80 BOTTOM FISHING IN THE NOTTINGHAM STYLE. 



for over a week, the other for only a day or two ; one lot 

 was bright, tough, and of a splendid colour, the other was 

 dark, dirty, and tender ; each used their own bait ; the one 

 with the bright baits kept getting fish, the other with the 

 dirty ones got none ; they changed places, but with the same 

 result; they both then used the bright and well-scoured 

 worms, and then both of them took fish. This is one 

 instance out of many, and goes to prove that the barbel 

 likes a clean, well-scoured worm. And now we will suppose 

 the angler has his tackle all right, his barbel swim baited, 

 and two or three hundred well-scoured maiden lob-worms 

 in a bag among some moss for his hook baits, and also 

 about two hundred coarse worms in another bag to cut up 

 and throw in during the time he is fishing. He will now 

 be ready for any amount of barbel, but he must remember 

 to make no more noise than he can help. Whether he 

 fishes from a boat or the bank, he should never be less than 

 fifteen yards from the hole he intends to fish ; and having 

 carefully anchored the boat lengthways down the stream, 

 or taken his stand on the bank, before he puts his tackle 

 together, he should take his cocoanut shell and put two or 

 three dozen worms in it. With a pair of old scissors he cuts 

 them up in pieces and throws them down his swim. This 

 will make the fish feel, as it were, at home, and they will 

 not be so easily frightened ; because when a swim is pro- 

 perly baited, and you have a nice bait on fine tackle, you 

 very often hook a fish the first Swim, and if you have not 

 thrown a few worms in before you begin, the fish are apt 

 to be frightened at seeing one of their companions in 

 trouble, and fly from the swim. You will then, perhaps, 

 be at considerable trouble to entice them back again, 

 and all for the want of just throwing a few cut-up 

 worms in. Personal experience, and the experience of old 

 angling friends, prove this to be correct. Another thing 

 these old friends have told me, besides my own expe- 

 rience in the matter, and that is if when you begin to 

 fish for barbel, and you take a dace or two the first few 

 swims, you may make up your mind that there are not many 

 barbel in the swim, for they do not seem to agree very 



