110 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 



the bend of the hook will appear black through it, — till the point 

 of your hook come so low, that the head of your bait may rest, 

 and stick upon the hair that stands out to hold it ; by which 

 means it can neither slip of itself, neither will the force of the 

 stream, nor quick pulling out, upon any mistake, strip it off. 



Now, the cadis, or cod-bait, which is a sure killing bait, and 

 for the most part by much surer than either of the other, may be 

 put upon the hook two or three together, and is sometimes, to 

 very great eifect, joined to a worm, and sometimes to an artificial 

 fly to cover the point of the hook ; but is always to be angled 

 with at the bottom, when by itself especially, with the finest 

 tackle ; and is, for all times of the year, the most holding bait 

 of all other whatever, both for trout and grayling. 



There are several other baits besides these few I have named 

 you, which also do very great execution at the bottom : and some 

 that are peculiar to certain countries and rivers, of which every 

 angler may in his own place make his own observation ; an(k 

 some others that I do not think fit to put you in mind of, because 

 I would not corrupt you, and would have you, as in all things 

 else I observe you to be, a very honest gentleman, a fair angler. 

 And so much for the second sort of angling for a trout at the 

 bottom. 



ViAT. But, Sir, I beseech you give me leave to ask you one 

 question : is there no art to be used to worms, to make them 

 allure the fish, and in a manner compel them to bite at the 

 bait? - 



Pisc. Not that I know of; or, did I know any such secret, I 

 would not use it myself, and therefore would not teach it you. 

 Though I will not deny to you, that in my younger days I have 

 made trial of oil of osprey, oil of ivy, camphor, assafoetida, juice 

 of nettles, and several other devices that I was taught by several 

 anglers I met with, but could never find any advantage by them; 

 and can scarce believe there is anything to be done that way ; 

 though I must tell you, I have seen some men who I thought 

 went to work no more artificially than I, and have yet with the 

 same kind of worms I had, in my own sight, taken five, and 

 sometimes ten for one. But we'll let that business alone if you 

 please ; and because wc have time enough, and that I would 



