98 BOTTOM FISHING IN THE NOTTINGHAM STYLE. 



be removed into another vessel half full of bran, and only a 

 few pieces of the liver left with them to feed on ; as soon as 

 they lose the dark spot, and assume a pale yellow colour, they 

 are scoured and fit for the hook. They should be kept in a 

 cool place, with plenty of air, The white gentles are bred 

 from fish ; three or four cods' heads well blown, and treated 

 in the same manner as the liver, make capital white maggots ; 

 but the yellow ones are the best. Gentles can be kept far 

 into the winter, and if the angler desires this, he should get 

 his bullock's liver, or whatever it is, well blown late in the 

 season, and then press it into a box that is half filled with 

 sand and bran ; it is then covered over with the sand and 

 buried in the earth, and when the angler wants to use his 

 gentles a couple of months after, he will mostly find them in 

 good condition ; gentles for ground bait can be procured 

 from a bone or knacker's yard. These are not fit for the 

 hook : ;"a quart or two of them will be sufficient to bait the 

 swim ; in slow-running swims on the Trent this is as good a 

 ground bait as can be used. The angler scatters them in 

 during the time he is fishing, and good sport is often 

 obtained by this means ; indeed, it is more often practised by 

 Nottingham anglers than any other plan for roach fishing. 

 Two gentles are put on the hook, and the fisher throws in 

 and lets his float swim down as far away as he thinks fit, 

 very often thirty or forty yards from him. When the fish 

 slacken in their biting he scatters them another handful of 

 the coarse gentles, and a very few of the scoured ones. 



It sometimes happens when the angler is fishing with 

 gentles and the fish are very shy biting and nibbling very 

 cautiously, though sufficiently to move the float that the 

 angler strikes time after time, and yet cannot hook his fish or 

 only just feels them for a moment, and that when he has 

 drawn out his bait he finds that his gentles are nothing but 

 a bit of skin. The fish have sucked and squeezed the insides 

 out. When this is the case I have found the best plan is to 

 take off the No. 10 hook you are using, and whip on instead 

 a No. 1 2, and instead of having two gentles on, only use one, 

 and sticking the hook through the thick end of the gentle, 

 just let it go twisting down the stream in a lively manner. 



