THE COMMON EEL. 287 



they bite, and when hooked, every care will be requisite to prevent 

 them from tangling your tackle in weeds or other incumbrances, 

 which they will never fail to attempt. Sometimes an eel draws 

 your bait into his hole, where he lays imbededin the mud, and in 

 firm clayey ground it requires some patience to start him ; yet by 

 keeping him well within the bend of the rod, his strength will by 

 degrees relax, and when he is drawn clear of his hole, he will be 

 so thoroughly tired out, as to be unable to offer any further re- 

 sistance. You must be careful however not to pull away too vio- 

 lently ; for it is only by tiring out the eel, by keeping a continual 

 strain upon him, if he is a fish of any size, that you can succeed 

 in drawing him out : employing force will only insure you a 

 breakage of your tackle. 



Eels are frequently indeed taken by dropping the bait into their 

 holes, which in clear waters may be discovered in the mud at the 

 bottom. A strong line, and a small but stout hook should be used, 

 and a moderate sized worm is the best bait, which should be drop- 

 ped quietly into these holes, when if there is an eel there, he will 

 seldom decline the invitation : and after allowing him a minute or 

 so to gorge the bait, draw the line gently tight, which will cause 

 the eel to close his jaws, and so render the hook less likely to slip 

 through them, and then striking, manage your fish afterwards as 

 above directed. This kind of fishing is called sniggling ; but there 

 is also another mode by which it is carried on. This is effected by 

 means of a stout needle, whipped about the middle part to three or 

 four yards of fine whipcord. The end of the needle should then 

 be thrust into the head of a large lob worm, and drawn on till it 

 reaches the middle of the worm. Then, in the end of a small 

 stick, which you may fix into a joint or more of your angling rod, 

 there should be fixed another needle, with about half an inch of 

 the point appearing : this should also be stuck into the head 

 of the baited worm, and the whole length of the cord held in 

 the hand together with the stick. The worm should then be 

 poked gently between the cleft of any clods or piles, or in crevices 

 between the stonework of walls or bridges, where an eel is likely 

 to be concealed : the stick should then be drawn softly away and 

 laid aside, the line only being kept in the hand till it is perceived 

 to draw ; and then after giving some time for the eel to gorge, 

 draw the line gently tight, and when you feel the motion of the 

 fish, strike pretty smartly, when the needle, which before laid 



