A LONG FIGHT 39 



Though cheese is often used in float-fishing, it is more 

 often so used for chub (which are particularly fond of cheese) 

 than barbel. The cheese used on the Trent and in the midland 

 counties is made of skim-milk, and without salt ; it must be 

 cut into small pieces, of the size of a small gooseberry. As at 

 every strike or two the bait requires to be renewed, when other 

 baits can be obtained it is not much in favour. Barbel also 

 takes greaves well, and likewise gentles ; both may be used 

 either with float or ledger. Barbel, particularly the larger 

 ones, may, in the spring of the year, often be taken with a 

 spinning bait, when the angler is spinning for trout, in weir- 

 pools and such rough water. I have known many large ones 

 caught thus, and one of above fifteen pounds was taken years 

 back by poor old Bill Wisdom, at Hampton Court weir on 

 the Thames. Still they cannot be called a predaceous fish. 

 Another bait which answers well for them is a piece of a 

 lampern ; this is a killing bait in November, when the lamperns 

 are running the ground-bait being the head, blood, and 

 intestines of lamperns. I have, .with the ledger, made some 

 very fine takes with this bait, once taking many heavy fish, 

 my first four being five, six, eight, and twelve pounds re- 

 spectively. It is not often used, however, as the barbel 

 retires to winter-quarters at the first smart frost, and the 

 lamperns seldom run in any numbers until a frost or two 

 has occurred. 



Fishing for barbel with fine roach tackle is, however, 

 certainly productive of the most sport, though it is not the 

 way to make a large bag ; for, if the angler be using fine 

 roach tackle, and hooks a good fish, he may waste an hour 

 or an hour and a half over him, and then lose him after 

 all, as I have done scores of times. I always fished with 

 single hair formerly, when float-fishing from a punt, and 

 have killed very many barbel of four and five pounds weight 

 with it ; but so much time and so many fish were lost at it, 

 that I have long discontinued it. I once remember, many 

 years since, hooking an apparently large fish on single hair, 

 about five o'clock one November afternoon. I played him 

 for a long time until my arm grew tired, when I handed the 

 rod to a friend who was with me. He tired, and handed the 

 rod to Wisdom, who in turn, gave it back to me. They both 

 despaired of our ever killing the fish, and set his weight at a 

 dozen pounds at least. " He'll take you all night, sir," said 

 Wisdom. " Then I'll stop with him all night, if he does not 



