DACE AND CHUB. 309 



genus, no comparison can well arise, as all these latter (with 

 one only exception the minnow) are what might be termed 

 in one sense flat-fish, i.e. narrow across the back and compressed 

 at the sides whilst the former are plump and generally round- 

 shaped, so to speak, as to the body. 



The dace is the type fish of the genus Leuciscus, which con- 

 tains, in addition to the chub, the roach, the rudd, the bleak, 

 and the minnow, and from its game qualities when hooked is 

 well worthy of the fisherman's notice. It is a bright, graceful 

 fish, glancing about in the clear quiet streams with which the 

 southern counties of England especially abound, and which are 

 often barren of trout or salmon. Moreover, it is in full season 

 in October, November, December, and January, when trout 

 and salmon are spawning or preparing for the process, and thus 

 a red-letter day's sport is often to be obtained, which would 

 otherwise have had to be left blank in the angler's diary. As a 

 live bait for pike, also, it is especially worthy of notice, its 

 scaling being brilliant so as to be easily seen in thick water, 

 and its entire appearance glittering and attractive. 



The dace rises freely at the artificial fly, and I have gene- 

 rally found that a small red or black ' gnat ' will kill as well as 

 anything. Some good dace fishermen assert that the fly be- 

 comes more irresistible by the addition of a small gentle on 

 the point of the hook, especially when the fish are rising 'shy.' 



I strongly recommend the Turned-down Eyed hooks 

 manufactured under my name, by Messrs. Harrison and 

 Bartleet, of Redditch for chub- and dace-flies as well as 

 trout-flies. The engravings represent the hooks both turned- 

 up eyed and turned-down eyed ; 1 but it is the turned-down 

 eyes that I use myself, and the advantages of which I think I 

 can hardly too strongly advocate. 



These hooks are specially constructed for attachment to the 

 casting line by the 'jam knot,' which I introduced to the public 



1 My bend of hooks are made as well ' eyed,' as without eyes for lapping 

 on to gut on the old system ; and both can be obtained from Messrs. Farlow, 

 191 Strand, London. 



