120 BOTTOM FISHING IN THE NOTTINGHAM STYLE. 



hook ; the float can either be a quill or a very small cork one, 

 according to the strength of the stream. I prefer a quill' and 

 tackle (except in the case of the hook), as recommended for 

 dace fishing when the bait is worms. A few worms cut up 

 as you are fishing and thrown in, is quite sufficient for ground 

 bait, the hook bait is a worm, the tail end of a well-scoured 

 lob- worm is the best of all, while brandlings or small red 

 worms can be tried for a change. When a perch takes the 

 bait, give him a second, and then strike lightly, and play 

 him carefully, for if you prick, hook, and lose a perch or 

 two it is fatal to your chance of success, unless they happen 

 to be well " on," which is not often the case ; and if you 

 get a shoal of perch in a biting humour, nothing would be 

 more annoying than to prick a fish or two. The rest of 

 them are frightened, and fly out of the swim, and nothing 

 will entice them back again (this holds good with either 

 worm or minnow fishing), or if you do entice them back 

 again it will be a couple of hours wasted, and the fish will 

 be shy and bite very gingerly. The most common plan of 

 taking perch is with the minnow, and this can be used in 

 several fashions. The most common method is with a single 

 minnow and float. The float is a light cork one, and the 

 tackle is about four feet of medium gut, sufliciently weighted 

 with split shots. Don't have a great clumsy float, but one 

 of the lightest cork floats you can find. One that will carry 

 six or eight middle-sized split shots will serve, and the lowest 

 shot should be about a foot from the hook, which should be 

 about a ISTo. 4 or 5. Some fasten the hook near to the back 

 fin, but I like to hook them through the lip. This bait 

 should be very near the bottom, and the float should travel 

 down the swim, something like traveller fishing for barbel. 

 The minnow is a capital fellow to work about ; and if you 

 know a perch haunt by the side of a row of bushes or a line 

 of flags, reeds, &c., the little fish will soon attract the atten- 



