JANUARY 39 



the water with some form of tackle by which every part 

 can be covered, paying special attention to little quiet 

 lay-byes under the banks. This can most effectively be 

 done on the Kennet with the paternoster. Personally, I 

 have always looked upon the ledger as specially useful 

 for very shy fish in very bright water if such fish are 

 looking for their food close to the bottom. When 

 reaching the ground-bait causes fish to feed on the 

 bottom, and Mr. Jack hence has his attention attracted 

 in that direction. If the ledger is cast in below the 

 angler's swim, the pike sneaking up for his final rush 

 among the feeding fish, sees the tethered bait and, as a 

 rule, grabs it first. 



The best bait for this method of fishing undoubtedly is 

 a gudgeon, as the writer has found from personal 

 experience that it does not tangle itself up in weeds as 

 does the dace when used on a ledger ; the reason of 

 this I do not know, but the fact is indisputable. 

 Ledgering without some other form of fishing is 

 uncommonly slow work, as one has to wait for the fish 

 to attack, and unless one attracts the fish by, in a manner, 

 ground-baiting with roach in the way described, the 

 whole day may be spent waiting for a bite. 



On the other hand, a dozen fine roach averaging 1J 

 pounds topped off with a brace of jack of say eight pounds 

 and twelve pounds each, may be often got in a day's 

 fishing on this beautiful river. 



Of course, the major portion of the river is private, 

 although a day's permission can often be got in the 

 Newbury district, where a combined roach and pike 

 foray will produce a handsome bag of specimen fish. By 

 " specimen fish " I mean specimen fish, not four-ounce 

 roach and little scripers of jack from one to three pounds 

 in weight, fish which no real sportsman would destroy 

 save in a river devoted to trout. 



Should, however, the water fished be specially suited 

 for trout, then the pike should be mercilessly destroyed. 

 As such water is as a rule full of swift rippling shallows, 

 the pike may be best killed by the method now to be 

 described. 



