THE BREAM. 35 



Wey and Mole may be considered typical bream- 

 rivers. Where deep holes and shallows alternate, 

 fish are more easily found, for they are seen passing 

 from one part to the other when the water is clear. 

 The Thames is an excellent bream-river ; but the 

 best places want knowing, and are often difficult to 

 find. The deeps at Walton, until recently, were 

 famous for bream ; but I fancy their day is gone, 

 chiefly owing to the launch traffic, but partly from 

 the fact that they are over-fished, fish being taken 

 away to weigh in for gross weight prizes by club 

 anglers. 1 I have had two very good days on Ormesby 

 Broad, near Yarmouth, Norfolk ; but the bream there, 

 as in other places, are uncertain in feeding. I have 

 taken large bream in weirs, as will presently be 

 described. These weir-bream are the handsomest 

 race ; and generally, when a bream gets into a 

 gravel-bedded stream with a good current running, 

 he soon becomes a different fish, and far more 

 worthy of capture. The bream is a clean feeder, 

 liking a nice, sweet, dainty bait ; he generally feeds 

 very gently, and is not a dreadful glutton like the 

 chub. In narrow, much-fished rivers, bream get 

 very shy, and the utmost quietude and stillness 

 should be observed. In the Wey, a passing boat 

 or punt puts them off for a long while, and I take 

 care to keep out of sight and to avoid moving about 

 much when bream-fishing. Whenever possible, I 

 pick out a sandy eddy to fish ; this being unavail- 

 able, a gravelly swim is next best. I take care to 

 choose a spot where I can find a convenient resting- 

 place for the rod ; for unless I find the fish are 



1 Kingston-on-Thames is perhaps nowadays one of the 

 best places for Thames bream ; the water is deep, and 

 admirably suits the fish. 



D 2 



