FISHING AT OULTON BROAD 19 



out aft has been made, and should we get a bite, we know 

 within a little how to play the fish for the clear water. 



One of the party wanders further afield. The Saucy 

 Jane has no charms for him, and later he perches himself 

 high on the rotten bulwarks of a broken-masted coal ketch. 



Half an hour passes and no sign of fish. One angler 

 becomes disheartened and adjourns for coffee, but no sooner 

 do the inviting fumes arise from the cooking apparatus than 

 suddenly his rod, which has been left balanced on the 

 bulwarks, gives an animated jump. In the excitement the 

 stove, coffee and condensed milk can is upset, and an election 

 becomes compulsory not between the devil and the deep, 

 but between a f-lb. perch and an action for damages for the 

 destruction by fire of other people's property. The ship 

 is saved but the fish is lost, as well as a new gut trace by 

 Farlow. 



But another scriggling shrimp is softly dropped into the 

 swim, and almost before the dainty morsel has touched the 

 surface of the water a perch has snapped it, whilst the green 

 and white float disappears into the uninviting depths with a 

 vicious dive which thrills the nerves and, at the same time, 

 tells us that the fish is a heavy one. In a few minutes the 

 struggle is over and a beautifully-marked perch (which 

 subsequently pulled the scale at 2J Ibs.) is jumping in vain 

 upon the grimy deck. Such a beginning is encouraging, 

 and for half an hour the sport is as good as the heart of angler 

 can desire. During this time twelve fish are landed, the 

 smallest 6 oz., the largest the one first mentioned, whilst their 

 average weight is about j Ib. Besides these, several others 

 are lost, as well as three traces on the chains and ropes which 

 run out in all directions around. But anglers' joys are 

 fleeting and the shoal of fish leaves as suddenly as it came. 

 When perch stop biting like this it is little use continu- 

 ing on at the same swim, but success generally causes one to 

 linger, and for another hour we fished and hoped in vain. 



We have, however, no cause to regret the early rising, and 

 can crow over less energetic anglers whom we observe commenc- 



