312 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 



suddenly disengage himself from so great a hook as that we 

 bait with a minnow, and so deep bearded as those hooks 

 commonly are, when I have seen by the forenamed accidents- 

 or the slipping of a knot in the upper part of the line, by 

 sudden and hard striking, that though the line has immedi- 

 ately been recovered, almost before it could be all drawn into 

 the water, the fish cleared and gone in a moment. And yet, 

 to justify what he says, I have sometimes known a trout, 

 having carried away a whole line, found dead three or four 

 days after with the hook fast sticking in him; and then it is 

 to be supposed he had gorged it, which a trout will do if you 

 be not too quick with him when he comes at a minnow, as 

 sure and much sooner than a pike : and I myself have also, 

 once or twice in my life, taken the same fish, with my own 

 fiy sticking in his chaps, that he had taken from me the day 

 before, by the slipping of a hook in the arming. But I am 

 very confident a trout will not be troubled two hours with 

 any hook that has so much as one handful of line left behind 

 with it, or that is not struck through a bone, if it be in any 

 part of his mouth only : nay, I do certainly know that a 

 trout, so soon as ever he feels himself pricked, if he carries 

 away the hook, goes immediately to the bottom, and will 

 there root, like a hog upon the gravel, till he either rub out 

 or break the hook in the middle. And so much for this sort 

 of angling in the middle for a trout. 



The second way of angling in the middle is with a worm, 

 grub, cadis, or any other ground-bait for a grayling ; arid that 

 is with a cork, and a foot from the bottom, a grayling taking 

 it much better there than at the bottom, as has been said 

 before ; and this always in a clear water, and with the finest 

 tackle. 



To which we may also, and with very good reason, add the 

 third way of angling by hand with a ground-bait, as a third 

 way of fishing in the middle, which is common to both trout 

 and grayling, and, as I said before, the best way of angling 

 with a worm, of all other I ever tried whatever. 



And now, sir, I have said all I can at present think of 

 concerning angling for a trout and grayling, and I doubt not 

 have tired you sufficiently ; but I will give you no more 

 trouble of this kind, whilst you stay, which I hope will be a 

 good while longer. 



YIAT. That will not be above a day longer ; but if I live 

 till May come twelvemonth, you are sure of me again, either 



