CHAP. x. THE FOURTH DAY. 127 



that river, they will be sure to bite first, and must first be taken. 

 And for the most part they are very large ; and will repair to 

 your ground-bait, not that they will eat of it, but will feed and 

 sport themselves among the young fry that gather about and 

 hover over the bait. 



The way to discern the pike and to take him, if you mistrust 

 your bream-hook for I have taken a pike a yard long several 

 times at my bream-hooks, and sometimes he hath had the luck 

 to share my line may be thus : 



Take a small bleak, or roach, or gudgeon, and bait it, and 

 set it alive among your rods, two feet deep from the cork, with 

 a little red worm on the point of the hook ; then take a few 

 crumbs of white bread, or some of the ground-bait, and sprinkle 

 it gently amongst your rods. If Mr. Pike be there, then the 

 little fish will skip out of the water at his appearance, but the 

 live-set bait is sure to be taken. 



Thus continue your sport from four in the morning till eight, 

 and if it be a gloomy windy day, they will bite all day long. 

 But this is too long to stand to your rods at one place, and it 

 will spoil your evening sport that day, which is this : 



About four of the clock in the afternoon repair to your baited 

 place; and as soon as you come to the water-side, cast in one 

 half of the rest of your ground-bait, and stand off: then whilst 

 the fish are gathering together, for there they will most certainly 

 come for their supper, you may take a pipe of tobacco; and 

 then in with your three rods, as in the morning : you will find 

 excellent sport that evening, till eight of the clock ; then cast in 

 the residue of your ground-bait, and next morning by four of 

 the clock visit them again for four hours, which is the best 

 sport of all ; and after that, let them rest till you and your 

 friends have a mind to more sport. 



From St. James's-tide until Bartholomew-tide is the best; 

 when they have had all the summer's food, they are the fattest. 



Observe lastly, that after three or four days' fishing together 

 your game will be very shy and wary, and you shall hardly get 

 above a bite or two at a baiting ; then your only way is to desist 

 from your sport about two or three days ; and in the meantime, 



