of spirits is full of grease out of 

 the fish, and if the baits are left in it, they lose their brilliancy. 



