128 ANGLING 



a foot or two above the hook, will keep it down without 

 being perceived by the fish. Leather is to be preferred 

 to clay, which is commonly used, because the latter will 

 soon wash off, and, owing to the constant kneadings 

 required, assists in wearing the fine gut bottom. The 

 angler is better without a float. 



The night is the best time for catching barbel. 

 Evening and morning are likewise favourable periods ; 

 but he will not bite well in the full day, nor in bright 

 moonlight nights. The barbel requires time when he 

 takes the bait, and a single short jerk is necessary to 

 fix the hook well in his leathery jaws. When hooked, 

 he affords good sport with light tackle, because he is 

 very strong and active ; but when you have exhausted 

 his vigour and got him out, the best thing you can do, 

 in the opinion of many rod-fishers, is to throw him in 

 again for another bout, as he is not worth his salt in a 

 culinary point of view. 



The recipe for ground-bait, without which there is 

 little profit in angling for this fish, is recorded ia the 

 instructions for carp-fishing, and will serve for all fish 

 which require such inducements. 



Barbel-fishing is not much sought after by regular 

 and thorough-going anglers. The fish is seldom to be 

 caught unless the ground-bait has been previously 

 thrown in; and even then, success is far from being 

 certain. Many London anglers are, however, fond of 

 the sport, and are remarkably skilful in it ; and as the 

 Thames abounds in many localities with these fish, 

 there is opened out a wide field for this branch of 

 piscatory recreation. Walton, who was partial to this 

 species of sport, says of the barbel — 



"He is curious for his baits that they may be clean and 

 sweet; that is to say, to have your worms well scoured, 

 and not kept in sour and musty moss, for he is a curious 

 feeder ; but at a well-scoured lob-worm he will bite as boldly 

 as at any bait, and especially if, the night or two before 

 you fish for him, you shall bait the places where you intend 

 to fish for him with big worms cut into pieces; and note 

 that none did over-bait the place, or fish too early or too 

 late for a barbel. And the barbel will bite also at gentles, 



