20 ELEMENTS OF ANGLING. . 



belonging to his friend Smith, who, like a wise man, 

 is somewhat cautious about issuing permits, and 

 therefore is able to maintain a good stock of fish. 

 The river is not a big one, and no boats navigate 

 it, but it has plenty of deep stretches, separated by 

 shallows. It contains perch, roach, chub, bream, 

 dace, gudgeon, bleak, and pike, with a few big trout 

 in the mill-pools and tumbling bays. Mr. Smith 

 owns about a mile of both banks, including a mill- 

 pool and a weir and short back-water, and the 

 novice must find out which are the best spots by 

 experience. 



He has breakfasted early in the August morning, 

 and is making his final dispositions before starting. 

 His clothing is of sober hue (the trunk of an old 

 willow tree is a good model for angling fashions), 

 his tackle, bait, and lunch are in the creel, with a 

 small piece of soap and a duster ; his rod and 

 landing-net are tied together for the journey ; his 

 tobacco, pipe, matches, and knife are in his pockets ; 

 his mackintosh is on a chair, his broad-brimmed, 

 grey felt hat on his head he is ready ? No, he is 

 not ready. He must go carefully through both 

 creel and pockets to see that the necessaries of the 

 expedition are where he supposes them to be ; 

 otherwise he may later awake to the fact that he is 

 in the country, while his reel or tackle-book is on a 



