48 ELEMENTS OF ANGLING. 



said to have been properly approached that is to 

 say, the angler went perch fishing, and by chance 

 secured other fish as well. But by rights the other 

 fish should not have come to him. The chub, for 

 instance, took his bait too close at hand ; the roach 

 and dace should have found his gut too thick ; his 

 hook was too large for the gudgeon ; while the 

 bream ought by theory to have required an offering^ 

 of ground-bait before it would feed. The eel was 

 to be expected as a natural result of fishing on the 

 bottom with a worm, while the pike was a logical 

 consequence of having a live gudgeon on the hook. 

 The next time the novice goes perch fishing he 

 will very likely catch nothing but perch, especially 

 if he fishes only in perch holes (round old piles,, 

 flood-gates, walls, and weirs ; under steep clay 

 banks where there is deepish water and a gentle 

 current, or near the roots of willows which over- 

 hang deep water) with perch baits, worms, and live 

 minnows or gudgeon, which are hooked only 

 through the lip. 



If he wants, say, roach, he must go roach fishing,, 

 and in the following manner : First he must make 

 ground-bait. A stale loaf with the harder parts of 

 the crust cut off is put to soak in a pan of water 

 until it has become thoroughly sodden ; then it 

 must be squeezed with the hands until as much 



