A DAY WITH THE TRENT PIKE 111 



no less than five herons were slowly winging their way 

 across the valley. Those long-legged fishermen had been 

 taking heavy toll from a small stream that flows down 

 the meadows, and were now on their way to the security 

 of an inland swamp. There used to be, so I was told, 

 a heronry of considerable magnitude in the immediate 

 locality, but I never found more than one or two herons' 

 nests in those trees in any one season. There is plenty 

 of time to note all these movements of nature, because 

 I can see the long strides of my friend as he is hurrying 

 across the meadows for his favourite sport, and he is ten 

 minutes late. 



While we are putting our tackle together we get the 

 first hint of the good things that are to follow. We make 

 a start at the big bend some distance above Averham 

 Weir, where a considerable bay forms a quiet reed-fringed 

 pool. Nearly in the centre of this bay there is a sudden 

 splash and a huge rolling swirl, and three or four small 

 roach leap above the surface, and scatter like willow blades 

 in every direction. All right, my boy, we will be after 

 you presently ; and then, if all goes well, it will be a case 

 of " the biter bit." 



The rod my friend is using is the ordinary eleven-foot 

 solid cane, with a four-inch centre-pin reel, check and line 

 guard, and one hundred yards of white plaited silk, slightly 

 oiled. My old and favourite snap is brought into re- 

 quisition ; and this is simply two No. 5 square-bend treble 

 hooks whipped about three inches or a little less apart 

 on sixteen inches of oo copper gimp. This old snap in 

 my opinion has no superior, as it lies nice and snug along 

 the bait, and hooks your fish pretty securely at his first 

 turn. The float, pilot, and trace are added, and a nice 

 little five-and-a-half-inch dace is now exploring the depths 

 of that pool. He likes it not, and keeps bobbing the big 

 float under as he tries to get into midstream. We let 

 him go where he likes, as the corner out there is open, and 

 he cannot tie himself up into a bed of weeds. That dace 



