THE CHUB. 55 



spin in a very attractive manner, and presently Mr. Cliub came 

 to have a look at him and swim round him a time or two 

 with back fin erect. The attraction was, however, too strong, 

 he opened his mouth and took his last bite. 



When the angler operates from a high over-hanging bank, 

 he ought to take notice that the bank is sound, for an old 

 friend of mine one day thoughtlessly stepped on one, and the 

 next moment he and part of the bank were in eight feet of 

 water — rather disagreeable, you know, when a little observa- 

 tion would have prevented this. Whipping with a small 

 frog is also a very good plan. The frog is thrown somewhat 

 similarly to a fly. l!^o float is required, nor shots on the 

 tackle. A lip-hook and a double hook just below it is the 

 best form of tackle, the lip-hook is put through the lips of 

 the frog, and the double hook tied to one of the thighs with 

 a little bit of yellow silk, it is thrown or pitched in all likely- 

 looking spots and allowed to sink a little below the surface, 

 being worked by a series of short jerks. At the symptoms 

 of a bite, the angler instantly strikes. Artificial chub baits 

 have also been made and used with effect, but natural baits, 

 &c., are so numerous and deadly that for my part I think it 

 is a waste of money to buy artificials. An artificial chafer is 

 used with effect on the Thames, however, and this bait, which 

 is garnished by two or three gentles, giving it the appearance 

 of a natural insect with its inside squeezed out. It is thrown 

 like an artificial fly, only it is allowed to sink under the sur- 

 face for a few inches, and worked with a series of jerks. 

 When I spoke against artificial baits just now, of course 

 I did not allude to fly fishing, for that is a separate art. 

 In some districts the tail of a cray-fish boiled is successfully 

 used for the capture of large chub ; the locust also is a most 

 successful surface bait for chub, and to use it a special tackle 

 is required. These so-called locusts are a peculiar-looking 

 insects, on warm evenings they may be seen about tree-tops 

 and hedges, sometimes in considerable numbers. They are 



