152 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. [PART i. 



together, you are sure to lose your game, for either your line, or 

 hook, or hold, will break : and after you have overcome them, 

 they will make noble sport, and are very shy to be landed. The 

 Carp is far stronger and more mettlesome than the Bream. 



Much more is to be observed in this kind of fish and fishing, 

 but it is far fitter for experience and discourse than paper. Only, 

 thus much is necessary for you to know, and to be mindful and 

 careful of, that if the Pike or Perch do breed in that river, they 

 will be sure to bite first, and must first be taken. And for the 

 most part they are very large ; and will repair to your ground- 

 bait, not that they will eat of it, but will feed and sport them- 

 selves among the young fry that gather about and hover over the 

 bait. 



The way to discern the Pike and to take him, if you mistrust 

 your Bream-hook, for I have taken a Pike a yard long several 

 times at my Bream-hooks, and sometimes he hath had the luck 

 to share my line, may be thus : 



Take a small Bleak, or Roach, or Gudgeon, and bait it ; and 

 set it, alive, among your rods, two feet deep from the cork, with 

 a little red worm on the point of the hook : then take a few 

 crumbs of white bread, or some of the ground-bait, and sprinkle 

 it gently amongst your rods. If Mr Pike be there, then the little 

 fish will skip out of the water at his appearance, but the live-set 

 bait is sure to be taken. 



Thus continue your sport from four in the morning till eight, 

 and if it be a gloomy windy day, they will bite all day long : but 

 this is too long to stand to your rods, at one place ; and it will 

 spoil your evening sport that day, which is this. 



About four of the clock in the afternoon repair to your baited 

 place ; and as soon as you come to the water-side, cast in one- 

 half of the rest of your ground-bait, and stand off; then whilst 

 the fish are gathering together, for there they will most certainly 

 come for their supper, you may take a pipe of tobacco : and then, 

 in with your three rods, as in the morning. You will find excellent 

 sport that evening, till eight of the clock : then cast in the residue 

 of your ground-bait, and next morning, by four of the clock, visit 

 them again for four hours, which is the best sport of all ; and 

 after that, let them rest till you and your friends have a mind to 

 more sport. 



From St James's-tide until Bartholomew-tide is the best ; when 

 they have had all the summer's food, they are the fattest. 



Observe, lastly, that after three or four days' fishing together, 



