THE BAEBEL. 43 



baits for ledgering are, firstly, worms ; secondly, greaves ; 

 and thirdly, a bunch of gentles, though some people occa- 

 sionally catch barbel with raw beef or ham ; and I believe 

 that shrimps would make a capital bait if the fish were well 

 ground-baited with them once or twice, so as to get used to 

 them, and they are often easier and cheaper to get than 

 worms. The fishing with traveller float has already been 

 described. The hook used should be a No. 6 for this pur- 

 pose, and the tackle comparatively fine, and shotted with a 

 few tolerably heavy shot. The rod should be about twelve 

 feet long, moderately stiff, but not too stiff ; the rings 

 upright, and the line fine Derby twist, while the float must 

 be chosen with respect to the weight and rapidity of the 

 swim, and should never be heavier than is necessary. 



A barbel swim for traveller fishing is often from thirty 

 to fifty yards long, and the float must be allowed to 

 travel over that distance with as little check as possible. 

 Whenever the float dips suddenly, strike firmly, and 

 back over the shoulder; and if you hook your fish, 

 keep on winding him up to the boat whenever you 

 can, and, by the time he comes up within reach, he 

 is usually (unless he is a big one, or unusually vigorous) 

 pretty well done. When the fish are well on at this 

 style it is very pretty fishing indeed. In fishing from 

 the bank, the angler must refer back to what I have said 

 on the Nottingham method. The only difference between 

 it and traveller fishing from the punt is that you often 

 have to cast the float some little distance out into the 

 stream, and that it is much more difficult to guide it well 

 down the right swim for any distance, particularly if it 

 happens to be a windy, rainy day. Indeed, rain is the 

 worst enemy you can have in traveller fishing, as it makes 

 the line hang in the rings, and checks the float constantly, 



