AND HOW TO CATCH HIM. 23 



by tickling or groping under the banks : a practice carried on by 

 idle and disorderly persons, who in a few days destroy more fish, 

 when the waters are low, than many an angler has the fortune to 

 take throughoutthe whole season. And here I cannot but express my 

 regret, that many owners of lands either refuse to permit the sports- 

 man to angle altogether, or otherwise care so little about preserving 

 the fish from utter destruction, as to allow every escaped goal bird 

 in their neighbourhood to poach with engines of every description, 

 when all is fish that comes to net, and both great and small are 

 thus doomed to indiscriminate slaughter ; and if country gentle- 

 men were to take the greatest pains to find a nursery for thieving, 

 they could have devised few more effectual plans, than permitting 

 this system to be carried on ; 'for when the fish are nearly extir- 

 pated, then the game preserve or the hen roost makes up 

 the deficiency. In some parts, indeed, even nets are insufficient to 

 satisfy these destructives, who even go so far as to cast in quick lime, 

 and other deleterious articles into the pools when the waters are 

 in a low state, and thus poison every fish they contain. Now it 

 most assuredly is the bounden duty of every one who has the 

 slightest interest in angling, to use every endeavour to put a stop 

 to such villanous practices; and there can be little doubt 

 that a few months exercise at the tread mill, varied by a little 

 solitary confinement, by way of reward for these gallows worthies, 

 who, from an utter reckless selfishness pay so little value to the 

 property of their betters, would be attended with the most bene- 

 ficial results. 



It is by no means an easy task to attempt to point out the proper 

 haunts of the trout, or the localities in which he is most likely to 

 be caught ; yet a thorough knowledge in these matters is essential 

 to produce a successful reward of the angler's labours ; as it will be 

 necessary for him to resort to such partsof the stream as are best suit- 

 ed to the particular mode of angling then in hand ; otherwise much 

 time and labour, and much more patience will be needlessly thrown 

 away. Many spots admirably adapted for a fly, it would be useless 

 to try in with a worm, or even a minnow, or any other bait what- 

 ever ; whilst many spots that are well adapted to the latter purpo- 

 ses, are equally unsuited to fly fishing. These matters, however, 

 I must defer treating more fully on, till I come to discuss the 

 different modes of angling, by which the various tribes of the finny 

 inhabitants of the fresh water, are to be lured to destruction. 



