INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. XVII 



and tenter-hooks — and others yet, harpooning garpikes, as excellent 

 sport, and as scientific fishing, as many more will |>robably deem of 

 hauling the seine, or fishing with the set-line, or the deep-sea line. ^ 

 None of these things come tinder my ideas of fair or sporting fishing ; 

 and the gentlemen who admire these and similar practices, I beg leave 

 to premonish that they will be surely disappointed if they peruse the ~ 

 pages of this work. By omitting to do so, therefore, they wiU spare 

 themselves a displeasure, and the author an animadversion. 



Fresh-water-fishing especially is its subject. Lakes, estuaries, rivers, 

 brooks, its scene ; and the Salmon, in all its varieties, the Pike, the Bass, 

 and the Pearch, the fish with which it will principally deal. All game 

 fish win, however, find a place in its pages ; all those, I mean, which 

 can be, and usually are, taken with the rod and reel ; nor will a few 

 pages be denied to deep-sea fishing ; and to the consideration of some 

 of the finny tribe which visit our rivers and shores, and which, from 

 various causes, such as peculiarity of habit, singularity of structure, 

 excellence on the table, or the like, may appear worthy of a passing . 

 notice, although not coming strictly within the sportsman's category of 

 game fishes. 



All the modes of rod-fishing will be treated of in their places ; but 

 fly-fishing, spinning with the live, and trolling with the dead bait, more 

 especially will be discussed ; as, for my own part, I regard these as 

 the only true and sportsmanlike modes of operation. Bottom-fishing, 

 ground-baiting with the float and sinker, and the like, are doubtless all 

 very well in their way ; and will perhaps, in many instances, even with 

 sporting fishes, be found the most killing, as they are clearly the 

 easiest methods ; while, with other varieties, they are the only modes 

 that can be adopted; still they are to fly-fishing, or spinning the 

 minnow, what shooting sitting is to shooting on the wing ; and the 

 fisher who is proud of lugging out of their native element twenty trout 



