THE BARBEL. ii 



nearly stationary, bait on a leger-line. The 

 travelling bait may run straight down to a feeding 

 fish, or fish on either side may see it ; a fish 

 coming from some distance on either side, and 

 travelling fast, will take the float down a little side- 

 ways in the way he is travelling, — that is my idea ; 

 though the fish will be likely to stop almost dead 

 when he has seized the bait, in order to turn and 

 seek another. Again, I am certain fish occasion- 

 ally follow the bait down stream before taking it : 

 there is something about it that excites suspicion ; 

 it is either left alone or taken after examination ; all 

 these chances are more or less lost with a still bait. 

 If fish follow the bait and then take it, the float 

 goes under down stream ; and by striking too hard 

 the tackle is easily broken, as you are striking 

 against the whole weight and length of the fish. 

 I freely confess to sometimes breaking tackle in 

 barbel, but I notice that this happens more 

 frequently when the float is pulled down in a 

 straight line with the running stream ; from this I 

 conclude that I have struck against a fish moving 

 straight from me. I shall never forget hooking my 

 first barbel, some twenty years ago, and the occur- 

 rence is as fresh in my memory as if it had only 

 happened yesterday. I was roach-fishing at 

 Molesey, from a punt ; the swim was just above 

 the lower effluent of the Mole. We caught roach 

 fast ; noticing the flqat quiver, I struck, and the rod 

 was nearly dragged out of my hands. " Barbel ! " 

 quoth the fisherman ; " hold him, sir." This I did 

 not do, as I lost my wits with the shock, and the 

 fish tore down stream at his own sweet will. 

 Suddenly he stopped, and on putting on a severe 

 strain, I could not move him. Our puntsman took 



