SEPTEMBER 143 



His ground-bait is made thus : He gets half a pailful of 

 bullock's blood, a pailful of fresh grains, half a pailful of 

 very clear clay, a handful of dog's greaves well broken 

 up, three handfuls of meal, and a little oil cake. This 

 is well worked up into a pudding, and worked into balls 

 not quite so large as a child's head, and partially baked 

 in the sun. He proceeds to his hole at day break, say 

 three o'clock in the morning, and fishes with the 

 roughest possible tackle. Sometimes these louts will 

 catch nearly a hundredweight of bream in one morning, 

 before breakfast. This, then, is a good hint for any of 

 our friends who propose to try bream fishing in 

 Norfolk." 



What rubbish ! What perfect nonsense ! 



In Norfolk rivers, perhaps, twenty years ago bream 

 might have been taken thus : but how can this be applied 

 to the Broads ? 



Anyone who has ever fished these lovely waters well 

 knows that the chief trouble there is to find the fish. 

 Take, for instance, a broad one mile and a half long 

 and three quarters across, not more than 8ft. deep 

 anywhere except in the channel, and then only in parts. 

 Most of it consists of 2ft. to 3ft. of water on 6ft. to 7ft. 

 of mud ; and hither and thither, according to the 

 weather and strength and direction of the wind, huge 

 shoals of bream and rudd ramble about. The cart-reins 

 and the coarse tackle would look well here ! The 

 bucket of abominations would be wearily rowed about 

 while the angler endeavoured in vain to find his fish. 

 The fish found, perhaps by chance, and the load 

 deposited, the presence of the boat and the splash of 

 the clumsy tackle would scare them, and the sport 

 would be nil. Far different is the actual method, which 

 is as follows : 



Get overnight everything in the way of bait ready, 

 such as worms (maiden dews from Nottingham), 

 gentles, and about half a bucket of ground bait, con- 

 sisting of bread, pollard, and bran, with a little rice if it 

 be wanted to bind. 



It is advisable if the fish are unusually shy that a 



