322 



HISTORY OF FISHES. 



petition with the ravages of a conqueror! 

 However, the pike will attack every fish less 

 than itself; and it is sometimes seen choked, 

 by attempting to swallow such as are too 



as to have gained the appellation of the fresh water 

 shark. They are also great breeders. Their usual time 

 of shedding their spawn is about March, in extremely 

 shallow waters. The finest pike are those which feed 

 in clear rivers; those of fens or meres, being of very 

 inferior quality. They grow to a vast size in these last 

 mentioned places, where they feed principally on frogs, 

 and such like nutriment. They are reckoned to be the 

 most remarkable for longevity of all fresh water fish; 

 are solitary and melancholy in their habits, generally 

 swimming by themselves, and remaining alone in 

 their haunts, until compelled by hunger to roam in 

 quest of food. There are three modes of catching pike : 

 by the ledger, the trolling, or walking bait, and the 

 trimmer 



The Pope, or Ruff, is a fish veiy similar in its nature 

 and appearance to the perch, and is frequently caught 

 when fishing for the latter. They spawn in March and 

 April, and are taken with a brandling, gentles, or caddis. 

 They are extremely voracious in their disposition, and 

 will devour a minnow, which is almost as big as them- 

 selves. In their favourite haunts of gentle deep streams, 

 overhung by trees, they swim in shoals together; and 

 you may fish for them either at the top or the bottom of 

 the water, as they are known to bait in almost any wea- 

 ther, and in any situation. Their average length is from 

 six to seven inches. 



Roach are frequently taken with flies under water. 

 They will bite at all the baits which are prepared for chub 

 or dace, and are considered a simple and foolish fish. They 

 spawn in May, and turn red when boiled. The compact- 

 ness of their flesh gave rise to the proverb, " sound as a 

 roach." The roach haunts shallow and gentle streams, 

 and the mouths of small streams which run into larger 

 ones. In angling for roach, the tackle must be strong, 

 and the float large and well leaded. 



The Ritd, or Finscale, is a very scarce fish, found 

 only in the river Charwell, in Oxfordshire, and a few 

 of the lakes of Lincolnshire and Yorkshire. It sheds 

 its spawn in April, will take all kinds of worms, and will 

 rise at an artificial fly. Its colour is a kind of yellowish 

 brown, and its average length from nine to fifteen 

 inches. 



Salmon (see page 301) are accustomed to quit the 

 fresh waters, and retire into the sea at the approach of 

 winter, which, at the commencement of April, they 

 usually leave for rivers; but the Wye and Usk in Mon- 

 mouthshire, and the Exe in Devonshire, have them in 

 season during the six wintry mouths. The finest species 

 are caught in the Exe, Thames, and Tamar, but not so 

 abundantly as in many other places. Salmon prefer more 

 chilly streams, and are consequently found in greater 

 numbers northward, in the rivers of Scotland, particularly 

 in the Tweed, the Tyne, the Clyde, and the Tay. In 

 the lutter, they occasionally occur at the immense weight 

 of seventy pounds ; arid in the Tweed, and Clyde, at 

 about fifty or sixty pounds weight. They are also found 

 in all the great streams of Europe north of 51, and in the 

 United States of America north of 4 1. Some recent ac- 

 counts of the north-west coast of America, describe them 

 also as abounding there. In the American rivers, they 

 seldom exceed from fifteen to twenty pounds weight. 

 They appear some time in the rivers before they are in 

 a healthy state ; and the best season for the angler to 

 commence his operation, is in the close of the month of 

 May, or the early part of June. The usual time for the 

 salmon to deposit their spawn, is from the first of Sep- 

 tember to the latter end of October, when they grow 

 very sickly both iti appearauce and flavour. Previous to 



large a morsel. It is immaterial of what 

 species the animal it pursues appears to he, 

 whether of another or its own, all are indis- 

 criminately devoured ; so that every fish owes 



this, they generally retire to brooks which branch out ir- 

 regularly from the main river, or remain in shallows, 

 where they sometimes are scarcely covered with water. 

 During their residence in fresh water, it is a well authen- 

 ticated circumstance, that they always lie with their 

 heads pointing up the river; and never swim down the 

 stream, unless during the period of their emigration to 

 the sea, or when their position is molested. The length 

 of the rod for catching salmon should be from about seven- 

 teen to twenty feet, which, however, can be regulated 

 according to the breadth and general size of the river in 

 which the angler pursues his operations. The reel, which 

 on these occasions, forms the most material appendage 

 to the rod, is made of brass ; it should be constructed 

 with the utmost nicety, and capable of the swiftest cir- 

 cumvolutions. The line, which is fastened to the reel, 

 may be composed either of strong silk or twisted horse 

 hair, gradually diminishing at the top, and having a loop 

 at the end of the wheel, and another at the cast lines, to 

 fasten them to each other. Let this last line be very 

 carefully twisted with the fingers, and shorter than the 

 rod, so that none of the knots may come within the top 

 ring; sixteen to twenty horse hairs may be used in the 

 upper links, but they must be diminished toward the 

 hook, where they are best made of three small round 

 twisted silk worm guts, or a few strong horse hairs. Of 

 worms, lob-worms, earth-bobs, &c., and of fish, minnow 

 have been used with great success. The artificial flies 

 should be generally of large dimensions, and of a gaudy 

 and glittering colour. The materials that compose 

 them are hairs, furs, and wools, of every variety that 

 can be collected, mingled with the tail-feathers of cocks 

 and game, and secured together by plated wire, or gold 

 and silver thread, marking silk, shoemakers' wax, bees' 

 wax, &c. Their wings may be made of the leathers 

 of domestic fowls, or any others of a showy colour. 

 Imitate principally the natural flies ; hut you may safely 

 indulge your fancy, rather than depart without a bite ; 

 for many anglers succeed with the most monstrous and 

 capricious baits of this kind. A raw cockle, or muscle, 

 taken out of the shell, prawns, and minnows, have also 

 been recommended as salmon baits. The mode of 

 angling with these is to drop the line, which must be 

 totally unincumbered with shot, into some shallow which 

 approximates to the edge of a hole of considerable depth, 

 and in this situation to suffer it to be carried in by the 

 current. The noviciate in angling will, at first, exper- 

 ience considerable difficulty in throwing his line to any 

 great extent. For this we can give no recipe, but a 

 most inflexible determination to proceed, and the most 

 consummate patience in disappointment. It should al- 

 ways be thrown across the river, and on the offside from 

 the spot where you expect the fish to rise. When you 

 imagine that the salmon has been struck, be cautious in 

 giving him time sufficient to enable him to poach his 

 bait, that is, to swallow it fairly and securely. After 

 this, fix the hook firmly in him, by a gentle twitch. On 

 the first sensation of this pain, the salmon will plunge 

 and spring with great violence, and use every endeavour 

 of strength and cunning to effect his escape. He will 

 then, perhaps, run away with a considerable length of 

 line, which is to be kept in a gently relaxed situation, 

 so that it may always yield with facility to his obstinate 

 resistance: nor can you give him. too much line, if you 

 do but clear it of weeds and encumbrances. If he now 

 become sullen and quiet in the water, rouse him gently, 

 by flinging in a few stones; and when he once more 

 commences resistance, do not be too eager in checking 

 his career, but let him gradually exhaust himself of his 



