STICKLEBACK. GUDGEON. 1 25 



III. THE STICKLEBACK OR PRICKLEBACK. 



THIS diminutive fish, which is bold and voracious 

 though so small, is useful as a bait for perch and 

 small jack, when minnows cannot be obtained. It may 

 be taken with but little trouble, even without a hook, 

 with a worm or a piece of worm tied to the end of a 

 thread or line. Its voracity induces it to swallow the 

 bait, and it may be taken before it can disgorge it. 



IV. THE GUDGEON. 



THIS is more esteemed than most other small fish, and 

 is found in gentle streams, with gravelly or sandy 

 bottoms. To angle for gudgeon, use the same tackle 

 as for bleak, excepting that the hook may be a little 

 larger, as No. 10 or 12. It will bite at any time of 

 the day, especially if the weather is cloudy; and the 

 best baits are small red worms, gentles, and cow-dung 

 worms. As gudgeons generally swim close to the 

 bottom, the float should be so adjusted that the bait 

 may just drag on the ground. A rake should be used 

 to stir up the gravel with, as the fish bite much better 

 when that is done. Especial care should be taken not 

 to load the hook too much, as in that case they nibble 

 away the bait, till they discover the hook, and then cut 

 off. If you use a ground-bait, let it be small quantities 

 of paste made up into small pellets. It is not neces- 

 sary, indeed it is not well, to strike for gudgeons very 

 quickly after you perceive a nibble at the bait, as it is 



