RUFFE. 139 



fish renders it necessary to keep as much out of sight 

 as possible while angling, and also to avoid disturbing 

 the water more than cannot be avoided, by throwing in 

 the ground-bait. It is also necessary to guard against 

 your fish, when hooked, making his way amongst 

 heavy weeds, or other things, such as roots of trees, &c., 

 which it will do, if possible. The carp will seldom 

 bite in cold weather, and in hot weather, he bites best 

 early in the morning and late in the evening. 



In hot weather, when the carp is sometimes found 

 sucking among beds of broad-leaved weeds, in ponds 

 and moats, near the surface of the water, the best way 

 of taking him is by a dipping-bait that is, a red- 

 worm or sweet-paste, upon a hook attached to a line, 

 without a float. In this case, you should place two or 

 three small shot a few inches above the hook, so as to 

 . sink it, and then, with as little motion or disturbance 

 as possible, drop the bait between the weeds, and let 

 it remain about an inch below the surface of the water. 

 When the fish bites, he will carry the bait down 

 perpendicularly, and you must strike sharply, and at 

 once weigh him out, before he manages to get amongst 

 the weeds, and breaks your line. The best line for 

 this purpose is about a couple of yards of strong gut, 

 and the rod a strong bamboo one, with the stiff top, 

 and no winch. 



XL THE RUFFE. 



THIS is a species of the perch, and is much like it in 

 form and habits. They are rarely met with near 

 London, however, except in the Mole, and occasionally 

 in the Thames, up at Shepperton. The Isis, Cam, 



