BREAM-FISHING 55 



you can manage to bait your pitch, then select say, two places. 

 Let the bottom be clear of weeds, and the spot be near rushes, 

 or in some part where you see carp usually feeding. Then, go 

 in the morning (if there are eels in the pond) and throw in a few 

 handfuls of broken worms, gentles, or any other ground-bait 

 you may select ; for if you are fishing with worms and there be 

 eels in the pond, in all probability (as they are unusually busy 

 at night] they will gobble up all the worms before the carp can 

 get a chance ; and this is one of the miseries you have to 

 endure in carp-fishing when using worms, viz. that when you 

 expect a bite from some noble carp, which is cruising coyly 

 round your hook, some wretched little eel comes and takes 

 your worm, and the hauling of the little brute out is sure to 

 scare the carp. It is better, perhaps if they will take paste or 

 any of the many vegetable or mealy baits recommended for 

 them in the water you are going to fish to ground-bait with 

 them. In some places and at some seasons the worm is pre- 

 ferred, at others, paste. Having baited your pitch once or 

 twice, or if you like oftener, come to the water with your rod all 

 ready, your hook baited (and take care to see that it is well 

 covered) ; pitch your float as quietly as you can out to the 

 requisite distance, lay down the rod in the fork mentioned in 

 Pond-fishing, and flip a few bits of ground-bait in round about 

 your float. When you see a nibble do not be in a hurry, for at 

 the best the carp is a slow biter, and the float will often bob and 

 wriggle about for half a minute or so before the bite is con- 

 firmed ; get the rod carefully and cautiously in hand without 

 disturbing the line or float, and when the float goes under and 

 sails majestically away, and not till then, you may raise the 

 point smartly, and in all probability a desperate rush (if the 

 fish is a good one) will answer the strike ; play him as firmly 

 as the tackle will stand, for the hook seldom breaks out of his 

 tough mouth, and get him into the net as soon as you can, and 

 with as little disturbance as possible. Then throw in a handful 

 of bait and proceed to your other baited patch, and do likewise, 

 allowing the disturbance at the first to subside before you 

 return to it. By working the two pitches alternately in this 

 way, you may get far more sport from either of them than you 

 would if you had only one baited. 



I have spoken of other baits, and there are an infinite 

 variety which carp are said to take. For paste, both plain 

 and honey paste, see " Bait Table." I uave heard of anglers 

 employing paste coloured red but have no faith in it ; paste 



