423 
F I S H I N G. 
float, the hook No. 3 or 4, fecured to a good filk-wortn 
gut, on which mud be fattened one or two (hot, about a 
foot from the hook. Be careful to keep out of fight as 
much as poffible, and lay the line gently into the water. 
When it is defirable to take many fifli, you fhould have 
three rods; one with the bait about mid-water, another 
about a foot or lefs from the bottom, and the third to lie 
on the ground. You fhould, the night before, bait the 
places in which you intend tcfifh, with ale-grains, blood, 
and broken worms, incorporated with clay. This is the 
bed ground-bait that can podibly be ufed for them ; and 
the hook-baits fhould be the fame as thofe recommended 
for tench. A fure method to take carp, is with green 
peafe, when in feafon ; they fhould be boiled foftifh, but 
not fo much as to break the (kin ; throw a few of them 
into the water where you angle, and put one of them on 
your hook fo as to fwim near a foot from the bottom ; 
and when you have a bite, drike immediately. There is 
another pleafing way of angling for them ; which is, by 
tiling a fine line, and baiting either with a fmall earth¬ 
worm, a green caterpillar, or a cadbate. The line fnould 
be without float or (hot, thrown out gently, in the fame 
manner as in fly-fifhing for trout, and mud be drawn to¬ 
wards you, fo as to keep the bait a little under water ; 
but always contrive, if pofiible, to let the bait fall on, 
tlie leaves of docks or weeds that fwim on the furface of 
the water; then draw it off very gently, ajid you will 
frequently find the carp take it immediately on its drop¬ 
ping into the water. Carps are in general very difficult 
to take, on account of their fagacity and cunning ; fo that 
there is often a neceflity of exercifing the virtue of patience 
when yon fport for them. When you hook a carp, give 
him play enough, or he jyill break the tackle, being not 
only drong, but a great druggler. His biting-time is early 
and late, particularly in the warm months ; but in rainy 
feafons they may be taken at all times of the day. 
The Chub, or Chevin. —This fidi much refembles 
the carp, but is of a longer form. Its haunts are chiefly 
in rivers whofe bottoms are fandy or clayey ; in deep holes 
among rocks, and under hollow banks; in thofe that are 
fhaded with trees, weeds, &c. and fometimes in dreams 
and deep water where the current is drong; they are alfo 
found very large in ponds through which rivulets pafs. 
They are in bed feafon in the winter months, which is 
the only defirable time to angle for them. 
They mud be fidied for with a long rod, and a drong 
line, having a yard or more of the dronged filk-worm gut 
at the bottom; the hook proportioned in fize to that of 
the bait which you ufe; a fwan-quill float, and the line 
(hotted about eight or ten inches from the hook, fufficient 
to (ink the quill, except about a quarter of an inch ; ufe 
the fame ground-bait as for tench and carp, and bait your 
hook with a fufficient quantity of the hard roe of a fal- 
mon boiled a little, to fill the bend properly; which is 
an excellent bait when rightly managed. They will take 
the wafp or chafer maggots, or pafie made of new fine 
white bread without being made wet, worked up in the 
hand, and coloured with vermilion as near as pofiible to 
that of the falmon’s roe; this pafie will not eafily wafti 
oft'tIte hook, and is the mod killing bait of the kind that 
can be ufed. But the bed bait for bottom or flo'at-fifiling 
is, old Chefhire cheefe, and the pith or marrow from the 
vertebrae of an ox or cow, with the outward membrane 
taken od' carefully, fo as not to bruife the inward (kin. 
They will take the former of thefe two at all times of 
the year; but the bed time to ufe them both is during 
the winter. When you bait with the cheefe, put a large 
round lump about the fize of a cherry on a large hook, 
to cover the bend, and fome way up the fliank. Fifli about 
half a foot from the bottom, or you may let your bait lie 
on the ground, particularly in cold raw weather; but if 
you do not put ground-bait in the Hole, you may fifli at 
anv depth you pleafe. When you have a bite, the float 
will very fwiftly be drawn under water; then drike im¬ 
mediately; but give him play enough, holding a tight 
line, to keep him clear of weeds or dumps, which he will 
endeavour to reach for (belter. Thefe fifh are often caught 
by the common method of fly-fifliing, with a long line and 
artificial fly. Their biting-times are chiefly before fun- 
rife till eight or ten o’clock in the morning, or from four 
till after fun-fet in the evening, but chiefly in the middle 
of the day in winter, when they are in mod perfection. 
The Rud. —This fifh is called very delicate, and much 
efteemed ; perhaps becaufe very fcarce. Their haunts 
are chiefly in gentle dreams, and deep dill waters, where 
the bottom has a kind of dimy mud, fund, or fine gravel, 
and among weeds; and in other waters, in holes among 
the weeds. They are always in feafon, except in the time 
of fpawning, which is in April, v\hen they fwim in fhoals, 
cading their fpawn among the weeds that grow in the 
water.—They mud be fidied for with pretty drong tackle, 
having a quill float, and a hook proportioned to the bait 
you angle with, ground-baiting the hole the fame as for 
chub, and filhing about the fame depths, except on the 
ground. Their baits, in this way, are a fmall earth-worm, 
wafp-maggot, caddis, or the pafle before mentioned. 
When you fifh among weeds, have no float nor (hot, and 
ufe the worm or other bait a little under water. They 
may be taken either with natural or artificial flies, by 
whipping with a long line, or dibbing with a (hort one. 
Their beftkitrng times are, in warm bright weather, either 
very early, or quite late ; but in the winter, the middle of 
the day is bed. This fifli, when hooked, druggies hard, 
and requires time in landing. 
The Bream.— This fidi is little efteemed, being very 
bony, and the flefh foft and dry. It neverthelefs affords 
good fport to the angler, who choofes to fidi for annife- 
nient, rather than for the delicacies of the table. They 
delight modly in gentle dreams, and in the deeped and 
broaded parts, near weeds, where the bottom is clay or 
fand ; and in ponds, in the mod quiet, wide, and deeped, 
water. They begin to fpawn about the end of June, and 
are bed in feafon when full of roe. The bed baits for 
this fifh are the red pafle, wafp and chafer maggots, the 
fmall earthworm, and the grafshopper, in June and July. 
The bream is a drong fifli, and runs hard when firfl 
ho.oked ; but after two or three turns he will fall on his 
fide, when you may bring him to land with eafe. The 
bed angling-for bream is when the water is a little thick 
after rains, for at fuch times they will take the bait all 
day long. 
The Roach. —This fifli is much better in fome rivers 
than in others ; but there are none of them good in ponds. 
They are taken in fome rivers nearly two pounds in w eight; 
but the bed fize for eating is about half a pound ; they 
are then, if caught in rivers, bothTweet and delicate. 
They delight in gentle running dreams, and in holes that 
are well fliaded, the bottom fine gravel, fand, or a (limy 
marl. In the fummer they frequent more (hallow water, 
about the tails of fords, under banks, and among weeds, 
particularly when the water is thick. They fpawn in 
May, begin to be in feafon in July, and continue fo till 
near their time of fpawning again, but are bed in the 
winter months. 
The bed way of angling for roach is the following : 
let the rod be proportioned to the place you fifli in, rather 
flilf, and fuch as will drike true ; your line about a foot 
lliorter than the rod, pretty drong at the top, and taper 
to the bottom, which mud be a fine filk-wortn gut, of a 
water-colour; the hook No. 8, 9, or 10. Put one fmall 
(hot on your line about a hand’s length from the hook, 
and the reft large, clofe together, about four or five inches 
higher up, (ufiicient fo to (ink the fwan-quill float, as 
that you may jufi difcern the top of it above water. If 
you fifli where there is a tide, or when the water is on 
the rife or fall, you mud be careful to plumb now and 
then, and keep your depth, as near as pofiible as above 
directed. When you have taken the depth, lay afide the 
rod, and throw in three balls of ground-bait, about the 
fize of an egg each, with a fmall done in the middle to 
li 11k 
