50 ELEMENTS OF ANGLING. 



stretch of gravelly shallow, and below that a narrow 

 neck where the river flows deep with a steady, quiet 

 current between two narrow beds of sedges. This 

 looks like a good place for a beginning, and the 

 camp-stool is put down about a yard behind the 

 sedges. But it is necessary to put up the tackle 

 and plumb the depth before making sure of it. This 

 is soon done, one of the fine gut lines with a porcu- 

 pine quill float being attached to the reel line. 

 Then the depth is tried about 5ft. out from the 

 rushes, first as far up stream as the rod can reach, 

 then immediately opposite the camp-stool, and then 

 down stream again as far as the rod can reach. 

 Between the two farthest points is the " swim " 

 which he will fish. The water is found to be about 

 5ft. 6in. deep in each place, which means that the 

 bottom is even. Also the plummet could be felt to 

 strike the bottom, which shows that it is gravel. 

 The float is fixed so that the hook shall be lin. from 

 the bottom. 



Now the angler lets his line soak while he ground- 

 baits. He begins by squeezing off half a dozen balls 

 from the big lump, each about as big is a tangerine 

 orange. Into each he puts a pebble to make it sink. 

 Then he throws them into the river in line with the 

 spot where he first took the depth, and about four 

 yards above it. They should reach the bottom just 



