94 BOTTOM FISHING IN THE NOTTINGHAM STYLE.- 



as though it was flavoured with aniseed. I have an extract 

 which has been taken from some fishing-book, in which the 

 following passages occur : — " An old Nottinghamshire angler 

 to whom, when a boy, I was indebted for many valuable 

 hints, told me that when fishing in the Trent, he used to 

 meet an old collier, who was not only a most successful angler, 

 but one who could lure the fish on to his hook when every- 

 body else failed, this naturally excited the curiosity of the 

 neighbouring fishermen, and as the taciturnity of the collier 

 equalled his skill, they resolved to find out his secret. They 

 watched him, and found that his pastes were coloured and 

 scented ; but with what 1 After an investigation not much 

 unlike espionage, they discovered that a variety of essential 

 oils, safi'ron, and balsam of Tolu entered into the composition 

 of the old man's pastes, and that he changed them month by 

 month to suit the varying appetite of the fish he angled for." 

 A friend also told me a little while ago that when he lived 

 at Stratford-on-Avon, there was an angler there who could 

 catch quantities of roach with his scented paste ; he said he 

 told him how to make it, and it was nothing but " oil of 

 rhodium " that was mixed among the bread. My friend says 

 he has been to and worked in several counties since then, and 

 he could never do anything with it in any other river than 

 the Avon ; in short, I don't believe in scented pastes, and I 

 will leave the experiment of trying them to those who have 

 more time on their hands than I have. Plain bread paste is 

 good enough for me, when I feel inclined for a bit of paste fishing. 

 As the winter advances and the roach begin to get in the 

 deep holes, the cockspur worm is a good bait, as also is the 

 tail end of a lob-worm ; large worms clipped up very small 

 are the best ground baits you can use for this method, only, 

 as I have before said, be very sparing with your ground bait, 

 especially in the winter. When the water is very much dis- 

 coloured any time during the year, worms are the best bait for 



