82 COARSE FISH. 



others. There is one particular line of willows I 

 well know from constant fishing : let two strangers 

 fish this line of bushes, the one taking the top half, 

 the other the lower. The man at the top will get 

 the fish, for the gravel runs half-way down the 

 willows and then changes to mud. I have so re- 

 peatedly noticed this result, that I never trouble 

 now to fish the lower willows at all. 



A punt is far better than a boat for this work ; 

 it does not rock so easily as a boat, and each 

 " rock " throws a disturbing wave across or along 

 the water. The punt is also far handier to move 

 about in when weights have to be lowered ; these 

 I use in preference to rypecks. In chubbing, the 

 angler is continually on the move, for it is rare to 

 take more than two fish out of one swim without 

 a great waste of time ; the first swim down almost 

 always produces a fish if they are disposed to feed, 

 and frequently within a very few feet of the punt. Not 

 only are weights better than rypecks for shifting 

 easily about, but the driving down of a heavy iron in 

 the river's bed is done away with, and the weights 

 Mooring can be lowered with very little disturbance 

 the punt indeed. Pass the rope of the heavier weight 

 through the ring holding the punt's chain, bringing 

 the strain on the rope into the centre, and the 

 punt will swing true to the stream. I use one 

 weight of about forty pounds, the other twenty- 

 eight pounds ; these I have always found sufficient. 

 If there be much wind on either beam, or upstream, 

 the lighter weight should be lowered over the side, 

 near the punt-well ; take a single turn with the rope 

 round a cleat in the side of the punt when she is in 

 position, and she will keep steady, especially if care 

 be taken that the side rope has not much slack on 



