192 THE BREAM. 



them may often be perceived and profited by accordingly ; for if 

 at such times the bait be but cast in quietly amongst them, a 

 bite at least may be bargained for ; unless the chance is thrown 

 away, as it not unfrequently is, by floundering in bait, float, and 

 all overhand; a most clumsy mode of proceeding, and never to 

 be resorted to except when such a lengthened cast is required as to 

 render an underhand throw impracticable, More fish than bunglers 

 are aware of are scared off by the splash the former so often make 

 in casting in their lines, which should ever be done with the 

 greatest nicety : first letting the bait gently touch the water, and 

 as it sinks down gradually with its own weight, so lower down 

 the point of your rod, till the float rests on the surface. This 

 precaution is perhaps more necessary in shallow than in deeper 

 waters, but should be equally practised in either instance. 



The best bait 1 can recommend for catching the largest breams 

 is a moderate sized red worm without a knot, and well cleansed 

 from its original earthy rankness, otherwise it will prove far less 

 attractive. If you are obliged to collect these on a short notice, 

 then putting them in fennel for a day or two will cleanse them 

 tolerably for your purpose ; but it will not preserve them long, so 

 that, unless pressed for time, good clean moss will always be found 

 to answer the best. Breams will also bite freely at most kind of 

 grubs, brood of wasps, gentles, cadis, and grasshoppers, and indeed 

 most other baits that are taken by the carp or tench ; as also pastes 

 of all kinds and descriptions, and most probably with preserved 

 salmon roe : but the merits of the latter bait, as far as the bream 

 are concerned, I have not as yet had an opportunity of putting to 

 the test. 



When worms are used I consider it the better plan to let them 

 lie at the bottom ; other baits should be fished within an inch or 

 two above it ; the depth being previously ascertained by the 

 sounding plumb ; for when the bait is permitted to remain still, a 

 bream takes it more readily at the bottom than when hung sus- 

 pended by the float some distance above it ; though very frequent- 

 ly the fish as soon as he seizes on the bait rises upwards with it, 

 which, depriving the float of the benefit of the leaden pellets that 

 kept it previously erect, falls flat OR its side upon the surface, 

 instead of being drawn under water, as occurs in most other in- 

 stances. I have sometimes known perch take in precisely the 

 same manner. When a fish bites in this way, if, after allowing a 



