126 BOTTOM FISHING IX THE NOTTINGHAM STYLE. 



the same as is recommended for barbel, and the hook bait 

 should be the tail end half of a well-scoured maiden lob- 

 worm, a small cockspur or brandling twistinf^ about on the 

 point of the hook will be an improvement. The large brand- 

 lings as described elsewhere are a beautiful bait for bream, 

 and you should fish as near the bottom as you can ; in fact, 

 the description for barbel fishing will answer to the letter for 

 bream. "When a bream takes the bait give him a second or 

 two to get it well in his mouth, he is rather a nibbling biter 

 and likes to suck at the worm (and that is the reason I like 

 most of the worm on the hooks, and not much of a long end 

 hanging down), and then strike firmly but not too hard, for 

 you are fishing with fine tackle and might break it with too 

 hard a stroke. "When you feel that you have hooked your 

 fish play him carefully and look out for squalls, for he has 

 such a tendency to bore downward ; if, however, you play 

 him firmly and keep a tight line, you will soon tire him out, 

 heavy as he is (and he does feel very heavy on a line, his 

 very deep sides holding against the water). In a very few 

 minutes he turns on his side and the landing-net is slipped 

 under him. I once was playing a big bream, and I had got 

 him exhausted, and a companion slipped the net under him. 

 The net was very tender, and the fish went right through it, 

 making another bolt. Playing a heavy fish in that predica- 

 ment was a little bit of change in the sport, but I succeeded 

 at last in landing him. 



The bream may be taken with the ledger the same as re- 

 commended for the barbel ; in fact, the instruction in worm 

 fishing for one will answer in every respect for the other, 

 except that the bream likes a smaller bait, and you use a 

 smaller hook. The white bream are often taken with the 

 same tackle, the same baits, and in the same swims as the 

 roach, they very seldom exceed a pound in weight and are 

 greatly inferior to the carp bream. 



