106 THE ANGLER-NATURALIST. 



During the winter months it is probable that Carp re- 

 tire almost wholly into the mud, or under roots, hollows, 

 and weeds, and at this time they are hardly ever to be 

 taken with a bait*. In the summer months they frequently 

 lie sucking, in the weeds, in a sort of lazy state, each 

 " suck " making a very distinct and unmistakeable noise. 

 It very much resembles the sound made by a pig, to which 

 animal, indeed, a big Carp has always appeared to me to 

 bear a striking likeness, both in face and character. When 

 not sucking or basking, the Carp usually swims about in 

 shoals near the surface of the water, returning to the bottom 

 to feed. Early in the morning and late in the evening are 

 the best times for fishing ; but the catching of Carp with 

 the rod and line is always a difficult and uncertain opera- 

 tion, particularly if the fish are large. I will here give a 

 method of Carp-fishing in stagnant waters which I have 

 usually found very successful f. Let the line be entirely 

 of fine, round gut clouded if possible with a very light 

 quill float, and one or two small shot about a foot from 

 the hook. Plumb the depth accurately; and arrange the 

 distance between the float and the shot so that the latter 

 may exactly rest on the bottom, weighing down the point of 

 the float a little out of the horizontal, and letting the foot 

 of gut below, and the bait, lie on the ground. Fix the rod 

 in the bank, and keep perfectly quiet. When a bite is per- 



* Vide, amongst other authorities, White's 'Selborne.' 

 t Since writing the above, I have ascertained that this plan is also 

 recommended by Mr. Wright in his clever work on Fishes and Fish- 

 ing, p. 32. 



