FISHING. 
feathers, with the fofted part of have’s fur, or reddifh 
part of that of a fquirrel, with a little yellow mohair for 
the body. The head is formed of a little fur, Come gold 
twill, and two final 1 black beads for the eyes. The body 
fliould be made full, and round; the wings not parteJ, 
but to (land upright on the back, and fome fmaller fea¬ 
thers continued thence all down the back to the end of 
the tail ; i'o that where you finidi, they may be left a 
little longer than the hook, and the whole to be about 
the fize of a wren. This artifice will often take pike, 
when other baits avail nothing ; it is chiefly ufed in dark 
and windy days; and muft be kept on the furface of the 
water. There are feveral forts of fuch flies to be had at 
the fifiling-tackle (hops in London, as well as all other 
tackle ready fitted to the fportfman’s hand. 
There are other baits belides fifii and frogs that the 
pike will take when on feed ; fuch as worms and fat ba¬ 
con ; they are alfo very often caught with fmall artificial 
water-rats and mice. In the fummer, his bed biting time 
is early in the morning and late in the evening ; but in 
winter he will take at any time of the day. This filh de¬ 
lights in a dill, fliady, and unfrequented water, with a 
fandy, chalkey, or clayey, bottom. Pikes are frequently 
(hot while balking in the fun, by aiming your piece right 
under them ; for there is a great deception in the water, 
betides its caufing the diot to rife much when fired into. 
Perch. —This is alfo a fiflt of prey, very ravenous, 
and a bold feeder, devouring even thofe of its own kind ; 
but they are very good eating. Their haunts are chiefly 
in dreams that are not very deep, and where there are 
weeds or other lurking places ; under hollow banks in 
gravelly bottoms, and at the turning of eddies. In ponds, 
among or near weeds and rudies, and in deep holes between 
weeds or dumps of trees. 
There are many baits recommended for taking the perch ; 
but a worm, minnow, dickleback, or fmall frog, are as 
good as any. The hook fliould be No. 4, 5, or 6, well 
fecured to a drong filk-worm gut, with a (hot or two to 
keep it down. Put the point of the hook in at the head 
of the worm, and out again a little lower than the middle, 
and draw it above the (hank of the hook upon the gut ; 
then take a fmaller one, beginning the fame way, and 
bring the head up to the middle of the (hank only ; then 
draw the firft worm down to the head of the latter, fo 
that the tails may hang one above the other, keeping the 
point of the hook well covered. This is the mod entic¬ 
ing method that can be od'ered in worm-fifiling. Ufe a 
fmall cork float, to keep the bait about a foot from the 
bottom, or fometimes about mid-water. 'I'o draw thefe 
fifii together, take three or four balls of the bed and flitt¬ 
ed clay that can be procured ; make holes in them, put 
one end of a lob-worm into each hole, and clofe the clay 
fad upon them ; then throw them into the water where 
you mean to angle, about a yard or more didarit from 
each other. The worms, being alive in the balls, will, 
move and twifl about, which tempts the fifli to feed upon 
them; but the worms that you angle with being of a fu- 
perior kind, they will, on fight of them, leave thofe in 
the clay, and feize the bait with the greated eagernefs, 
when thus brought upon their feed. If you are out in a 
bad day, and the perch will not be thus brought on to feed, 
flip your float up the line near to the point of your rod, 
or take it off, and fifh for them thus : let down the line 
longer than the rod, or as long ns you can properly throw 
it out, without injuring the worm. Throw it fometimes 
acrofs the water, fometimes up, and at others down, and 
in all directions, drawing the bait towards you, playing it 
with the fame motion as you fpin the minnow ; moving 
and angling in fuch plates as appear mod likely of en- 
furing fuccefs. When a perch takes the bait, (hicken the 
line, and give him time before you firike. If you fifli 
with a minnow, let it be alive ; dick the hook in at the 
back fin or upper lip, and let him fwim in mid-water, or 
a little lower, by means of a cork float, with a few fliot 
on the line within about nine inches of the hook, to keep 
427 
the bait down. When you fifh with a frog, put the hook 
through the (kin of his back, and he will fwim the eafier. 
This way of filliing is bed in the months of May and 
June; for then the perch are roving about in fearch of 
the young fry of the dace, roach, and other fifli. The 
perch bite bed in the latter part of the fpring ; but they 
are to be taken all the year round. 'The bed time to fifli 
for them is, from about half an hour before the even 
hours of the day to half an hour after, except in hot and 
bright weather, and then from fun-rife to fix o’clock in 
the morning ; and in the evening, from fix to fun-fet. 
If the day be cool and cloudy, with a ruffling foutherly 
wind, they will bite all day. 
The Ruff, or Pope. —This fifli fomewhat refembles 
the perch ; but they are much mote admired for the 
richnefs and delicacy of their flavour. They are to be 
found in reclufe places, where the water is deep and runs 
quietly, with a loamy bottom ; and alfo in dill water. 
They affociate in great numbers, and afford good fport to 
a young angler. They mud be tidied for with fine tackle, 
and the hook No. 7, with a cork or quill float; and, hav¬ 
ing, by plumbing, found a level bottom, let the bait juft 
run on the ground, and throw in (ome fmall clay-balls 
with worms, the fame as for perch. The bait mud be a 
fmall vveil-fcoured earth-worm, which is the bed, and in¬ 
deed the only proper bait to take them. They will bite 
all day long, either in the fpring or fummer, efpecially 
if there be a brifk warm wind ; though they will fome- 
tinres bite freely in cold weather. 
The Gudgeon. —Thefe little fifh are, in general, from 
about five to fix inches in length ; but in fome waters 
they run much larger than in others. They are good and 
delicate eating. They delight mod in gravelly and fandy 
ground, and gentle dreams. About the latter end of 
fpring they feek flrallow water, which they continue to 
frequent during the hot months; but all the red of the 
year they are generally taken in deep water, where the 
bottom is fandy and clear. To angle for gudgeons in the 
dtallows, the tackle mud be very fine ; the hook No. 10, 
or 11, with a cork or quill float; and the bait fnould 
touch the ground ; fome, however, prefer a running line 
without a float. The bait is the fmall earth-worm, which 
will take alike fmall perch, ruff, and gudgeon. The 
gudgeon will bite nearly all day long, from the latterend 
of fpring to the beginning of autumn ; they bite bed in 
gloomy warm days, but leld'om begin till about an hour 
after fun-rife, and leave off about an hour before fun-fet. 
The Tench. —The haunts of this delicious filh are 
nearly the fame both in rivers and ponds, being chiefly 
among weeds, and in places that are well (haded with trees 
and nifties. They delight and thrive more in foul than 
in clean water, and are much more numerous in ponds 
and pits than in rivers : though thofe taken in the latter 
are far preferable. The tackle for tench fliould be pretty 
drong, with a cork, fwan, or goofe-quill float ; the hcck 
from No. 3 to No. 6, fccured to a drong (ilk-worm gut 
with two or three fliot. Angle where there are weeds 
about two feet deep, or at mid-water, and fometimes a 
little lower, according as they are in the humour to bite.. 
But if there be not a great quantity of mud in the water, 
ufe fmall clay-balls, as directed for the perch. Thefe 
filh take feveral baits ; but the bed cf all is the fmall 
earth-worm, wafp and chafer maggots, and green cater¬ 
pillar from the boughs of trees. They generally feed at 
the hours of four, eight, and twelve ; but their bed time 
of biting is, late and early, from the middle of April till 
they begin to fpawn, and afterwards in Augufl, and the 
early part of September. 
The Carp.—T his noble frefli-water fifli is found in the 
deeped parts of rivers, where they have been introduced ; 
and in ponds with marly, clayey, or muddy, bottoms, 
well (haded with trees; but they breed much more abun¬ 
dantly in ponds than in any running water; but the river 
carp are greatly preferable to all others.—They are to he 
angled for with a drong rod and line, and with a quill 
x float;, 
