262 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 



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 to- 

 gether, 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, on the place you late baited, and again 

 intend to bait, you shall take a tuft of green but short grass, 

 as big or bigger than a round trencher ; to the top of thi 

 turf, on the green side, you shall, with a needle and gree: 



: 



