THE COMPLETE ANGLEK. 59 



black palmers. Winging them is sometimes an improvement. In using 

 natural flies, moths, small butterflies, brown beetles, cockchafers, the 

 May -fly, or housefly, it is necessary to have recourse to that branch of 

 the angling art, called dibbing, dipping, or daping, which is practised 

 thus : If you (I write as if I were speaking to my reader) are about to 

 angle in a river, the banks of which are wooded, a shortish (ten feet 

 or so) rod must be used. A winch, a winch-line, and a gut casting line, 

 will be required. Having baited the hook, viz., put on it the live insect 

 as delicately as may be, by inserting delicately the point of the hook in 

 its back, you must twirl all that part of the line beyond the rod around 

 it just as coachmen do their whips before hanging them up. This done, 

 pass the point of the rod through any bushes, or beneath any trees, that 

 may grow on the river's bank, and then untwirling the line, the bait, 

 with proper management, will foil gently and naturally on the surface of 

 the water, and be taken not only by any chub, but by any trout, roach, 

 or dace, that may happen to see it. When trees do not intervene, this 

 method of dibbing is not necessary ; but where they do, it is absolutely 

 necessary, and is a most killing, or rather captivating practice. No 

 obstructions being in the way, the line on the winch must be of stout 

 floss silk, and will form then what is technically called the " blow-line." 

 To this, add about a yard and a half of fine gut, to the end of which 

 attach the hook link. Now put on your insect, and standing with the 

 wind to your back, let out as much of the " blow-line " as is required, 

 and letting go the insect-bait, which you must hold delicately between 

 the fore finger and thumb of the left hand, it will be carried the requisite 

 distance on to the water. The principles of dibbing are involved in the 

 two processes I have briefly explained. In bush dibbing I said a short 

 rod was required ; in dibbing with the floss-silk line a rod of twelve feet 

 in length must be used. Wherever there are wide leaves on the surface 

 of the water, it would be well to direct the bait on to each one of them 

 in succession, and then to roll it off on to the water. As chub, at mid- 

 day, in warm weather, lie concealed under such leaves, they will in nine 

 cases out of ten take any insect that drops oft' them. Walton mentions, 

 and with good reason, the extreme shyness of this fish. If it see the 

 angler, it will never take his bait, be it ever so tempting. Pie must, 

 therefore, keep as far away from the river as possible, and never fish with 

 the sun to his back. It is a general rule in angling, that the angler 

 whilst at his recreation, must look the sun in the face. There will then 

 be no shadow of rod or fisherman in the water. ED.] 



