THIRD DAY. 451 



worm, without any lead at all above : by which means you 

 will always certainly find the true bottom in all depths ; 

 which with the plumbs upon your line above you can never 

 do, but that your bait must always drag whilst you are 

 sounding (which in this way of angling must be continually), 

 by which means you are like to have more trouble, and 

 peradventure worse success. And both these ways of ang- 

 ling at the bottom are most proper for a dark and muddy 

 water, by reason that in such a condition of the stream, a 

 man may stand as near as he will, and neither his own 

 shadow nor the roundness of his tackle will hinder his sport. 

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

 and by much the best of all other, is with a line full as long, 

 or a yard and a half longer than your rod ; with no more 

 than one hair next the hook, and for two or three lengths 

 above it ; and no more than one small pellet or shot for 

 your plumb ; your hook, little ; your worms, of the smaller 

 brandlings, very well scoured, and only one upon your hook 

 at a time ; which is thus to be baited : The point of your 

 hook is to be put in at every tag of his tail, and run up his 

 body quite over all the arming, and still stripped on an inch 

 at least upon the hair, the head and remaining part hanging 

 downward ; and with this line and hook thus baited you are 

 evermore to angle in the streams, always in a clear rather 

 than a troubled water, and always up the river, still casting 

 out your worm before you with a light one-handed rod, like 

 an artificial fly ; where it will be taken sometimes at the 

 top, or within a very little of the superficies of the water, 

 and almost always before that light plumb can sink it to the 

 bottom, both by reason of the stream, and also, that you 

 must always keep your worm in motion by drawing still 



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