POXD-FISIIIXG. 3 



revisited the scenes of his former exploits, with the same 

 tackle he used then, whether he would not find rather 

 more difficulty in ' pleasuring some poor body ' with the 

 contents of his creel than he was wont to do. 



The art of angling, as pursued in the present day, must 

 be divided into three branches Bottom, Mid-water, and 

 Top or surface-fishing. The first comprehends bait and 

 float-fishing of every kind : the second, spinning, trolling, 

 and live-baiting ; and the last, daping and fishing with the 

 artificial fly. As the first has by far the greater number 

 of followers, owing to the greater facilities offered for its 

 pursuit, we shall commence with that. 



BOTTOM-FISHING may be subdivided into still-water and 

 stream-fishing. Still-water is usually the first essay of the 

 tyro, and with that we shall commence our instructions. 



STILL-WATER or POND-FISHING may be practised under 

 various circumstances, and the tackle used must depend 

 upon the fish to be fished for. The fish which usually 

 frequent ponds are roach, perch, carp, tench, bream, eels, 

 and pike. The tackle, as we have said, must depend 

 much upon circumstances ; such as whether the pond be 

 shallow or deep, clear or muddy, much fished or the re- 

 verse, and also upon the kind of fish the angler is going 

 after. If he be not particular, as few young anglers are, 

 we recommend to him a bait and tackle which will take 

 all pond fish, and even the jack himself at times. 



Let him employ a good long bamboo rod, not beyond 

 his strength. It is always advantageous to have a reel, as 

 big fish are capricious, and sometimes will prefer the 

 clumsy bait of the tyro to the neat and trimly impaled 

 worm of Mr. Professor himself; a gut bottom of not less 

 than two yards ; a light cork float (Plate II. fig. 2, p. 70), 

 carrying four or five No. 1 shot, the last of which should 



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