THE CHUB. 81 



regulation, depending on the strength of the current 

 and depth of the eddy. The bait must rest well on 

 the bottom ; on reaching its desired place, the line 

 is tightened, and the float kept as steady as possible, 

 with the tip just above the surfac^. A bite is felt 

 on the line as well as being indicated by the float, 

 and the strike should be sharp and prompt. 



Before chub leave the shallows, legering with 

 shrimps is effective ; at the beginning of Leger- 

 the season, this bait is sometimes greedily in 

 taken. Two shrimps may be hooked on a triangle, 

 or one large shrimp placed on a hook, running the 

 shrimp on tail first, bringing the hook well out at the 

 head or amongst the legs, or reversing the shrimp, 

 bringing the hook point out at the tail. I am 

 speaking of cooked, edible shrimps. The weir- 

 tackle with the large float is suitable for deep, swift 

 runs in the open stream, though I then prefer to 

 do away with the bullet or corking-lead and substi- 

 tute plenty of large split shot placed well apart. 



Bottom-fishing for chub from a punt alongside 

 willows or in the open stream with the p u nt- 

 traveller float-tackle is really fascinating fishing 

 sport. To fully enjoy this, a study of the river is 

 necessary. In punting, you soon find out the 

 depths, and the punt-pole tells you accurately 

 whether the river bed is gravel, mud or sand. A 

 gritty touch on the pole tells of gravel or small 

 stones ; sand gives a little friction, plainly felt ; the 

 pole sinks deeply into mud and " sucks " in it ; 

 while a sharp clank of the pole shows you have 

 struck a large stone, and even a hard stone and a 

 lump of chalk can be distinguished. As I have 

 previously stated, gravelly swims are the best, in- 

 deed I have done little good with chub in any 



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