THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 153 



they will go to the farther side of the river : then strike gently, 

 and hold your rod at a bent, a little while ; but if you both pull 

 together, you are sure to lose your game, for either your line, or 

 hook, or hold, will break ; and after you have overcome them, 

 they will make noble sport, and are very shy to be landed. The 

 Carp is far stronger and more mettlesome than the Bream. 



Much more is to be observed in this kind of fish, and fishing, 

 but it is far fitter for experience and discourse than paper. Only, 

 thus much is necessary for you to know, and to be mindful and 

 careful of, that if the Pike or Perch do breed in that river, they 

 will be sure to bite first, and must first be taken. And for the 

 most part they are very large, and will repair to your ground- 

 bait, not that they will eat of it, but will feed and sport them- 

 selves amongst the young fry that gather about and hover over 

 the bait. 



The way to discern the Pike and take him, if you mistrust 

 your Bream hook for I have taken a Pike a yard long several 

 times at my Bream hooks, and sometimes he hath had the luck 

 to share my line may be thus : 



Take a small Bleak, or Roach, or Gudgeon, and bait [with] it : 

 and set it, alive, among your rods, two feet deep from the cork, 

 with a little red worm on the point of the hook : then take a 

 few crumbs of white bread, or some of the ground-bait, 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's-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 together, 



* St James's tide is the 25th of July : St Bartholomew's tide is the 24tb 

 of August. J. R. 



