128 A YEAR OF SPORT AND NATURAL HISTORY. 



manifest, or whether they realized that they were preaching to the 

 winds, is not recorded ; the fact remains that this section has not 

 been heard from of late. Live-baiting par excellence for Trout is 

 conducted with a bleak. The bleak is the Trout's most accustomed 

 food in the Thames ; professional fishermen (who are perhaps in 

 the Trout's confidence) going so far as to assert that he prefers 

 the bleak to any other fish. As we humans prefer the gudgeon 

 (fried), it is perhaps fortunate that the Trout has tastes which differ 

 from ours, or gudgeon might be selling at whitebait prices. The 

 bleak, it need not be said, is a very delicate fish, and will not long 

 survive rough usage, consequently the tackle used must be light. 

 The hooks will be of the snap order and will consist of a triangle 

 and a lip hook no more mounted on gut. Any other system of 

 hooks for live-baiting in streams is inferior, for the reason that the 

 lip hook keeps the head of the bait up stream, in which position it 

 will retain its life and vivacity fora length of time that will astonish 

 the practitioner who has adopted other methods. The hooks will, 

 of course, be mounted on gut strong, but not salmon gut ; and 

 for a float I would as soon use a bottle cork, passed on the line 

 by means of a slit, as anything else. Lead is not required as 

 when pike fishing. The bleak, in a state of freedom, always 

 hovers on the surface of the water, where it acts the part of 

 surface scavenger. The Trout never looks for it anywhere else, 

 and the angler's cause is by no means furthered by having his 

 bait sunk near the bottom. A Trout is not suddenly inspired to 

 hunger by the spectacle of a bleak passing near him. When his 

 meal-time comes on (Oh that we anglers could but know when 

 that is !), it is then, and not before, that the Trout goes foraging ; 

 and then is it that the angler's chance arrives. Not that he may 



