SEPTEMBER 147 



fisherman fishes from the shore, using a light float, pre- 

 ferably a large porcupine quill, carrying about four large 

 shot, put close together a foot above the hook, an un- 

 dressed line of medium plaited silk, and a short, stout 

 rod. As it is no use fishing nearer than twenty-five 

 yards, how is the float going to get out that far ? 



Very simple ; the angler takes a lump of his bread 

 and bran ground-bait, which has been well stiffened 

 with pollard, and squeezes it on round the shots. 



Then he lays down his rod, and begins pulling the un- 

 dressed line off the reel, and arranging it in long rows on 

 the ground. He then picks up his rod, takes the line 

 below the rings in his left hand and the rod in the right, 

 gives the point a swing back and then forward, at the 

 last moment lets the left hand go, and the float 

 weighted with ground-bait fiies away out over the 

 water to the appointed spot. On striking the water 

 the whole affair sinks, but as the small fry worry the 

 pollard and bran mass it falls off, and the float gradually 

 rises to the surface. 



The hook bait used is, as a rule, lob-worm, but stiff 

 paste is sometimes successful. 



This method is not so artistic as the last, and 

 such close practice cannot be made in accuracy of cast- 

 ing, but a greater distance can be covered with lighter 

 tackle. 



Each has its own merits for its own waters. In 

 Norfolk the fish are collected by ground-bait, and are 

 easily scared by anyone standing casting a shadow on the 

 water ; but they are bold biters, snd do not require fine 

 gut and few shots. At Wimbledon, on the other hand, 

 the fish are practically confined to certain places, which 

 lie well out from the bank, are not scared by the presence 

 of anglers on the bank, but bite very shyly, owing to 

 their being much fished. They bite best in the early 

 morning. 



These are the only methods of long float-casting that 

 I am practically acquainted with, but in some places I 

 believe they are fished for in the Nottingham style, cast- 

 ing from the reel, and in the Thames by floating down 



