105 



high, and about half way down the stream. "We would have 

 stood five or six yards higher up or lower down, but we 

 could not, as we were fishing in a hole several feet deep, 

 with only about three feet of water above and below it. We 

 were therefore compelled to keep our ground. I got the right 

 depth of the hole, and every time the float got to the spot I 

 put a little pressure on, and allowed the under current to lift 

 the tackle and bait over the foul place, and then let it swim 

 again. Strange as it may seem, nearly every fish bit as soon 

 as the bait fell on the other side of the lump. I killed about 

 twenty Dace and two Barbel before my friend caught a single 

 fish. He could not understand what the matter was, as he was 

 fishing the same swim with the same sort of tackle and bait as 

 I was. I suspected what was wrong, and asked him to measure 

 depths. We did so, and he was twelve or fourteen inches 

 shallower than I was. I explained to him that he had mistaken 

 the foul place for the bottom, and that his bait was not near 

 the fish. He was not the only one who has been licked by an 

 uneven bottom ; it is a common occurrence, and unless you can 

 make sure that you are fishing the proper depth, you will never 

 be a successful angler. 



We will suppose the bottom is level, and that you have got 

 fche depth. Well, then, cut five or six dew worms into small 

 particles, and throw in above where you stand to fish, but how 

 many yards above you I can't tell. You must regulate that 

 according to the stream and depth of water ; but if it be six feet 

 of water you are going to fish, and be what we call a steady swim, 

 two or three yards above you will be sufficient. If the water 

 runs about the same depth eight or ten yards below where you 

 stand to fish, and the ground bait swims that distance, it does 

 not matter, as you can with care let your float swim after it 

 with that fine line. In fact, the further away you fish the better, 

 as the water is clear. Put about an inch of the tail end of a 

 well-scoured female lob on the hook, and make a cast the same 

 distance in as you have thrown the ground bait, so that your 

 bait may follow exactly in the same direction. Let the line 



