46 ANGLING 



touch than the sterner sex, and in that probably lies the secret 

 of their success. At this time of the year gudgeon fishing is 

 quite the rage on the Thames, and many a punt may be seen 

 with its fair occupants intent upon the tiny float. The water 

 on the Louth Canal between Alvingham Lock and the lock 

 before that village simply swarms with gudgeon, but Mr. 

 Hopper cannot remember ever having caught any great 

 number below Alvingham Lock. So much for gudgeon fishing 

 and where to find them. 



A somewhat uncommon incident occurred a little time ago 

 when Mr. Hopper was angling with two hooks. Having a bite, 

 he struck and landed two fish, an eel on the lower hook and a 

 white bream on the upper one. Two fish at a time are not very 

 unusual, but two of such entirely different species must be so. 

 Mr. Hopper also wonders whether it has happened to any two 

 Grimsby anglers to play and eventually land the same fish. 

 This was done a few days ago. Two friends were pike fishing 

 live baiting within a few feet of each other; almost simultan- 

 eously, within three or 4 seconds, they each had a run (not 

 on the bank side, but from Mr. Pike) and on striking they each 

 found that they had hooked the same fish. The pike seeing two 

 dinners laid in the shape of two glistening roach had forthwith 

 appropriated both, one after the other. Whom did the fish 

 belong to ? There was no wily Solomon present to decide the 

 question, and no feelings of humanity which could be stirred 

 such as were present in the case of the live and the dead child 

 when that sagacious monarch was called upon to decide 

 to which woman the living child belonged. Mr. Hopper has no 

 doubt that although anglers are as a rule a peaceable lot of 

 men, these two anglers would have a battle royal over the 

 ownership of the pike, and perhaps Mr. Hopper doesn't know 

 though they might both fall into the river for their pains. 

 Better to have cut the fish in halves, as Solomon's naughty 

 woman wanted his Majesty to do with the living child. This 

 year when fishing on the Trent with two hooks baited with 

 worm Mr. Hopper caught one flounder on both hooks he (not 

 Mr. Hopper but Mr. Flounder) had voraciously taken hook 

 No. i and then No. 2, so two hooks had to be extracted. 



