62 ANGLING 



and companionable as ever he was, but Mr. Hopper doubts 

 whether his angling skill increases with his years ; he is still a 

 bit clumsy in throwing out from the reel, but so long as he gets 

 his line in the water somewhere he is happy. His corns do not 

 grow less in number or less in size with increasing years, and 

 that probably is why he is averse to " hauling" from the bank 

 but prefers comfortably to dispose himself in the stern of the 

 boat and direct its course, smoking his calumet the while. 

 Witchdortor is great at cribbage, and he and Mr. Hopper have 

 played together upwards of 14,000 games. He accepts defeat, 

 when it falls to his lot, in a philosophical manner, and does not 

 show undue exultation when victory crowns his play. It is 

 about ten years since Witchdorter caught a barbel, but he 

 plods steadily on cherishing fondly the memory of two luckless 

 and hungry monsters he successfully skulldragged to bank 

 one evening, and hoping for a repetition of that wonderful 

 performance. 



The 1892 visit was, like the 1891 season, a failure in the 

 matter of barbel and carp bream, although there were any 

 quantity of both species of fish, of carp bream especially, as 

 hundreds of big fish up to 5lbs. each in weight could be seen 

 early in the morning " priming," that is, lashing the top of the 

 water in the manner which is peculiar to carp bream. Large 

 barbel up to jibs, in weight were "picking" out of the swims, 

 but neither they nor the bream would look at the bait. The 

 fact is the water was altogether too clear and gin-like, and 

 undoubtedly the fish could see the gut line and leads ; probably 

 also there happened to be a superfluity of fresh water 

 shrimps upon which they were feeding. This year Mr. Hopper 

 on five occasions fished a bream swim without a bite, out of 

 which the day after the Grimsby People's Park was opened he 

 landed in 3$ hours twenty carp bream weighing in the 

 aggregate 5olbs. the largest 4lbs. and the smallest ilbs. 

 This year, however, was prolific in eels, and some real beauties 

 were landed biggest lilbs. but both the largest number and 

 the greatest in size fell to the rod, and Mr. Hopper wishes to 

 add, the angling skill of a recently added fair disciple of the 



