152 ANGLING 



Turning to coarse fishing on the Louth and Tetney Canal, 

 roach were never really " on " until March, when they began 

 to show sport with a vengeance as anglers well know, the 

 close season for coarse fishing is from I5th March to I5th June, 

 but even in July last the roach in the canal were only then 

 beginning to spawn. The open season might well be extended 

 until the last week in April. That well-known and skilful 

 angler, McNab, brought to bank one day in March 174 roach 

 and gudgeon. The latter were a splendid sample, and though 

 none of the roach reached aldermanic proportions (they seldom 

 do in the canal) the average size was very good indeed. 

 McNab does not often go fishing, as a rule not more than three 

 or four days a week at the outside, and as he seldom returns 

 with less than 80 or 90 fish, certain well-known Israelites in the 

 town who make a point of meeting him at the station on his 

 return journey must fare sumptuously when McNab is pisca- 

 torially inclined. 



It is a baseless slander that McNab and another well-known 

 wielder of the rod, living in Sussex street, have relinquished 

 their respective callings and qualified for the medical profession. 

 The rumour that they had done so was put about by a certain 

 coterie well known to McNab and his friend. During the 

 winter Mr. Hopper and McNab tried new fishing grounds, 

 or rather waters, with very fair success, altogether nearly a 

 score roach scaling lib. each with many others smaller in size 

 being landed, and amongst other chub Mr. Hopper bringing 

 one to bank on fine roach tackle which weighed 3lbs. all but an 

 ounce, McNab also got one about two pounds. 



This new fishing ground is resorted to by a few Sheffield 

 and Manchester anglers, who one early morning, whilst McNab 

 and Mr. Hopper were still slumbering, very carefully fished a 

 swim which the latter had ground-baited overnight, and 

 extracted therefrom sundry large chub, as was evidenced by 

 the numerous big scales left on the bank blow these early 

 anglers it was a mean trick though, and very unsportsman- 

 like. 



