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be, he will bite if the water be clear and the day cloudy or misty. 

 In fact, it is no use fishing for Chub when the water is thick ; 

 it must be clear else you have not the shadow of a chance. I am 

 not particularly fond of Chub fishing in hard frosty weather, 

 not because I cannot stand the cold as well as any other man, 

 for I prefer cold to hot weather, but because every fish I kill 

 I must lay down the rod and suck the ice out of the rings before 

 I can make another start, which is a very great bore. Talking 

 of the cold weather reminds me of a circumstance which occurred 

 in January, 1856. It was a cold misty morning, the water being 

 clear and just to my mind. I felt confident of a good day's sport. 

 As I was on my way to an excellent Chub water, and passing 

 through a village near to the place, I overtook two men, one of 

 them a barn-door savage, who saluted me as follows : " Hollo } 

 mate ! what ! going a fishing on a day like this ? Why, you 

 deserve three months in the House of Correction that you do. 

 The idea of fishing ! I should not like to wait for my dinner till 

 you caught one." "Well," I said, "if you had to wait for dinner 

 till I caught one, what then ?" " Why," he replied, " it is the 

 greatest certainty in the world I should have to miss a meal for 

 once. Gro on with you, a fool at one end and a worm at the 

 other." I felt somewhat annoyed, but I asked him if he lived 

 anywhere near about. " yes," rejoined he, " this is my house : 

 shall you call and leave us a fry ? Don't you wish I may get it ?" 

 " I will promise you a call," I said, as I went on my way, "when 

 I return, but leaving you a fry is another matter ; they want 

 catching first." Well, greaves or scratching was the bait I 

 was going to fish with. Prom the first place I fished I 

 took twelve, averaging three pounds each ; at the next place 

 I killed seven, and out of the third and last place I got three, 

 in all twenty-two fish, making a total weight of sixty -five 

 pounds. They were all caught within two hours and a half. I 

 had three miles to walk to the station, and with this weight of 

 fish to carry I had no easy job I can tell you. On my way back 

 I gave straw-yard Johnny a call. I set my fish down at his 

 door and knocked. "Is the master at home," I said, when it 



