64 AN ANGLER'S HOURS iv 



canal. But it is just in this cool morning 

 hour, this period of refreshment, that the 

 tench are apt to be on the feed. The angler 

 is equipped with a rod of twenty feet made 

 of East India cane ; it is heavier than a 

 roach pole, but it is also much stronger, 

 and was primarily designed for bream fish- 

 ing in a very deep river. A light but strong 

 silk running-line and a cast of undrawn gut, 

 with one small bullet to cock the float, and a 

 No. 7 hook complete the outfit. 



The little pool that was cleared yesterday 

 stands out in marked contrast to the weedy 

 surface round it, and it is plainly beyond 

 the reach of any bean-pole. With this long 

 rod, however, the bait can be swung out 

 easily enough, and a small lobworm is soon 

 lying on the bottom of the canal ready for 

 the first fish. It is well in tench fishing to 

 have eighteen inches of gut below the bullet, 

 and to plumb the depth so that the bullet 

 itself just touches the bottom. When the 

 float is nicely cocked in the middle of the 

 pool, the angler rests his rod on its pegs, 

 throws a few fragments of worm in round 

 the float, and then takes his seat on the 

 camp-stool that he has brought, and com- 



