BOTTOM FISHING. 15 



Thus it will be seen that the Nottingham or Trent plan of 

 covering sixty or even seventy yards of stream is ten times 

 more captivating than the old Thames plan, and it is now, 

 for barbel, bream, and chub, commonly adopted on the 

 Thames. The Trent tackle is peculiar. The lines are of 

 the finest Derby silk, so as to lie lightly on the water, and 

 not to impede the quickness of the strike. The reels turn 

 on a well finished spindle, and a touch sets them twirling 

 with wonderful rapidity,* and though they are very 

 suitable for the purpose for which they are wanted, and in 

 the hands of an experienced person work perfectly, yet in 

 the hands of a tyro they are a stumbling block and a 

 snare too. They overrun, so that every turn they are set 

 running, the line gets all into a rumble tumble and 

 tangle. What the young angler has to learn is, while 

 holding the rod with one hand, so that it can be pressed 

 against the edge of the reel at will, so as to stop the 

 running of the line instantly, with the other hand by 

 regular and quick touches of the little finger, to spin the 

 reel round so as to give off line freely to the drag of the 

 float, and at the same time to regulate the pace. This is 

 not easy, and nothing but practice, and a good deal of 

 practice, will do it. 



The casting of a float, bait, or ledger, to a distance 

 off the reel, is not easy either. It must be practised, 

 and a good deal practised too, to accomplish it neatly 

 and well. No explanation is of any use; after seeing 

 it done, and noting it as well as he can, the aspirant 



* Many anglers use these reels for a variety of purposes, and 

 it is often essential that they should run very freely indeed, and 

 at the slightest touch. A correspondent in the Field lately 

 urged for this purpose the necessity of having the spindle thin 

 ana very true. 



