168 TROUT FISHING 



CHAPTER VIII. 



WORM-FISHING. 



WORM-FISHING, as is by too many considered and 

 practised, namely, either in still streams with a 

 float, or in rapid ones when muddy, is, to say the 

 least of it, but little worthy the attention of one 

 pretending to be, or ever hoping to become, a 

 fisherman. I scarce know a more pitiable object 

 than a man standing by the water side fishing in 

 tedious monotony the same spot, now making a 

 throw upwards against the little current there may 

 be now patiently watching for the bob of the float 

 to announce to him that a fish has come to his 

 hook ; forcibly does it recall the graphic, though 

 not complimentary, description of such a man's 

 rod, which is sufficiently well known to need no 

 repetition. With all these anglers and their 

 occupation, I can hold no fellowship; like them, I 

 have been guilty of the folly, but it was not from 

 choice, and I never could see anything in the 

 occupation in any way coming up to one's ideas of 

 sport. A stupid float is of itself a thing intro- 

 duced into the art which is incompatible with any 

 feeling of sport as understood by any man having 



