120 FISHING. 



or chestnut for muddy water, or ground angling. Floats 

 should he made of the hardest and hest quills, and their 

 load so well constructed that the float may be kept 

 perpendicular with the top, just above the surface of 

 the water, so as to be moved or drawn by the slightest 

 nibble. A cork float, nearly the shape of a spinning 

 top, is used for fishing with a heavy bait ; the cork 

 employed must be completely sound, and carefully 

 bored through the centre with a red-hot wire ; then cut 

 across the grain about two-thirds of its length, and the 

 remaining third or summit of the float rounded, and 

 smoothly finished with pumice-stone. For the con- 

 venience of disengaging the fish taken by float-fishing, 

 the line should be about a foot shorter than the rod ; 

 and the length of the rod about fourteen or fifteen feet, 

 light, stiff, and elastic, so as to strike at the extremity 

 of the whalebone. For bottom fishing,, the following 

 tackle will be found requisite : 



Lines of various sorts, carefully rolled, and good 

 single hairs ; loose hooks, of various sizes ; hooks tied 

 to coarse or fine gimp ; floats of cork and quill, with 

 spare caps ; split shot and small bullets, to advance the ' 

 float ; shoemakers' wax, for arming the hooks ; silk of 

 various sizes and colours, to tie them on ; the colour of 

 the silk to resemble that of the bait ; a plummet to 

 sound the depth of water. A clearing-ring, to disen- 

 tangle the hook from weeds, &c., is to be run along the 

 rod and let gradually down the line to the object which 

 fastens the hook. If it is some immoveable object, the 



