PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 479 



distinct sweep. Keeping it thus, force the point of one of 

 the next set of triangles nicely, and without displacing the 

 scales, into the body of the dace, so that the tail is kept 

 firmly in the position desired. The other triangle is fitted 

 into its place, whilst the small sliding hook is pulled down 

 the gimp, and fixed through the nose of the bait, thus 

 keeping all in the required position. Let us still further 

 suppose, then, that the angler is at the waterside, and about 

 to make his first cast. First, one word of advice as to ap- 

 proaching the side of a weir or river. Wherever you may be 

 intending to angle use extreme caution it is never thrown 

 away and tread as though you were in the backwoods 

 and dreaded to hear the twang of an ambushed Indian's 

 bowstring. Rely upon it that fish nowadays are not to 

 be caught as they were in the days of Walton and Cotton ; 

 they get more and more subtle and cunning every day. 

 Where there were ten anglers ten years ago there are now 

 a hundred ; the consequence is that every bit of fishable 

 water is fished to death by anglers of every grade, from the 

 rank duffer with a coarse gut line, enormous cork float and 

 a big hook with a brandling impaled thereon, and sitting 

 right over the water, yet who still, with a true fisherman's 

 soul, hopes to catch that whacking perch that he saw an 

 hour ago chase some gudgeon out of that deep hole and 

 on to the shallows at his very feet, to the real artist, who 

 fishes the hole with fine Nottingham tackle but little later, 

 and takes glorious perch one after the other under "big 

 float's " very nose, much to the latter's astonishment. So 

 he puts his primitive tackle down to wonder at the other's 

 skill, delighted if he can even manipulate the landing-net 

 when an extra " big 'un " comes to bank. 



Pike in fine open weather lie close in to the side, and under 

 cover of projecting banks, tree-roots, and beds of water- 



