74 TACKLE FOR BREAM-FISHING. 



not do. When the angler notes a bubble or two of this 

 sort left after the priming of large fish, let him watch the 

 spot narrowly, and he may soon perhaps satisfy his doubts 

 as to whether there be bream there or no. 



Bream have very roving habits, often disappearing 

 without any apparent reason from a haunt they have 

 affected for two or three years, and taking to some other 

 hole or eddy. In my river (the Crane) I see this pecu- 

 liarity often exemplified, for they will be in one hole in 

 a large shoal on one day, and on another perhaps half a 

 mile off. 



Having chosen a swim, the angler should ground-bait 



and fish it after the same method as that directed for 



barbel ; and with bream, as with barbel, worms are the 



best bait, though they will take gentles and other grubs. 



The hook used should be a size or two smaller than that 



employed for barbel, as the bream likes a smaller bait ; 



but in other respects the tackle and method are similar. 



Bream may often by baiting be drawn out of their deep 



holes into the more manageable barbel-swims, and when 



this is the case both may be taken together ; but if the 



holes can be fished by any means, the take will be both 



larger and more certain. To fish them properly, however, 



is often difficult ; and when ledger-fishing under these 



circumstances it is advisable to fasten the hook on the 



ledger-gut about six inches above the lead, so that there 



may be one hook on the bottom for the barbel and one 



just off it for the bream, as the latter is scarcely such a 



ground-router as the former. One of the best bream-fishers 



I know on the Thames is George Hone, the fisherman at 



Walton. He ledgers them with the finest possible tackle, 



a small No. 7 Carlisle round-bend hook extra fine in the 



wire, and for a sinker a pistol bullet, rod and lines to 



match, as set forth in barbelling. He hook baits with red 



worms, and baits largely with brandlings. These small 



