104 COARSE FISH. 



having to be done by the dim light of a lantern, 

 and on a slippery weir head. When the net is 

 hauled, a tub is set on or near the weir, the frame 

 is pulled out of its groove, and the weight of eels 

 dragged in by main force. This work is no child's 

 play when the nets are heavy with eels as well as 

 weeds and rubbish ; after getting the purse of the 

 net over the tub, the rope is untied, and the eels 

 are shot into the tub, a seething, wriggling, frothy 

 mass. It is rare to take any fish but eels in this 

 way ; and on netting a weir last year (September, 

 1896) in the full run of the eels, I only saw one 

 small trout taken amongst them. The tubs of eels 

 are emptied into a tank or boat-well as soon as 

 possible, the fish being sent to market alive. 

 Several nets are set at once in a weir, in different 

 runs ; and when the eels are descending in large 

 quantities they are hauled about every twenty 

 minutes. On moonlight nights, the nets may be 

 set and not more than a dozen eels taken. 



If you wish to trap eels, wickerwork traps are 



far better than those of wire. The traps 



should be well weighted, and, when possible, 



pushed under streamers of weed ; they are baited 



with big worms, fish or garbage ; and I have also 



seen them baited with the flower of the yellow flag. 



Eels bite well in thundery weather, even in the 



daytime ; but the largest are generally caught at 



night. 



