THE POPE AND BLEAK. 73 



into the water, and stirring up the sand and 

 gravel." This surely may be properly termed gud- 

 geon-hunting more than gudgeon-fishing : perhaps 

 they are of a different species in the Trent than in 

 the Thames, fa. fa. !! 



THE POPE OR RUFF. 



This fish, with a double name, is small, and 

 Hireiy grows bigger than a gudgeon ; in shape 

 very like the perch, but is better food, being in 

 the taste as pleasant as any fish whatever. His 

 haunts are in the deepest running parts of a gra- 

 velly river, the exact bottom whereof, having 

 found by plumbing, bait your hooks with small 

 red worms, or brandlings ; for you may angle 

 with two or three, and have excellent sport. 

 He bites very greedily; and as they swim in 

 shoals, you may catch twenty or thirty at one 

 standing, in a cool, gloomy day. Use the same 

 tackle as for the gudgeon. The River Yare in 

 Norfolk, is peculiar for plenty of ruffs. Hook, 

 No. 9- 



THE RLEAK OR BLEY. 



The bleak, on account of its eagerness to catch 

 flies, is called by some the river-swallow, and by 

 others the fresh-water-sprat, because of its resem- 

 blance to the sea-sprat. He bites very eagerly 

 at all sorts of worms, flies, pastes, and sheep's 

 blood. You may fish for him with six or seven 

 small hooks at a time. He is an excellent fish 

 to initiate a young angler in fly-fishing, by his 

 whipping for them in a hot summer's evening, 

 with a small artificial black gnat. Your tackle 



