58 



THE JOLLY ANGLER. 



you have plumbed your depth, lay your rod down, with 

 the plumb and line in the water, while you make or throw 

 in some ground bait; by this plan the folds of your line 

 will disappear, and render it less liable to break; in hot 

 weather occasionally wet that part of your line that is out 

 of water, as the sun will make it brittle. 



The following articles will be found useful and necessary 

 to the Bottom-fisher: some cut shot, large and small; a 

 clearing ring, which opens and shuts, for the purpose of 

 placing it on the rod above the winch; to this ring is at- 

 tached about ten yards of stout string; now this is used 

 for the purpose of saving your line or hook when you get 

 it fast to anything under water; after you have put the 

 ring on, and got the other end of the string fast in your 

 hand, let the point of the rod slant downwards, and the 

 ring will slip down it, over the float, and so on to the bot- 

 tom; now hold your rod and line tight in a different di- 

 rection to that which you pull the string, (which you must 

 do pretty hard,) and it will clear the hook, or, at all 

 events, cause you to lose but little line (see No. 2.). The 



*/* ' . ' ; 'I "* '. '. ' J 



next thing is a Disgorger, (No. 3); now this is for the 

 purpose of getting your hook from the throat of a fish that 

 has gorged the bait," as Jack, Perch, Carp, Tench, and Eels 

 generally do; you must press the notch against the hook, 

 holding the gut tight, which will soon disengage it; you 

 should likewise have a Box to put your gentles in, (No. 4); 

 a Bag, with damp moss in it, for worms, (No. 5); a few 

 spare caps, in case of accident; a Drum Net, (No. 7) to 



