26 BOTTOM FISHING IN THE NOTTINGHAM STYLE. 



sides. Don't, in short, put a line away wet, for that rots 

 them sooner than anything else. 



And now having glanced at the rod, reel, and line of a 

 Nottingham bottom fisher, we will just look at his floats. 

 These are for the most part composed of good sound goose, 

 j)elican, and swan quills, with a cork float or two of different 

 sizes for fishing in a heavy stream for barbel. A ring is 

 whipped to the bottom of either sort for the line to pass 

 through, and a cap made of quill is put on the top, which 

 said cap must fit tight to the float, to hold the line firmly at 

 the right depth where you first place it. If the cap were 

 loose, the float would slip up and down the line, and as the 

 float is fixed to the line, in order that the bait should be at 

 the exact depth required, the float slipping up or down the 

 line would counteract that arrangement. Some anglers do 

 not use a cap to their floats, but simply fasten the line to it 

 by two half-hitches. This is a very good plan, but I like a 

 cap better. These floats are in all sizes, from the smallest 

 goose quill that will only carry five or six small split shots, 

 to the pelican or swan quill, which will carry a dozen large 

 ones, or the big cork float to carry even more ; but the angler 

 must regulate the size of his float according to the strength 

 of the stream, the depth he has to fish, or the distance he 

 has to throw. 



The angler has now got his rod, reel, line, and float, and 

 so we will now look at another very important article, 

 namely, the bottom tackle, and this he can either make him- 

 self or buy ready made. If the former, when he buys the 

 gut he should see that it is round and smooth drawn, and 

 perfectly level from end to end ; the gut that is flat in places 

 and unequal is useless for a good tackle. He should have 

 his gut in various degrees of strength ; the finest for roach 

 and dace tackle, and some a bit stronger for chub, barbel, or 

 bream. I advise him not to buy coarse, common stuff. I 



