142 BOTTOlil FISHING IN THE NOTTINGHAM STYLE. 



his line round one of the handles of the reel, and lays the rod 

 on the forks of the " lazy back " aforesaid. The butt is 

 on the ground ; when an eel bites, the angler will have 

 plenty of time to pick his rod up, for they are but slow biters 

 at best. He can tell by the bobbing of the rod point 

 when he has a bite. If the eel be a big one, and the angler is 

 getting the hook from its mouth, he must mind not to put 

 his finger in, for the eel possesses a lot of small sharp teeth, 

 and his bite is a very serious affair ; the disgorger is a good 

 thing here. 



The flounder is a peculiar-looking fish and is found in the 

 lower reaches of the Trent. I do not believe any are found 

 above Averham weir. They are a flat fish, white under the 

 belly, and brown on the back, with some pink spots on it. 

 Its mouth is as it were all on one side, and its eyes seem start- 

 ing from their sockets. These fish, I believe, spawn very 

 early, for I have caught them in good condition early in May. 

 If we could get hold of a flounder about Christmas time, we 

 should then find them heavy with spawn. They bury them- 

 selves in the sand in the quiet shallow parts of rivers, and 

 perform the operation of spawning in the early spring. In 

 April they come out of the sand, and by May they are in good 

 condition. They like very quiet waters where there is a 

 sandy or gravelly bottom, and water not above three feet 

 deep, though they are sometimes taken ledger fishing for 

 barbel in the rough deep waters ; indeed, the angler need not 

 be surprised if he pulls up a flounder, let him be fishing 

 where he may on the lower Trent. As a rule, however, I 

 have found the most on the quiet sandy shallows. These 

 fish in a general way only run very small, i.e. three or four 

 to the pound, although some will reach the weight of a pound 

 and a half. A half-pound flounder is a good fish. For the 

 table flounders are very good, being sweet and luscious, if 

 fried in butter or lard, and sprinkled over with egg and bread- 



