290 PIKE AND OTHER COARi,E FISH. 



the palm of a man's hand. I wish I had brought some home for 

 display in the Field window. Since I left India, I met an ofRcer 

 who is a mighty sportsman in every branch, and he told me that he 

 had fished with great success in the very same river, but in another 

 manner. In the evening he would watch for the rise of a single 

 fish, and then, by an underhand cast, he would drop his hook, 

 baited with a bean of green grain, just within the curl of water, 

 when it was generally snapped at. Of course, if the first cast failed 

 there was no use in making a second; and, indeed, I think few 

 men but himself could have made an underhand cast with the 

 requisite nicety and precision. However, my friend threw with 

 such success, that in seventeen days he killed 70 fish weighing 

 1,200 lbs. 



A singular expedient for catching carp is suggested by Mr. 

 Fitzgibbon in his ' Notes to Walton ' : — • 



A correspondent, he says, not long since wrote to me for 

 advice. He had a pond in which were many large carp ; and 

 although he had angled for them in due season from February to 

 October during seven years, he had not succeeded in capturing 

 them. I advised him to line with hurdles the bank of the pond at 

 the spots where he meant to fish — to ground-bait those spots with 

 red worms, gentles, and especially with sweet paste, for three or 

 four days — to then take his rod, and, supporting it on a bifurcated 

 prop (cut off the branch of a tree) inserted in the bank behind the 

 hurdles, to place on his line a hook broken off at the bend, that is 

 without barb or sharp point, — ^to bait this harmless hook with 

 sweet paste, and to sink it nearly to the bottom of the already 

 ground baited water. The carp will soon take this bait ; and 

 finding they can do so with impunity, they will become bolder 

 hourly. Replacing the bait every time it is nibbled off, and con- 

 tinuing to do so for three or four days, commence then angling in 

 earnest : with the same rod and line, but with a barbed hook 

 baited exactly as before, come behind the hurdle, and, with very 

 light float, angle cautiously. My correspondent acted on my 

 advice, and succeeded in catching as many of the large carp as he 

 wanted. 



This is doubtless a very ingenious, plan ; but, with all due 

 deference to Mr. Fitzgibbon, I think that most fishermen might 

 feel somewhat disinclined to sit for ' three or four days ' crouched 



