22 ANGLING 



over and there being a shallow well in the centre) when a 

 large salmon " picked " out of the water and landed right on 

 one of the ends boarded over, and was cutting his capers there 

 in fine style for several seconds. The angler and his groom 

 (who accompanied him) both made a dash for the bold visitor 

 and the latter actually got hold of him and tried to pull him 

 into the well of the boat, but he was so strong and full of dance 

 and caper that he prevented them from carrying out their 

 design, and proved too slippery a customer by making a huge 

 bound again into the river, where, it is almost needless to remark, 

 his would-be capturers did not follow him. In some seasons a 

 great many salmon make their way up the Trent, and Mr. 

 Hopper has known them leap out of the water all round the 

 boat in which he has been fishing. Barbel also " pick " out of 

 the water, but after a little time it is easy to distinguish which 

 species of fish it is that is leaping. 



There is some excellent chub fishing in the Trent by the 

 side of the willows, which in many places overhang the river. 

 Greaves, wasp grub, and artificial fly are all good lures, 

 but Mr. Hopper had his first try for them with his trout fly 

 rod and a large "sweep" fly. The legs of this fly are 

 made of black hackle, which should be as long as the body 

 of the fly and extra thick and bushy, the body of black 

 ostrich herl and the tail of the same, white or satin-coloured. 

 The fly should be dressed on a No. 10 hook. Having described 

 the fly, Mr. Hopper will now tell of his first chub. Witchdorter, 

 who has been already referred to as a good and reliable boatman, 

 dropped the boat gently down stream to some likely looking 

 willows, and having got out a nice long line Mr. Hopper 

 commenced operations. One of his early casts was responsible 

 for a nicely-sized dace, and presently he saw just a small 

 " boil " of the water simultaneously with the fly alighting on the 

 surface. It is better in fly fishing for chub to be rather slow 

 than quick in striking, so the writer gave the leather-mouthed 

 rascal fair time and then struck. Chub like, feeling himself 

 hooked, he made a rush for the willow roots which with some 

 difficulty was checked, as the rod was very " whippy," and he 



