THE BARBEL. 13 



further above the water. In bank-fishing, as in 

 punting, attention must be paid to the run of the 

 groundbait ; the fl9at must not be pitched too far 

 out, or kept too close in. An eddy is of great 

 assistance, as the bait and groundbait are washed 

 round and round together. 



In the Thames, we catch barbel both in some of 

 the very swiftest runs and in some of the „ , 

 most sluggish pools. I fish the swift runs tion of 

 in the early season, chiefly at the tails of ^^'""^ 

 weirs ; then, by legering and floating, search all 

 sorts of water until I get a good idea of where the 

 fish congregate. I give preference to the deep 

 runs and pools, owing to incessant disturbance as 

 previously mentioned. The very edges of weir- 

 falls, when the bottom will permit of leger-tackle 

 being used, frequently produce fish. In May, when 

 the water is clear, and the weir paddles are shut 

 down, shoals of great barbel may sometimes be 

 seen, slowly wending their way among the stones, 

 not apparently seeking for anything, but roaming 

 about in a lazy, aimless manner. I have seen a 

 shoal of enormous fish thus pass over the boulders 

 and amongst the girders of a Thames weir, and the 

 sight is not soon forgotten. Where these great fi.sh 

 get to in the fishing season I cannot tell, for even 

 if we fish amongst them they are very seldom 

 caught. When I last fished Goring Weir for 

 trout, I was informed that the weir was full of 

 barbel ; but, try as they would for barbel, anglers 

 were not successful in Goring Weirpool. I know 

 you can get (and have myself taken) plenty 

 of barbel at Pangbourne, which is the next weir 

 down stream. I mention this to show what 

 strange fish barbel are, and how necessary it 



