ANGLING
$Hints by an Old Hand.$--When fishing in ponds, lakes, meres, canals,
or in waters where there is no stream, the depth should be carefully
taken the night before, or when ground-baiting, and marked on the rod,
or by measuring the distance from the plummet to the cap of the float
with a piece of cotton or string. If the angler prefers the bait to be
within touch of the bottom, the better plan is to use a self-cocking
float, and always use the finest possible tackle in clear water; but if
an ordinary float be employed, and the novice wishes the bait to lie
six or eight inches on the bottom (a good plan), the lowest shot should
be from 15 in. to 20 in. from the hook. This will neither interfere
with the proper cocking of the float nor with the angler striking, for,
from the moment the fish seizes the bait to the indication of a bite,
the resistance of (at most) two or three small shots is infinitesimal.
If the bottom be at all muddy, then the plummet should be as light as
possible, or into the ooze it will sink, and when this is known to
be the case, the depth may be obtained by the aid of a small pellet
of bread and bran. Should it drop off the hook before the depth is
obtained, the pellet should be made a little stiffer. A piece of "tea
lead" from a tea-chest, or lead wire, similar to that used on the gut
in Lea fishing (some use nothing else), may be carefully tied round the
bottom of the float, to make it cock without using any shots on the
tackle, and painted the same colour as the float, or, failing this, the
usual self-cocking float sold at the tackle-shops may be used.
Gentles should be kept in plenty of damp sand for a few days in an
earthenware pan, biscuit-tin, or tin pail, in a cellar, or any dark,
cool place, when they will be ready for use. The sides of the pan
or tin should not be allowed to get wet, or many of the gentles will
make their escape. They should be kept in what is termed golden sand.
This sand, which should be damp, is almost as fine to the touch as
barley-meal, of a deep rich golden colour, and they will live in it
for days without turning into the chrysalis state, which they do in a
comparatively short time if exposed to the sun--a practice to which
many anglers are addicted, and then wonder the gentles change colour.
It is a great mistake to use silver sand, as it over-scours and makes
them attenuated and hard. I have repeatedly seen them in this state.
So much for sand. The finest gentles I ever saw were obtained from the
best rump steak and a sheep's head, and kept in coarse bran; but for
taking out the black steck or "saddle-back" near the head, and scouring
them until perfectly white, give me the sand mentioned above and plenty
of it.
The weight floats required may be arranged and tested before they are
wound on the winder for final use. This saves the beginner considerable
time and trouble at the water-side. If he has a four-line winder, with
lines already weighted or shotted for roach, perch, bream, tench,
so much the better. A piece of cork about the size and shape of a
Tonquin bean attached to the line may sometimes be used with success
for fishing-swims, within easy distance from the side, in smooth clear
water, near patches of weeds, flags, or candocks, the angler taking
great care to keep out of sight, and to be as still as possible. When
the bean-like piece of cork goes under or runs, strike gently.
Never use long-shanked hooks (the well-known crystal roach hooks, for
instance) for such baits as gentles, cockspur, or small worms, small
pellets of paste, wheat and malt. A considerable portion of the shank
is certain to become bare in a short time, and so prevent the fish from
biting. I have repeatedly seen nearly the whole shank of a crystal hook
bare, and the small worm, gentles, and more especially a grain of creed
wheat, dangling from the bend as a kidney might from a butcher's hook;
and I have an idea that no fish properly constituted would be stupid
enough to be caught under such absurd conditions. I may just mention
in passing, that when fishing with gentles, the last one put on the
hook should have the point to come through the skin of the thick or
tail end, and the twirling thin or head end to hang clear of the hook.
One gentle on a No. 12 or 13 hook will often do the trick, when they
won't look at a bunch of gentles.
Use as small hooks as possible. They will hook a fish, or for the
matter of that, get fast into almost anything, much quicker than large
hooks: they penetrate sooner, hold very fast, and pierce the lips of
such fish as trout, perch, chub, barbel, carp, when a large hook would
not. For instance, the other day I hooked a 3 lb. barbel in the centre
of the upper lip with a No. 10 sneck-bend, and it was quite a job to
extract it. I once saw four splendid chub, all caught with similar
hooks; and on several occasions I have caught good perch with roach
hooks. If the novice will only remember not to allow slack line when
playing a good fish on a small hook, provided the tackle is good and
strong, a fish should seldom escape. Beginners often use hooks three
times too big for the fish they are after, and it goes without saying,
that the smaller the hook the finer the gut should be; for a small
hook on thick, coarse gut is not to be thought of. On the other hand,
never use a too small hook for too large a pellet of paste, with the
hook embedded in the centre, instead of the point just protruding. I
have seen an angler fishing under these conditions for chub with cheese
paste miss five fish out of six, the damson-like pellet being pulled
clean out of the mouth of the chub, without the slightest chance of
hooking the fish.
We will now supplement what our "Old Hand" has told us by other hints.
$Bait and Other Matters.$--We shall not occupy space discussing rods,
and such things. Each boy settles these questions for himself, in
accordance with the money he can spare, after a talk with the dealer
and a contemplation of his wares. Such accessories as landing nets he
leaves generally until he is grown up, and manages very well without
them. He may, however, provide himself with a clearing ring and line,
because he is likely to feel the need for these often. This useful
clearing tackle consists of a number of yards of strong cord, to the
end of which is fastened a heavy ring of lead or brass. If the hook
should get fast in a weed or anything else, this ring is put over the
butt of the rod, and allowed to slip down the line to the hook. The
rod should be held in the right hand, the top pointing downwards,
the clearing-line in the left; the ring falling on the hook from its
weight usually clears the hook. If not, the angler should grasp the rod
firmly, and draw the line sideways, and break away. In this case, he
seldom loses more than a hook; but without the use of a clearing-line
he frequently loses his float as well as his hook and line, and
sometimes breaks his rod. The brass clearing-rings are best, because
they are jointed, and can be used when the angler has a reel on his rod.
An old angler advises that after the young fisherman has made choice
of a place to fish, he should first plumb the depth truly, and with as
little disturbance to the water as may be. If the water be still throw
in small pieces of ground bait; if there is a strong current large
pieces. Keep as far from the water as you can, and go slily to work,
for even the shaking of the bank will frighten some of these fish. The
bait should be dropped into the water quietly. Stand as far from the
edge of the water as possible, and never let your shadow fall upon the
water. When it is possible hide behind a bush or a tree.
In baiting a hook insert the point of the hook near to the top of the
worm's head, and carry it down to within a quarter of an inch of its
tail. To do this you must work up the worm with your left thumb and
finger, while with your right you are gradually pressing the hook
downwards. If too much of the worm hangs loose the fish will seldom
take the whole in their mouth, and will not be hooked. To bait a hook
well with a worm is necessary to ensure catching a fish when you
strike; and it consists in drawing the worm without injuring it quite
over and up the shank of the hook, leaving only a small lively part
of the tail below. If you bait with half a worm, choose the tail end,
and insert the point of the hook into the top part, and bring it down
nearly to the end of the tail, leaving only a very small piece of it
free. If you bait with two worms on the same hook, draw the first up
above the shank, and put the second on in the same manner as directed
with one worm, but insert the hook near the tail of the second worm;
then draw the first one down on the second over the shank of the hook.
RED WORM.--Found with the brandling but not so common. At their best in
tan heaps, but are found also in the banks of ditches and sewers.
MARSH WORMS.--Known also as blue heads. Found in marshes at night,
especially after rain. A good bait for gudgeon, trout, perch, bream,
and grayling.
TAG TAIL.--Tail has a yellow tint. Found in fields in moist spring
weather. Often preferred when the water is muddy, especially for trout.
WATER WORMS.--Found in sedges and at the bottom of dock roots. Turn
up the long slimy moss on weirs for them. They are of a clear bluish
white, occasionally very light purple, becoming red at the head. Fish
eat them voraciously.
ASH GRUB.--Look for these in the bark of trees. They are good for
grayling, dace, roach, or chub.
COW DUNG BAIT.--From May to the end of September these may be found
under cow dung. They are eaten by roach, chub, grayling, and dace.
GENTLES.--The usual term, used in angling, for maggots. Putrid meat,
especially liver, will produce them. They may be obtained from butchers
or fell-mongers. Good for most fish.
LOB WORM.--Sometimes called the dew worm, or the wachel. It is the
ordinary large garden worm. Dig for them if they are needed at once.
If wet straw is strewed upon the ground for a couple of days they will
come to the surface. In the evenings they come out, and a quiet search
with a lantern in gardens, or church-yards, or on lawns will discover
them. They are useful for trout, eels, large perch, barbel, chub, and
salmon.
BRANDLING.--Search for these in chaff pits, old heaps of compost,
rotten tan, sweepings, manure of all kinds and tanners' bark. Good for
trout, grayling, carp, bream, and indeed for almost every fish.
MISCELLANEOUS BAITS.--Cockchafer, black or evening beetle,
grasshoppers, moths, May-flies, caddis worms, bees, caterpillars,
wasp-grubs, baked for half an hour, paste made of bread or cheese.
GROUND BAIT.--In addition to the bait upon the hook the angler usually
strews what is known as ground bait, and so attracts the fish to where
he is angling. It is chiefly by the judicious use of ground baits, and
by fishing at a proper depth, that one angler is more successful than
another, although fishing with the same baits and within a few yards of
each other. If a place can be ground baited frequently fish begin to
come there regularly for food. Care must be taken not to glut the fish,
and the bait upon the hook ought to be more attractive than the bait
flung into the stream. The ground bait most in use includes bran mixed
with clay, and made into balls of about the size of a pigeon's egg. If
the current is strong a stone in the ball may be needed. Another ground
bait is made by cutting the crust from a loaf. Then cut the loaf into
slices each about two inches thick. Put these slices into a deep vessel
of water, and when the bread has been well soaked squeeze it until it
is nearly dry. Add bran and knead the whole until the mixture is as
stiff as clay. This is well adapted for still waters. Another ground
bait is made of barley-meal one part, mashed potatoes three parts,
stiff clay two parts, worked thoroughly well together, but better even
than this is one composed of stiff clay with as much bran as it will
hold without destroying its stickiness. At the water side separate
pieces about the size of the egg of a goose, into which stick a few
worms and gentles. As these drop from the dissolving clay they are
seized on by the fish, who continue to wait in the expectation of more,
and are thus ready to take the angler's bait, especially if it is more
tempting than the ground bait. Boiled malt, barley, wheat, and such
things, mixed with coarse sand to sink them also answer the purpose.
$Trout-fishing.$--In the Easter holidays boys are apt to find it
difficult to decide just what to do. Football is nearly over, cricket
is hardly in. It is still somewhat early for bird-nesting, except for
rooks, and perhaps blackbirds and thrushes.
Just at this juncture the obliging trout come into season, and best of
all, are ravenously hungry. Now is the time for the beginner to try
his hand with the deceitful fly. Do not be discouraged, even if you
have made a dismal failure of it last August. In the summer holidays
it requires a practised hand to take trout with fly; but in April on a
moorland stream a boy may go out and actually have some success on his
first attempt. It will be wiser, certainly, to practise a little first,
in your own garden, with all the tackle except the fly.
By "tackle" I don't mean necessarily a glittering rod, fresh from the
shop, with a brilliant winch and gaudy fittings. It is well to get all
these things if you can afford them, though they should be toned down
before using; but want of money need not prevent a boy from trying his
hand at trout-fishing. A long willow wand, or even a hazel stick will
throw a fly if properly managed; and running tackle is not an absolute
necessity, though in every respect advantageous.
The only things that must be bought are the hooks, and these are very
cheap, as most boys know.
For this time of year your flies should be March browns and blue
uprights, and need not be tied on very fine gut. The outfit that is
required then need cost but a few shillings, but if you can spare more
get a small fishing-basket, and a fly-book, with a stock of flies. Thus
equipped and with good boots you may fish for weeks without needing to
visit a shop.
In order to learn how to throw a fly you should persuade a friend to
show you the way he does it. This need not be at the river, nor need
you tax your friend's time to any great extent. After you have once
learnt the knack practice only is required to enable you to throw a fly
fairly, though it may be years before you can do so well.
This preliminary trial (during which you will have wound the line round
your neck a few times) being over, you can go with some confidence to
the stream. Arrived at the bank, don't peer over to see whether there
are any trout, because if you do there won't be any--at least, not
after you have shown yourself.
If convenient, make for a point some distance down-stream, and work
upwards. By this plan you will have a chance of circumventing the
trout, even if the water be clear, and not rough. In rough or coloured
water these tactics are not necessary, and, in fact, it is as well,
because much easier, to fish down-stream under such circumstances.
Let us take first the case of clear water, not very rough. Keep back
from the edge and stoop a little, taking advantage of any cover, even
the stump of a thistle. Watch for a rise, and, if possible, throw your
fly lightly a little above it, and let it float down over the fish.
Should the fish be extra silly he may take your fly, and then you must
strike, as in bait-fishing, but with less force.
If you are fishing a northern stream, or a Devon or Cornwall brook, you
will find it worth while to go on casting even if you see no rises;
but on Hampshire, or other slow running rivers, the usual plan is to
wait for a rise. But this style of fishing, though practised with some
success by the lucky fellows who are in Winchester School, is not
altogether suited for the restless nature of a boy.
To return to the fish which has taken your fly. Being a little one (for
nothing large would be so silly), he will give you little trouble to
land. Take care, though, to guide him down-stream; which, being below
him, you can easily do. Lift him out as quietly as you can, and lose no
time in getting your flies on the water once more. I say flies, because
you will find it best to use two in ordinary fly-fishing.
The upper fly, or "bob," as it is called, should be two feet or more
from the tail, and should only have about three inches of gut attached
to it, so that it may stick out nearly at right angles with the line.
It should be fastened to a knot in the gut, so that it may not slip up
and down.
There are several ways of fastening it on, but they cannot be fully
explained without diagrams, and a boy of any ingenuity can easily find
out for himself.
The plan most commonly adopted, that of looping it on, though it is
not so neat as a knot, has the advantage of permitting the fly to be
changed easily--a great point when the trout are fickle.
[Illustration]
Having landed your first trout, do not try again in the same place,
but work gradually upwards, trying every likely pool and eddy; but not
casting more than two or three times in one place. If you succeed in
getting two or three little trout on your first attempt in clear water
you may think yourself lucky.
In April 'tis likely enough you may find the water coloured and high.
If it is in flood, or approaching to it, of course the worm or minnow
should be used; but of these anon.
We will suppose the stream to be but little above its usual level,
and of that rich brownish colour so dear to the heart of the angler.
Doubtless a worm or a minnow might still succeed; but a fly will give
abundant sport, and that without requiring a high degree of skill.
Your mode of procedure need not now be so cautious as before described;
and, in fact, you will find down-stream fishing often best in a
coloured water. Throw, then, a long line right across the stream, near
the edge of which you can safely show yourself, and work your flies
across and towards you, striking smartly at any rise. You will often
miss, for in down-stream fishing a strike tends to pull the fly out of
the fish's mouth, besides which the trout, on touching the surface,
having his head towards you, is apt to get a sight of your rod, and to
rise "short."
If the weather and water are both favourable for down-stream fishing,
you will have lots of rises, and some of the fish at least will fasten,
so that you have a chance of getting a dozen or so on a good day, even
before you have acquired any great skill.
The best fly for thick water I have found to be the soldier palmer,
a red fly with gold twist, but it will not always succeed. A March
brown, or a blue upright, or blue palmer with silver twist, may also be
useful. Remember that the thicker the water the larger and more gaudy
the fly may be.
We have to consider the chance of the water being too thick for fly.
Then either minnow or worm will answer, the former in moderately thick
water, and the latter in an absolute flood, unless the water is like
pea soup. The minnow is used on a short line, with a longish rod. It
requires considerable skill, and cannot be practised with safety in
strange water by the beginner, or the minnow will constantly be getting
lost by fouling snags. As minnows are expensive, this is a bad sort of
sport for a boy with limited pocket-money.
It is a favourite, however, with the professional angler in the north,
and _he_ doesn't lose his minnows. It is a treat to see one of these
gentry spin a rough run with his minnow, and take two or three good
trout where an amateur would do nothing but lose tackle.
The best way to learn to spin a minnow is to watch an old hand do it;
but if the stream you fish is free from snags you might find it worth
while to try to learn without such teaching. If so, be careful to keep
the tip of the rod near the water, and, using a short line, to spin
your minnow near the surface. If you get a run don't snatch your minnow
away, but keep it steadily on. Very likely the trout may bite short,
but there is always a good chance that one of the revolving hooks may
catch his jaw. If you do hook a fish get him out quickly, for your
tackle being stout (as it must be for minnow-fishing) will bear the
strain of anything short of a snatch.
To turn to worm-fishing. It is, of course, comparatively easy to
get a few fish with a worm, but it takes a practised hand to take a
basketful, even from thick water. A couple of shot will generally be
enough, and they should be about a foot from the hook, which should
be large, unless you use the Stewart tackle, which consists of two
or three small hooks. A small marsh worm is considered best, but a
brandling or a red worm will answer; or in a flood the tail half
of a lob worm. The worm should be kept rolling along the bottom of
fairly swift water, where the soil is gravelly; and a little time
should be given when you feel a bite. In this way not only are large
trout often taken in a flood, but sea trout, grilse, and sometimes
salmon. A delicate hand is the chief requisite; but much judgment is
also required in deciding which pools to fish, and when to shift your
ground, according to the rising or falling of the water.
There is a sort of worm-fishing which is very different from the
kind just described. The tackle used is much finer, and the method
altogether different. For as it is practised in the clearest water and
in the hottest weather, it is necessary to take great care not to be
seen, and to avoid the slightest possible disturbance of the water. A
very small red worm is used on one or two tiny hooks, and the boy who
can take good trout in this way is as much a skilled angler as any
fly-fisher can claim to be.
$Fishing for Roach.$--Most boys know what a roach is like, so it will
be enough by way of description to say that it is a fish of the carp
tribe, of a silvery colour, and covered with scales. Its fins are of a
pale, pinkish grey, and its mouth is small and soft, suited best for
vegetable food.
The roach grows sometimes to two pounds in weight, but in most rivers
one pound is considered large, whilst in ponds the fish seems to
deteriorate, and swarms of little roach are generally to be seen, but
very few fish of over a quarter of a pound.
In rivers roach should not be killed unless they are seven or eight
inches long; but in ponds, where they are very numerous, it is best to
keep all that are caught. More food is thus left for the remainder.
The roach spawns in May, and is, therefore, out of condition from the
end of April till June or July. It is fattest and most healthy in
autumn and winter, and when caught from a clear river will be found
fairly good eating. Pond roach taste muddy; but before we bring our
fish to table we must learn how to catch it.
The rod should be long, light, and stiff. White cane is best, but is
very dear; and the rods now to be had at many tackle-makers for three
or four shillings will answer nearly as well. They are of Japanese
make, and have no metal on them, which makes them light and cheap,
though less durable than the expensive English rods.
For the line, if roach only are expected, nothing is better than good
single horse-hair. If there are large carp about, fine gut will be
better; but carp do not feed after October. In any case, it will be
found convenient to have a few inches of fine plaited silk for that
part of the line which is next the rod. The float should be as small as
can conveniently be used, and if the fish are very shy, a little rough
bit of stick is sometimes preferable. A porcupine quill is generally
best, and just enough shot to sink it within a quarter of an inch, or
less, of the surface should be put on the line. One of the shot should
be placed within six inches of the hook, and the rest about a foot
higher. The hook should be of fine wire and about No. 12.
It is important to see that the hair or gut on which this is tied is
perfectly round and clear.
With regard to baits, the very best are wasp-grubs; but these are often
unobtainable, and gentles (the maggots of the friendly bluebottle)
answer fairly well. A cleaner and pleasanter bait to use is paste,
made from bread one day old. This should be dipped in water, and
then quickly squeezed dry with clean hands, or in a cloth. In some
rivers--the Ouse for instance--boiled wheat is a very good bait.
In order to find the depth, use a little roll of lead, called a
plummet. This should be attached to the line, close to the hook, by
being partly unrolled, to admit the hook, and then fastened again; and
the depth should be plumbed as soon as the tackle is ready, and before
bait is prepared. The operation necessarily disturbs the fish, and time
must elapse before they will feed. It is desirable to keep well away
from the water while putting your rod together, and, if possible, even
while fishing.
Many roach fishers carry a light square box, or basket, which serves
for a seat. These anglers will sit still for hours, patiently waiting
for the roach to come on; they are often very successful. When a roach
is hooked, the angler retains his seat, and in order to bring the fish
to the net, will remove the butt and second joint of the rod. This is
also done when rebaiting. It is the great length of the rod and the
shortness of the line that makes this necessary. But to return to the
method of fishing: the depth being ascertained, the float should be so
placed that the bait will just touch the bottom at the shallowest part
of the swim, and only a foot of line should be used between the float
and the top of the rod.
Calm weather is best for roach-fishing, as it is easier to see the
bites; but if there is a gentle wind from south or west, sport is often
good.
In summer, evening is much the best, but at this time of year roach
will often feed all day. Let us suppose that you start fishing on a
calm afternoon in February or March, and on reaching the river, which
is free for fishing, wonder where to begin. It is lined with rushes,
but here and there are gaps, and on the banks at some of these points
you notice scraps of ground-bait on the ground, and you also see that
the grass is trampled and worn. This shows that anglers have found the
spot a good one. Seat yourself, or stand quietly near one of these
points, and put your rod together. Then attach your line and plummet as
described, and when all the rest is ready put in a little ground-bait,
some yards above your swim. Chewed bread will do if you have no bran to
mix with it.
If your tackle is in order, and the roach are there, you will have
a nibble before many minutes; but at this stage of your education
it is useless to strike at nibbles. Keep on the alert, and you will
find that if you can manage to strike as the float is sinking, when a
bite occurs, you will hook your fish; not otherwise. A gentle jerk is
enough, as your little hook is sharp, and the roach's mouth soft.
Violence risks breaking the line, and in any case disturbs the fish
unduly.
If the roach is of good size, remember that your tackle is weak, and
play your fish carefully; and don't attempt to get it out, whether with
net or otherwise, till quite exhausted. Even if you have only a small
fish it is well to land him gently, or you will scare others.
When placing the line do not flop it in, but let it sink bait first,
and be prepared for a bite the moment the float cocks, for the first
few seconds are the best. There is also a good chance at the end of
the swim. If there is a stream the top of your rod must follow the
course of the float. The rule, as to only a foot of line above the
float, may be relaxed if the swim is long, for to walk along is most
undesirable; it scares the fish by shaking the banks. You should stand
still, or better sit still while roach-fishing. Even this rule has many
exceptions. If, for instance, the stream is very rapid, the saving in
time effected by following your float may more than compensate for the
disturbance caused by your footsteps.
In swift or flooded streams fish are less easily scared than when the
water is quiet. Under these circumstances a worm is often better bait
than paste, or even than gentles.
Again, in clear water which is swift and not deep it may be desirable
to let out line by using running tackle. In this way you may reach fish
which are too shy to let you get within casting distance of them.
The Nottingham anglers are particularly expert at this sort of fishing,
and use rods and reels which are specially adapted for it. They are
very successful on their own river, the Trent, and have introduced
their style on the Thames, and even the Lea, and have sometimes
taken fish when ordinary fishing was useless. They are very skilful
in casting from the reel without unwinding any line first; but many
different circumstances must be studied before the sort of fishing most
effective can be chosen.
Rules are very necessary; but the young angler will soon find that the
most important thing is to find out when the exceptions, which are so
numerous and important, come in. This can best be learnt by careful
study of the habits of the fish, carried on patiently, day after day,
at the water-side.
$The Fishing Season.$--On June 16th the "close" time comes to an end,
and boys may fish in free water for any kind of fish, from bleak to
barbel.
If we have had a very genial spring, many fish will have finished
spawning and be getting into condition, so that there will be no harm
in taking advantage of legal permission, and beginning to fish as soon
as opportunity occurs.
It will be found that many fish, especially chub and dace, can
be caught much better at this season by flies, either natural or
artificial, than by the usual float and shot system.
A common house fly, used either on the top of the water or sunk by a
single shot, will be found very effective, both for these fish and for
roach, rudd, and bleak. Chub will take any large insect readily, if it
is presented to them in an artistic manner--that is, in such a way that
they can see little of either tackle or angler.
On some parts of the Lea the wooded banks and deep holes afford capital
chances for dapping for chub--a kind of fishing in which a boy with
some patience and ingenuity should be very successful.
No cumbrous tackle is required, only a long, light, and stiff rod, and
two or three yards of medium gut, ending in a foot or two of finer
stuff, with a largish hook, about No. 6 or 7. Running tackle would
seldom be of use, as the awkward places, overgrown by bushes, in which
the best chub are usually hooked, make it very desirable to keep your
line short. If the chub run large (two pounds or more), you will have
to use stout tackle, or even carry a landing net.
If you have a bamboo rod, which is hollow throughout (through the
knots), it is a good plan to pass the line through the middle, instead
of the rings. In this way one disadvantage of using running tackle is
avoided--the rod can be pushed through bushes, etc., without entangling
the line.
Another and more lively plan for chub catching is to whip for them with
the artificial fly; and in this case running tackle is, of course,
necessary.
In the shallower parts of the rivers you will get more dace and bleak
than chub in this way, and very pretty sport it is, only second to
trout-fishing.
When you are trying for roach only, it is best to use a sunk fly, and
to move it up and down very gently. You can feel the roach bite if you
have a delicate hand, but if you find this difficult put on a small
gentle with the fly. This can be seen at a considerable depth, and will
disappear, of course, when the roach takes the fly.
It also forms an additional attraction, and at a pinch will do alone;
but I have found the house fly generally more effective. Single hair is
best for your line, unless you see large chub cruising about, which is
often the case.
In this sort of fishing you can generally watch your quarry, and you
have to be very careful that they do not see too much of you.
It will be found far more interesting than regular bottom-fishing, and
requires more thought and more resource for its successful prosecution.
Among the insects most useful for bait, the grasshopper stands (or
jumps) pre-eminent, but is not often obtainable much before July. The
cow-dung fly has a brilliant yellow colour, which is very fascinating
to roach; and the green caterpillar (to be obtained by tapping the
boughs of oaks) is almost irresistible, especially to trout. The
oak-fly, called also "the up and down fly," from the position it
always assumes on the oak trunk, is equally attractive, and no doubt
would be appreciated also by other fish.
The hottest and calmest weather is best for this sort of fishing, as it
is usually worst for the other sorts.
In case the day should be windy or otherwise unsuitable for dapping,
and yet the season too early to fish the deeps, a good plan is to put
on a very small quill float, and one shot; and, using a No. 10 or 11
hook and a single gentle, to fish the shallow gravelly runs from as
great a distance as you can manage.
The "Nottingham" method is very useful for this purpose. This consists
in using a free running wooden reel, and a light line, and throwing
from the reel. It is difficult, but very useful on open rivers, where
fishing fine and far off is essential.
Of course, you have to fish down-stream by this method, and will
often miss your fish when striking; but that is better than getting
no bites--the usual result of fishing under your nose at this time of
year. Occasionally you may get hold of a barbel in this way, when using
gentles for bait; and, if so, it will not be easy to land him, though
he is not so strong now as he would be later on.
Bream-fishing will be coming on before long, and the early boy will get
the bream. Before sunrise is the best time, and for this fish-tackle of
a different sort is required. A strong rod with rings is useful, and
the gut and reel line may be stout.
If the water is deep, use a long float and fairly heavy lead, and fish
on the bottom with a worm (a small lob by preference) on a large hook.
Put in ground-bait, over-night if possible, and lose no time when
fishing. A three-pound bream can be got out in two minutes, and twenty
or thirty may thus be had in an hour or two of early morning, and,
perhaps, not another all day, though in the Norfolk broads I've known
the bites continue till mid-day.
Roach-fishing proper is not in season till August, and has been
described in these pages.
Jack should be let alone for a month or two yet, and perch are scarcely
in order.
In conclusion, let me suggest that all fish found to be out of
condition should be gently returned to the water.