THE CHUB. 291 



on the Thames ; and the morning and evening, especially 

 the latter, are the best times of the day ; but when the fish 

 are in a rising humour they will take the fly all daylong, and 

 that, too, under the most brilliant sun. You may rise chub 

 on the shallows and in mid-stream ; but in the months just 

 mentioned they are mostly under boughs, when the stream 

 is not too rapid. Tou must, however, know their special 

 haunts, or have some one with you who does. You must 

 be a good hand, too, at casting a fly, for it is necessary to 

 keep at a pretty long distance and to drop your " deceit " 

 as near the edge of the boughs as possible ; indeed, if you 

 can drop it on a bough, or rather an outside leaf, and then 

 by a tremulous shake of the line cause it to fall like a natural 

 fly into the water, so much the better chance have you of 

 luring a fish from his hover. There are a variety of flies 

 which come under the denomination of chub flies, some 

 made to imitate the natural insect and some " fancy " 

 flies. They must, however, all be large and well hackled. 

 The " MarloW buzz " and the " Marlow crow " are two 

 well-known flies ; and Mr. Pennell's " sweep " is 

 undeniably good ; but black and red " palmers " will 

 generally do execution. But whatever fly you use, attach 

 to the bend of the hook a narrow strip of white kid, about 

 half or three-quarters of an inch long. There is some 

 occult reason, which perhaps some day may be explained, 

 why this appendage adds attraction to the fly ; it certainly 

 is the case, as those especially well know who have fly- 

 fished for the rudd at Slapton Lea. Most men use a 

 double-handed fly-rod for " chubbing," but I have found 

 a single-handed one do very well, and it saves a great 

 deal of labour on a hot day. When you have a careful 

 man to punt or row you gently down stream, keeping you 



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