THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 293 



to be baited : The point of your hook is to be put in at the very 

 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 in 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 

 back towards you, as if you were angling with a fly. And 

 believe me, whoever will try it, shall find this the best way of 

 all other to angle with a worm, in a bright water especially. 

 But then his rod must be very light and pliant, and very true 

 and finely made, which, with a skilful hand, will do wonders, 

 and in a clear stream is undoubtedly the best way of angling for 

 a Trout or Grayling with a worm, by many degrees, that any 

 man can make choice of, and of most ease and delight to the 

 angler. To which let me add, that if the angler be of a consti- 

 tution that will suffer him to wade, and will slip into the tail 

 of a shallow stream, to the calf of the leg or the knee, and so 

 keep off the bank, he shall almost take what fish he pleases. 



The second way of angling at the bottom is with a cork or 

 float. And that is also of two sorts, with a worm, or with a 

 grub, or cadis. 



With a worm, you are to have your line within a foot, or a 

 foot and a half, as long as your rod ; in a dark water with two, 

 or, if you will, with three, but in a clear water, never with 

 above one hair next the hook, and two or three for four or five 

 lengths above it ; and a worm of what size you please : your 

 plumbs fitted to your cork, your cork to the condition of the 

 river (that is, to the swiftness or slowness of it,) and both, 

 when the water is very clear, as fine as you can ; and then you 

 are never to bait with above one of the lesser sort of brandlings ; 

 or if they are very little ones indeed, you may then bait with 

 two, after the manner before directed. 



When you angle for a Trout, you are to do it as deep, that is, 

 as near the bottom as you can, provided your bait do not drag, 

 or, if it do, a Trout will sometimes take it in that posture. If 

 for a Grayling, you are then to fish farther from the bottom ; 

 he being a fish that usually swims nearer to the middle of the 

 water, and lies always loose ; or, however, is more apt to rise 

 than a Trout, and more inclined to rise than to descend even to 

 a ground-bait. 



With a grub, or cadis, you are to angle with the same length 



