IC-NR 
 
 *B 271 
 
I ft K I I E Y 
 
 GENERAL 
 LIBRARY 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 CM1FORNIA 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

E9BK 
 
 IS K 
 
THE MODERN ANGLER; 
 
 COMPRISING 
 
 ANGLING IN ALL ITS BRANCHES : 
 
 BEING THE RESULT OF MORE THAN THIRTY YEAR'S PRACTICE 
 AND STRICT OBSERVATION; TOGETHER WITH REMARKS 
 ON THE VARIOUS RIVERS IN ENGLAND, 
 SCOTLAND, AND WALES 
 
 IN TWO PARTS. 
 
 PART I. Describingthe Materials necessary for Making Artificial Flies and Palmer 
 Worms ; with a choice list of the most killing Flies on the various Waters of 
 Great Britain and Ireland, and the different seasons for using them; including 
 Natural Fly-fishing ; with the Author's Remarks on the subject. 
 
 PART II. A Full Description of the different kinds of Fish taken by angling ; their 
 Haunts, Seasons, Spawning Times, Baits, Biting Times, and how to Angle 
 for each kind ; with tho Names of the Principal Rivers in the Three Kingdoms, 
 the Counties through which they Run, and the different kinds of Fish each 
 river contains. 
 
 THE WHOLE FORMING A WORK OF REAL UTILITY. 
 
 ILLUSTRATED WITH COPPER-PLATE ENGRAVINGS- 
 
 BY JAMES WALLWORk 
 
 Entered at stationers 1 Hall. 
 
 MANCHESTER: 
 PRINTED BY JAMES CHEETHAM, No. 11, CROSS STREET, 
 
 For the Publisher, and sold by him at his residence, Furnaee-hill, Dukinrieid. 
 
 Bound in Calf, 10s., Half-calf, 7s. 
 
 1847. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 THE art of angling has been practised for ages past, and at times we 
 find the most experienced anglers at fault, though being more practised 
 than their less fortunate brethren, sooner recover their position in 
 the silent warfare. Being strongly urged by some of my friends to pub- 
 lish a treatise on this most innocent and recreative amusement, I have 
 complied with their request, and now lay before the lovers of the rod 
 and line more than thirty year's experience, in as concise and lucid a 
 manner as my humble abilities will allow. I should have hesitated to 
 follow the different writers on this subject, had I not been confident there 
 was room for improvement a few of which, I believe, I have been able 
 to supply. You will find that the flies and baits, and the different 
 methods of angling that I shall in the course of this work enumerate, 
 will take salmon, trout, grey ling, pike, or other fish, in any river 
 in the united kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland, if care and 
 strict attention be paid to the precepts I shall put forth. 
 
 The system I have laid down in the course of this work for making 
 the different flies, will supersede any thing of the sort that I have seen 
 in any previous publication. There is one particular point I wish to 
 
 draw attention to, viz., the method I take to strip the feather with 
 which I make the winged fly, for by that means the wings will be 
 parted when the fly is made, without the trouble of whipping the silk 
 
 across two or three times, which I have seen recommended, and will 
 be a much neater fly, and swim a great deal lighter. 
 
 All the rules that I have laid down are so plain and explicit, that 
 
 the young angler will find no difficulty in ascertaining the full meaning 
 
 of my views, and the best of anglers will have some good pickings from 
 
 the labours of their humble servant, 
 
 THE AUTHOR 
 
 M846483 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 IN the first part of this work I shall give a description of the materials 
 requisite for the artificial flies, palmers, and beetles, and the best me- 
 thods for making them. You must note that my flies are not encum- 
 bered with much dubbing, (as I have so seen it recommended) but is used 
 very sparingly, the silk being as near the colour of the fly's body as 
 I can get it, and the dubbing is to give it the requisite shade, and that 
 transparent appearance which is observable in most of the flies ; there- 
 fore I dispense with the bear's hair and hog's down, which some mix in 
 their dubbing, for they require something to keep their flies from 
 sinking, when we look at the quantity of dubbing they use for the 
 thick bodies of their flies. Neatness is to be observed in all your 
 flies and tackle, and be rather under than over nature in the size of 
 them. The salmon flies alone, in a great measure, are to be made 
 gaudy, and according to the angler's fancy ; but as I shall treat more 
 largely upon them in the course of this work, I will say no more about 
 them at present. 
 
THE 
 
 MODERN ANGLER- 
 
 PART I* 
 
 CHAPTER 1. A FEW REMARKS ON FLY-FISHING, AND THE 
 MATERIALS THAT ARE REQUISITE FOR MAKING ARTIFICIAL 
 FLIES; AND THE BEST METHODS OF MAKING THEM. 
 
 I COMMENCE first with fly-fishing, because I consider it 
 the most recreative and amusing ; for the angler is not 
 confined to any particular part of the river, but follows 
 the stream in all its windings, through embowering 
 groves and rocky glades, where the waters are bounding 
 from rock to rock in a variety of fantastic forms throw- 
 ing the spray (that reflects through the sun's rays all the 
 various hues of the rainbow,) all around, at the same 
 time giving out a refreshing coolness that amply repays 
 the angler for any inconvenience he might experience in 
 obtaining such a wished-for retirement, and opens an 
 ample field for the meditative mind to ponder upon the 
 glorious and wonderful works of a bountiful Creator ; 
 the solemnity of the scene, together with the continual 
 buz from myriads of insects, and the water's ruffled 
 surface, formed by the bounding trout, give to the heart 
 of the angler such feelings of delight, which are far be- 
 
6 ON FLY-MAKING. 
 
 yond the power of words to express, and which, I believe, 
 no other mortal ever experienced. Even now, whilst I 
 vainly attempt to describe the effect that such scenes 
 have upon a true lover of the angle, my heart feels 
 ready to bound from its narrow tenement and flee to 
 those sylvan scenes wherein I have spent hundreds of 
 happy hours. 
 
 MATERIALS FOR MAKING ARTIFICIAL FLIES. 
 In the first place you must provide a quantity of feathers 
 as follows : Young grouse, from under the wings, that are 
 of a, fine dark dun or lead colour; as the bird grows older 
 these feathers change to a white', then they are of no use. 
 But if it be a young cock, you will find some fine spotted 
 brown feathers upon each side of the breast, which will 
 be found of great service. An old cock has excellent 
 feathers on the back and but of his wingg ; likewise those 
 red ones from the throat and breast. Feathers from the 
 woodcock, both under and over the wings ; snipes, from 
 under the wings, which are of a fine dun ; fieldfare and 
 thrush-wings ; starlings, both wings and body ; swifts 
 (by some called long-wings and by others squealers; 
 they are a large species of swallow, of a dirty brown 
 colour ;) Cuckoos, from the back ; partridges, from the 
 back and tail ; young pigeons, from the but of the wing, 
 of a fine light blue dun colour ; sea-swallows, from the 
 back and wings ; mallards, herons, blackbirds, from the 
 but of the wings ; buff and blue dun hen-feathers, from 
 the back and but of the wing (pullets are the best, be- 
 cause they are much smaller than old ones) ; landrails, 
 
ON FLY-MAKING. 7 
 
 plover-wings; do t trail-wings ; merlin-hawk, from back 
 and wings; torn-tit tails; the mottled feathers of a tur- 
 key; feathers from udder the peahen's wings; golden 
 pheasant feathers; and many foreign birds afford good 
 feathers for the salmon -flies ; also wren-tails and a vari- 
 ety of other birds ; indeed, there is scarcely a bird that 
 flies but you may find useful. 
 
 DUBBING. 
 
 FOR DUBBING you must provide lamb's-wool and 
 mohair of all colours ; squirrel-fur (you will find where 
 I mention orange-wool for dubbing in some of the brown 
 flies, that the red squirrel will answer as well ;) hare's 
 ear, face, and back of the neck ; water-rat ; buffferrit; 
 martin's yellow fur (the buff ferrit will be equal to the 
 martin's yellow fur when dipped in a liquid which I shall 
 hereafter mention ;) blue rabbit's-fur ; turkey-carpets 
 have a great variety of good colours ; gold and silver- 
 twist , pheasant' s-tail feathers ; hackles of all colours 
 from the head and neck of the domestic cock ; harl from 
 the long tail-feathers of the peacock, ostrich, harl, &c. 
 
 SILKS of all colours, such as weavers call suits or 
 weft, which is much better than sewing-silk : it will be 
 required to be folded three or four times, and may be 
 had at most of the silk manufactories ; fine round horse- 
 hair and silkworm gut, shoemaker's wax, and hooks of 
 various sizes. If there be anything which I have omitted, 
 add it to your collection as soon as you have dis- 
 covered it. 
 
 The materials for making the fly are poetically 
 
8 ON FLY-MAKING. 
 
 described by Mr. Gay, in the following lines: 
 
 "To frame the little animal, provide 
 All the gtoy hues that wait on female pride ; 
 Let nature guide thee sometimes golden wire 
 The finning hellies,pf the fly require ; 
 The peacock's plume thy tackle must not fail 
 Nor the dear purchase of the sable's tail 
 Each gaudy bird some slender tribute brings, 
 And lends the growing in sect proper wings ; 
 Silks of all colours must their aid impart, 
 And every fur promote the fisher's art." 
 
 As small hooks and feathers are apt to cramp the 
 fingers, I have provided a small vice and pair of tweezers; 
 the former to hold the hook, and the latter to hold the 
 feathers. To make the vice, provide a piece of steel or 
 iron half an inch broad, eighth of an inch thick, and five 
 inches long ; double it so that the ends be brought 
 level and the sixteenth of an inch asunder ; then fix a 
 screw three-quarters of an inch from the point, and it 
 will be complete. To make the tweezers, take a piece of 
 brass or iron wire the eighth of an inch thick, four or five 
 inches long, flatten the ends of it, and double it some- 
 thing like a pair of sugar-tongues with the ends crossed 
 oyer each other ; file the sides so that the ends will fit 
 close, and open when pressed with the finger and thumb. 
 You will find these of great service, not only in holding 
 the hook and feather, but in keeping the silk clean as it 
 ought to be. In the next place provide some strong 
 round horse hair or fine silk- worm gut, though I prefer 
 using the hair, as beingso much lighter and not freying like 
 gut. A pocket-book is indispensable to hold your vari- 
 ous kinds of tackle. 
 
ON FLY-MAKING. 
 
 WINGED AND HACKLED FLIES, PALMER WORMS. 
 
 In the next place I will describe to you the method 
 of making both WINGED and HACKLED FLTES, together 
 with the PALMER WORMS. We will now consider that 
 you have got all the materials requisite for making the 
 fly; such as a patridge's feather from the back, with the 
 downy part stripped off, and just as much feather left 
 as will make the wings. Hold the tip of the feather be- 
 tween the finger and thumb of your right hand, and 
 draw the fibres back with your loft hand so that they 
 stand the contrary way; take a quarter of a yard 
 of fine pale orange silk, and with a bit of shoemaker's 
 wax, rub about two inches at one end ; fix a num- 
 ber 1 hook in the vice with the point downwards and the 
 shank towards your right hand, then with the waxed 
 end of your silk give two or three laps round the hook, 
 and take your gut or hair, putting one end under the 
 shank better than half way, give a few laps round both 
 hook and hair till it comes to the end of the shank and 
 about two laps towards the bend to form the head of 
 the fly, then take the feather and put the tip end on the 
 back of the hook where you left the silk, keeping the 
 root end towards your right hand, and that side up that 
 grew downwards on the bird, lap your silk three times 
 round the feather, gut, and hook, then cut off the tip of 
 the feather that lies beyond the last lap of the silk, and 
 place the finger and thumb close to the feather, still 
 holding the vice in the left hand, and with the tweezers 
 take hold of the root end of the feather, keeping the in- 
 side towards the left hand, then with the right, lap it 
 
10 ON FLY-MAKING. 
 
 round the hook, keeping the laps close together till all 
 the fibres are wound on the hook, then with two or three 
 laps of the silk fasten the root end of the feather and 
 cut it off ; again lap the silk till you come near the 
 bend of the hook, keeping the fibres of the feather from 
 under the silk by drawing them back with your mouth ; 
 take a small bit of fur from the back of a hare's 
 neck and twist it rouud the silk very sparingly, so that 
 the silk will show through it ; lap till you come to 
 the wings, and with two halches fasten ; cut off the 
 the silk, and the fly is completed, and one that will 
 kill nearly throughout the season from the middle of 
 May to the end of October. This fly I call the par- 
 tridge-rump and a hackle-fly. 
 
 We will now try to make a WINGED one. In the 
 first place take the quill feather, say from the starling's 
 wing, fix and,] use* your silk and gut as in the 
 other [fly, (only the silk must be a dark instead of a 
 light orange) then take your feather after stripping the 
 down from it, and separate from the other part as much 
 as will make the wings, then with your finger and 
 thumb divide that part you intend for the wings back- 
 ward, so that each wing will be equal and lie back to 
 back, strip it from the stem, hold it firm, and place 
 the root end of the feather towards the bend and on the 
 back of the hook, then with the finger and thumb of your 
 left hand hold the root end of the feather secure till with 
 the finger and thumb of your right hand you whip the 
 silk two or three times round towards your left hand, 
 then cut off the root and whip down to near the bend of 
 
ON FLY-MAKING. 11 
 
 the hook, take one strand of a peacock's tail feather 
 and whip your silk once or twice round it ; lap the 
 strand three times round the tail, secure it with your 
 silk, and clip off the end, then wind your silk round till 
 you come to the fastening on of the wings, and with 
 the finger and thumb of your left hand, take the wings 
 (which have till now been lying with the points towards 
 your right hand) and turn them towards the bend of 
 the hook and hold them down ; after which, with the silk 
 give two or three laps round the head, so as to make the 
 wings lie down in their proper place, give one lap 
 under the wing, then take a small red hackle, strip the down 
 from the root end, place it under the wings with the 
 root towards the bend of the hook, and that side up 
 which grew downwards on the bird, then give three 
 laps over the root end with your silk and cut it 
 off, then with your tweezers take hold of the tip of the 
 feather and whip it two or three times round under the 
 wings, then with your silk fasten it by two or three laps, 
 cut the tip end of your feather off, fasten your silk with 
 two halches, and the fly is completed, which I call the 
 red ant. The hook, a No. 1. 
 
 Now for the PALMER WORM. Take your hook No. 
 2 ; (though in some cases you might use a larger one} fix 
 it in your vice as before, then take half a yard of red 
 silk, wax it gently all over, then take it by the middle and 
 lap one end three or four times round the shank of the 
 hook towards your right hand ; put your gut on as 
 before, then whip your silk to near the bend of the hook, 
 and take the strand of a peacock's tail feather, (which I 
 
12 ON FLY-MAKING. 
 
 call peacock-harl,) fasten one end with the silk, then 
 twist it round the silk and lap both silk and harl nearly 
 to the shank end of the hook, fasten the harl and cut off 
 that part which is too long ; tiien take a fine red cock 
 hackle, strip off the down, and put the root end on the 
 head with the light side up and the tip towards your 
 right hand, fasten it well down with the silk, and with 
 two halches fasten the silk and cut it off ; then with 
 your tweezers take hold of the tip of the feather 
 and wind it round the hook and harl until it comes 
 to near the bend of the hook where you left the other 
 end of the silk, and let your tweeters hang down till 
 with two laps of the silk you fasten the end of the feather, 
 cut off the tip end, and with two halches fasten the silk, 
 cut of the end, and it is completed, and will kill most of 
 the summer months in any river in England. 
 
 BRACKIN-CLOCK. 
 
 We will now make a BRACKIN-CLOCK, a fly of the 
 beetle tribe. There are a many kinds, some with black, 
 others brown or red wings; most of them have a black 
 body and dun wings under the husk, which starts out at 
 the tail of the fly, some not being able to cover them when 
 they fall on the water ; therefore when you make 
 the black ones, put a few dun fibres from the wing of a 
 starling on the tail when you tie on the husk, so that it 
 will stand a little beyond the wings ; the red ones are 
 always covered when at rest. Now to begin, fix in your 
 vice a No. 1 hook, then wax about a foot of green silk, 
 proceed as in the palmer-worm until the fastening 
 on of the wings, only you must whip on a strand of black 
 
ON FLY-MAKING. 13 
 
 Ostrich harlj as well as peacock harl, then take 
 the red tail feather of a partridge and strip of as much as 
 will make the husks, then with the root end towards 
 your right hand and the light side up, with the end of 
 the silk that lies at the bend of the hook whip down the 
 root end of the feather and clip them off, then take the 
 tip of the feather in the finger and thumb of your right 
 hand and bend it back till it comes to the end of the 
 shank where the other end of the silk lies, hold them firm 
 with the finger and thumb of your left hand, and whip 
 them down ; you have now one end whipt down at the bend 
 of the hook and the other end at the shank ; clip off the 
 ends, fasten the silk, clip off the end, and your fly is com- 
 pleted. This fly kills very well at times during most part 
 
 of the season. 
 
 SALMON FLIES. 
 
 We will now make a SALMON FLY. In the first place 
 you must get a No. 10 hook, (though some are larger and 
 some smaller. Hooks for salmon-flies should be stronger than 
 those for trout,) hold it between the finger and thumb 
 of your left hand, or in the vice, take about twelve 
 or fourteen inches of red or brown silk of a proper thickness, 
 wax it from end to end, then hold the silk by the middle 
 with your right hand, letting about four er five inches of it 
 hang down between the finger and thumb of your left hand, 
 whip four or five times round the shank end of the hook 
 with that part you hold in your right hand, and take about 
 two inches of strong gut, double the ends together and lay 
 them on the shank of the hook so that the loop will pro- 
 ject a quarter of an inch from the shank end, then with 
 
 c 
 
14 ON 
 
 the long end of the silk whip it securely down to 
 near the bend of the hook, then take a bit of dark red or 
 brown mohair, or wool, sufficient for the body of the fly, lay 
 one end of it upon the shank of the hook within the eighth 
 of an inch from the shank end, fasten it down with three or 
 four laps of the silk you left hanging there, then wind the 
 dubbing round the hook, pretty thick where you begin, 
 and tapering down to near the bend of the hook, fasten 
 that end down with the silk you left hanging ; if there 
 be more dubbing than is required, cut it off, then take a 
 piece of gold flattened wire, fasten one end with the silk 
 you Isft at the 'shank of the hook, then wind the wire 
 round the dubbing, but not very close together, till it comes 
 to where you left the other end of the silk, and fasten it 
 down ; next get a fine dark red cock hackle, strip 
 off the down from the thick end, then place that end on the 
 hook near to the shank, with that side up which grew next 
 to the bird, fasten it down with the silk you left at that end, 
 aud wind it neatly round the body of the fly rather close 
 where you begin, then even between the laps of the wire 
 till it comes to the end of the body, then fasten that end 
 down with the silk you left at that end, and take a small 
 bit of mohair half an inch long, of a yellow or red colour, 
 place it on the back of the hook at the tail end of the body, 
 fasten one end of it down with three or four laps of the 
 silk, then whip two or three laps under it, fasten the silk 
 with two or three halches and cut it off ; see that the body 
 and hackle lie neat and straight on the hook j if there be 
 any loose or straggling ends, cut then? off. You must now 
 get a fine mottled feather from a turkey, and after separa- 
 
ON FLY-MAKING. 16 
 
 ting from the other part as much as will do for the wings, 
 take hold of it with the finger and thumb of your left hand, 
 doubling it inwards so that each wing will lie inside to in- 
 side, then strip it from the stem, and place them upon the 
 back of the hook with the root end of the feather to the 
 end of the shank, then with that end of the silk you still 
 have hanging, whip them down with four or five laps, 
 and cut the root ends off, then whip to the end of the 
 shank, and that will form the head, whip back again and 
 separate the wings, then fasten the silk with two or three 
 halches ; cut off the end and the fly is completed. This 
 fly may be varied by lapping peacock and ostrich harl 
 round the body ; others by lapping it round the head ; and 
 others again round the head and tail ; and some by lapping 
 the same kind of dubbing round the head that you made 
 the body with. As I shall not class the salmon-flies with 
 those of the trout, I will here give you a list of those best 
 adapted for general use. The flies which are numbered 
 refer to those in the Engraving. 
 
 No. 1 . This fly must be made as follows : The body 
 is made of two colours of wool or mohair, a small portion 
 of blue under the wings and near the tail, the remaining 
 part black, with gold twist and a black cock hackle, wound 
 round the body, warped with red silk ; tail, red ; wings, the 
 fine mottled feather of a turkey. 
 
 No. 2. The body dubbed with blue and yellow mohair, 
 mixed with a little yellow towards the tail, warped with 
 red silk, gold flattened wire, and a black cock hackle under 
 the wings, and a ginger or buff one down the body, with 
 a light mottled grey feather from a mallard. 
 
16 ON FLY-MAKING. 
 
 No. 3. Body dubbed under the wings with brown and 
 red mohair or wool mixed together, the middle of the body 
 black and towards the tail light brown, the tag of the tail 
 red, warped with brown silk, ;old twist, and a dark red 
 cock's hackle ; the wings are made with the feather from a 
 turkey of a pale buff colour and large black spots. 
 
 No. 4. The body dubbed with dark red wool under 
 the wings, the remaining part of the body black with a deep 
 orange tag at the tail, warped with brown silk, silver twist, 
 and a black cock's hackle ; the wings are made with a black 
 feather of the turkey, tipt with white at the ends. 
 
 No. .'). Body dubbed with bright brown wool or m<3- 
 hair, warped with red silk, gold twist, and a red cock's 
 hackle, with three laps of copper-coloured peacock's harl 
 round the tail and head, the tag of the tail a bright orange 
 colour ; the wings are made with the brown spotted feather 
 of a mallard. 
 
 The next is made as follows : The body is dubbed with 
 fur from the back of a hare, neck warped with brown silk ; 
 copper-coloured peacock harl and a deep red cock's hackle 
 for legs, the tag of the tail yellow mohair ; the wings are 
 made with a darkish brown speckled feather of a bittern's 
 wing. 
 
 The next fly is made with light brown and gold-coloured 
 mohair mixed for the body, warped with gold twist and 
 red silk, with a red head and orange tail, the wings are 
 made with the mottled feather of a peacock's wing, the legs 
 are made with a black and a red cock's hackle ; warp the 
 black hackle on before the red one. 
 
 The body of the next fly is made with lead-coloured 
 
ON FLT-MAKING. 17 
 
 mohair, lead-coloured silk warped with gold twist, and a 
 cock's hackle dyed a deep blue, the head and tail same 
 colour as the body ; it must have two pair of wings, the 
 undermost made with part of a red brown mottled feather 
 from a mallard, and the uppermost with the blue feather of 
 a heron. 
 
 You may begin the season with these flies, and indeed 
 you may use them successfully to the end, though in the 
 warmer months, Salmon often fancy something more showy ; 
 therefore you must provide for them. Your flies then 
 must be dressed in the most glittering plumage that can be 
 produced ; both foreign and British birds will be called into 
 requisition to make their gaudy wings ; their bodies must 
 be adorned with gold, silver, and all the richest colours of 
 silk; whatever they take them for I cannot say, though 
 there are many colours of dragon flies, and some say they 
 are taken for them and for butterflies. 
 
 These flies must be made upon smaller hooks than the 
 others, though there is no particular size for them, for some 
 may be made larger and some smaller than those in the en- 
 graving. 
 
 The loop at the head of the fly is to loop the end of 
 your lash or bottom ; for you must only use one at a 
 time, and by being looped you can soon change it if it should 
 not answer to your liking. 
 
 All fish of the salmon kind will take these flies, and 
 sometimes large trout will rise at them. 
 
 I have now given you a description of most of the ma- 
 terials requisite for artificial fly-making ; these, together 
 with your own observations, if neatness be observed, will in 
 
18 ON FLY-MAKING. 
 
 a short time make you a good and skilfull fly-maker. In 
 the next chapter I will give you a description of the diffe- 
 rent flies with which I am acquainted, and the best method 
 ot dubbing them ; together with^the different seasons for 
 using them from the beginning of March to the end of 
 October. I shall begin with March, though it will not be 
 so pleasant, nor your sport so general, as in April, for 
 then 
 
 COLD WINTER'S PAST. 
 
 Cold winter's past, the spring is here, 
 
 The brooks are frozen now no more ; 
 We hail the season with a cheer, 
 
 As our fathers were wont of yore. 
 The angler's heart with joy doth fill, 
 
 To see the streams with freedom flow ; 
 Likewise the natives of the rill 
 
 Wantonly sporting to and fro. 
 
 The joys we feel no tongue can tell, 
 
 For 'tis beyond expression far : 
 We wander through the flowery dell, 
 
 From every noisy town afar ; 
 Our hearts are light and full of glee 
 
 We gaily throw the feathered hook 
 Beneath some overhanging tree, 
 
 To tempt the monarch of the the brook. 
 
 Aloft in air the insects glide, 
 
 And various flies in crowds appear; 
 Whilst thousands line the river side, 
 
 And throng the boughs that's waving there. 
 The pleasant meads with verdure crown'd, 
 
 Such beauty strikes the wand'ring view, 
 That bounteous nature there is found, 
 
 In every sport we may pursue. 
 
 We angle by the river's side, 
 
 The finny tribe but to ensnare 
 Feathers and hair we do provide, 
 Selected with the nicest car* 
 
ON FLY-MAKING. 
 
 We've rods and lines, and baskets too, 
 And Looks well stored to form the fly ; 
 
 With silks and furs of every hue, 
 That deck the rainbow far on high 
 
 Our flies upon the surface play, 
 
 So lightly in the curling stream, 
 And in the eddies roll away, 
 
 That's sparkling through the sunny beam! 
 We angle, from the rise of sun 
 
 Until its beams the mountains hide ; 
 And when our busy sport is done, 
 
 Reluctant leave the river side. 
 
 CHAPTER 2. DESCRIPTION OF THE DIFFERENT FLIES, AND THE 
 WINGS AND DUBBING OF EACH. 
 
 THERE are many flies that you may make either as hackles 
 or winged flies, I will therefore give you a description of the 
 feathers for both ; likewise in plate 2 shall give you a copy 
 of some of the principal flies. 
 
 MARCH. 
 
 1 RED MOOR COCK. 
 
 2 OLD JOAN. 
 
 3 LARGE SPRING DUN. 
 
 4 DUN CUT. 
 
 5 EARLY Cow DUNG TLY. 
 
 6 SPRING BROWN. 
 
 HACKLED FLIES. 
 
 1. Dubbed with dark red wool or mohair under the 
 wings, whipt with dark red silk; wings, feather from the 
 back of a moor cock hook No. 2. 
 
 2. Dubbed with dark purple brown mohair or wool, 
 whipt with dark red silk ; wings, a feather from under a 
 
20 DESCRIPTION OF FLIES. 
 
 woodcock's wing hook No. 2. This fly is an excellent 
 killer, and continues on, till the end of June. 
 
 3. Dubbed with blue rabbit fur very sparingly from 
 the tail to the middle, so that the silk will show through, 
 then from the middle to the wings with a little buff ferrit 
 fur ; wings, feather from the back of a dun hen, warpt 
 with pale primrose silk hook No. 2. This fly kills best 
 morning and evening. 
 
 No. 4. Dubbed with fur from the back of a hare's ear 
 or neck, whipt with pale yellow silk ; wings, feather from 
 under the woodcock's wing hook No. 2. This fly con- 
 tinues to the end of May. 
 
 5. Dubbed with a dirty lemon-coloured wool, whipt 
 with yellow silk ; wings, feather from the back of a par- 
 tridge of a pale brown colour hcok No. 2. 
 
 6. Dubbing m this fly is dispensed with : whipt with a 
 dark brown drab silk : wings, feather from under the wood- 
 cock's wing hook No. 2. A good killer till the middle 
 of June. 
 
 WINGED FLIES. 
 
 2. Dubbing and silk as in the hackle ; wings, the wing 
 feather of a woodcock, with a dirty dark red coloured cock 
 hackle, warpt under the wings hook No. 2. 
 
 3. Dubbing and silk as in the hackle ; wings, feather 
 from the starling or fieldfare, with a pale buff hackle from a 
 cock or hen, wrapt under the wings hook No. 2. 
 
 4. Dubbing and silk as in the hackle ; wings, feather 
 from the woodcock's wing, with a pale buff hackle under 
 the wing ho^k No. 2. 
 
DESCRIPTION OF FLIES. 21 
 
 6. Silk as In the hackle-fly ; wings, feather from the 
 woodcock's wing, with a brown hackle under the wings 
 hook No. 2. 
 
 APRIL. 
 
 ALL the flies of the other month, together with the 
 following : 
 
 1 SMALL SPRING DUN. 
 
 2 SPRING BLACK. 
 
 3 BROWN PARTRIDGE. 
 
 4 GREEN TAIL. 
 
 HACKLED FLIES, 
 
 1. Dubbing, blue rabbit fur, lapt sparingly on prim- 
 rose or sulphur-coloured silk ; wing, feather from under 
 the wing of a young moor-cock hook No. 1. 
 
 2, Body made with dark red silk ; wings, feather 
 from the back of a starling hook No. 1. This fly con- 
 tinues till the end of May, 
 
 3. Dubbing, snuff coloured wool, whipt with bright 
 brown silk ; wings, feather from the back of a partridge 
 hook No. 1. 
 
 4. Dubbing, from a hare's face, whipt with ash co- 
 loured silk ; wings, feather from under the woodcock's 
 w ing hook No. 1. You may fish with this from sunrise 
 till noon if the weather be warm, and the day a bright one, 
 and from four in the afternoon till sunset. 
 WINGED FLIES. 
 
 1. Dubbing and silk the same as in the hackle fly; 
 wings, feather from the starling's wing, and pale buff 
 hackle under wing. 
 
 3. -Dubbing and silk as in the hackle fly; wings, feather 
 
22 DESCRIPTION OF FLIES. 
 
 from the partridge's wing, dark red hackle under wings 
 book No. 1. 
 
 4. Dubbing and silk as in the hackle fly; wings, feather 
 from the partridge's wing, and a grizelled hackle under the 
 wings hook No. I. 
 
 MAY 
 
 1 TAILEY-TAIL, 
 
 2 COCKING DUN. 
 
 3 SKYFLY. 
 
 5 BROWN SHINER. 
 (> SHORN FLY. 
 
 7 SAND NAT. 
 
 4 LITTLE IRON BLUE. 
 
 HACKLED FLIES. 
 
 1 . Body whipt with ruby-coloured silk, or something 
 the colour of parboiled meat ; the wings are made from the 
 feathers of the back of a longwing hook No. 0. This fly 
 continues till the end of August. 
 
 2. Dubbing, martin's yellow fur under the wings, 
 warped with pale primrose silk ; wings, feather from the 
 back of a young pale-blue pigeon, or a feather from a sea 
 swallow hook No. 1. 
 
 3. Whipt with a pale sky-blue silk; wings, feather 
 from the back of a hen blackbird hook No. 0. This fly 
 kills well to the middle of June. 
 
 4. Dubbing, water-rat fur warped with violet co- 
 loured silk ; wings, feather from the but of the wing or 
 tail of a tomtit ; this fly must be made very fine. It is 
 a good killer to the end of June, in cold dull days. If 
 winged, one lap of a dirty yellow hackle under the wings. 
 
 5. Body warped with orange silk, and a strand of 
 
DESCRIPTION OF FLIES. 23 
 
 peacock's feather warped with it ; wings, feather from 
 the back of a woodcock hook No. 1. This fly will kill 
 very well to the end of July. 
 
 6. Warped with red silk, and a peacock harl warped 
 with it; wings, feather of a red cock's hackle with a 
 black list up the middle of it. This fly continues to the 
 end of August. 
 
 7. Dubbing, water rat fur, warped with lead co- 
 loured silk, feather from the neck of a dun hen which is 
 dun in the middle and black on the edges hook No. 2. 
 
 JUNE. 
 
 1 BANK FLY. 
 
 2 PARTRIDGE RUMP. 
 
 3 ORANGE BROWN. 
 
 4 ORANGE DUN. 
 5' BLACK SHINER. 
 6 BRACKIN CLOCK. 
 
 HACKLED FLIES. 
 
 1 . Dubbing, a little dark orange wool under the 
 wings, warped with orange silk ; wings, feather from 
 under the wing of a landrail or a buff hen hook No. I. 
 This fly kills best in the clearing of the water. 
 
 2. Dubbing, fur from the back of hare's ear, twisted 
 sparingly round the silk, that is of a pale orange colour; 
 wings, feather from the back of a partridge hook No. 1. 
 This fly is taken from the beginning of May to the end 
 of August. 
 
 3. Dubbing, deep orange wool under the wing, 
 warped with deep orange silk ; wings, feather from the 
 back of a partridge hook No. 1. This fly is an excel- 
 lent killer, and is taken to (he end of September. 
 
DESCRIPTION OF FLIES. 
 
 4. Body warped with pale orange silk; wing;s, fea- 
 ther from under a young grouse-wing of a dun colour 
 hook No. 1. This fly is a good killer to the end Sep- 
 tember. 
 
 5. Body made with lead coloured silk and peacock 
 harl ; wings, feather from the back of a long wing 
 hook No. or 1. 
 
 6. The body of this fly is made and warped with 
 dark green silk peacock and black ostrich harl, twisted 
 tosS&vi'J the husks or wings are made with a red fea- 
 ther from the tail of a partridge hook No. 1. This 
 fly kills to the end of August, 
 
 WINGED FLIES. 
 
 (THE BRACKIN CLOCK AS ABOVE.) 
 
 1. Body orange silk; wing, feather from a buff hen 
 and a red cockle hackle, warped two or three times un- 
 der the wing. 
 
 4. Body warped with pale orange silk ; wings, fea- 
 ther from the wing of a starling, with a buff hackle un- 
 der the wing. 
 
 JULY. 
 
 1 BUFF DUN. 
 
 2 RED ANT FLY. 
 
 3 SPANISH NEEDLE. 
 
 4. RED BREECHES. 
 
 5. BLACK ANT, 
 f>. STREAM FLY. 
 
 HACKLED FLIES. 
 1. Dubbing, buff ferrit warped with buff silk ; 
 
DESCRIPTIOX OF FLIES. 25 
 
 wings, feather from a dun hen hook No. 1. This fly 
 takes very well in May and June. 
 
 2. Body orange silk with two or three laps round 
 the tail of peacock's copper harl; wings, feather from a 
 young moor eock under the wing hook No. 1. 
 
 3. Body pale brown silk ; wings, feather from the 
 but of a starling's wing of a pale sooty colour hook 
 No. 1. This fly kills well in May and August. 
 
 4. Body black silk with black ostrich harl ^ound 
 round, and one lap of red wool under the wings, leaving 
 the ends to start out ; wings, a dark dun hen's feather 
 hook No. 2. This fly takes to the end of August. 
 
 5* Body brown silk, with a strand of ostrich harl 
 wound two or three times ro und the tail ; wings, feather 
 from a sea swallow's-wing hook No. 1. This 6y, as well 
 as the red one, will kill well from the middle of June to 
 the end of September in warm gloomy days. 
 
 6. Dubbing water rat fur, warped with lead co- 
 coloured silk ; wings, feather from the back of a young 
 cuckoo hook No. 1. 
 
 WINGED FLIES. 
 
 1 . Dubbing and silk the same as in the hackle fly ; 
 wings, feather from the wing of a starling, and a buff 
 hackle under the wing. 
 
 2. Dubbing and silk the same as in the hackle fly ; 
 wings, feather from the wing of a starling, with a red 
 hackle under the wing. 
 
 3. Silk, the same as in^the hackle fly, wings, (dark 
 feather from the wing of a starling, with a grizzled hackle 
 under the wings, 
 
26 DESCRIPTION OF FLIES. 
 
 4. Dubbing and silk as in the hackle fly ; wings, 
 dark part of a starling's wing-feather, with a buff cock 
 hackle, dyed a deep red colour under the wings. 
 
 5. Dabbing and silk the same as in the hackle fly ; 
 wings, feather from a sea swallow's wing, with a black 
 hackle under the wings. 
 
 The above-mentioned flies kill as well, if not better, 
 than the hackle flies. 
 
 A UGUST. 
 
 1 YELLOW DUN. 
 
 2 BLUE Dux. 
 
 3 RED SPINNER. 
 
 4 LITTLE WHIRLING BLUE. 
 
 HACKLED FLIES. 
 
 1. Dubbing, martin's yellow fur under the wings, 
 warped with gold-coloured silk : wings, feather from a 
 dun hen hook No. 1 . This fly is taken to the end of next 
 month, and is taken well in April. 
 
 2. Dubbing, pale blue rabbit fur and buff ferrit fur, 
 mixed and twisted very sparingly round primrose silk ; 
 wings, feather from a pale blue pigeon hook NO. 1. 
 
 WINGED FLIES. 
 
 3. Body with dark red mohair, warped with a dark 
 red silk, and ribbed with gold flattened wire ; wings, fea- 
 ther from a starlings wing, and a red haekle under the 
 wings hook No. 2. 
 
 4. Dubbed very sparingly with red squirrel's fur, 
 warped with pale yellow silk ; wings, feather from the 
 
DESCRIPTION OF FLIES. 
 
 starling's wing, and a red hackle under the wings hook 
 No. 1. 
 
 You may make the yellow dun as follows : Body 
 gold coloured silk ; wings, feather from a starling, and a 
 yellow hackle under the wings. 
 
 SEPTEMBER. 
 
 1 BLACK NAT. || 3 LITTLE PALE BLUE. 
 
 2 RUSSET FLY. 4 WREN TAIL. 
 
 HACKLED FLIES. 
 
 1. The body is made with a strand from the long black 
 feather of a cock's tail, warped with black silk ; wings, a 
 light feather from under the starling's wing; if you wing it 
 the same kind of feathers will do hook No. 1. This fly 
 will kill very wall in spring, and is an excellent fly for 
 greyling through this month and next. 
 
 2. Dubbing, the back of a hare's neck, warped with deep 
 orange silk : wings, feather from under a peahen's wing 
 (you may at times find feathers of the same colour amongst 
 barn- door fowl) hook No. 2. This is an excellent fly 
 both for trout and greyling. 
 
 3. Dubbing, very pale blue rabbit fur, warped spar- 
 ingly round pale primrose silk; wings, feather from a 
 pale blue dun hen, or a sea swallow hook No. 1 . This 
 fly is a good killer to the end of the season ; greyling are 
 very fond of them. 
 
 4. Body, warped with orange silk, and peacock's harl 
 
28 DESCRIPTION OF FLIES. 
 
 warped twice under the wings ; wings, feather from the 
 wren's tail hook No. 6. 
 
 OCTOBER. 
 
 1 WILLOW CRICKET. || 2 WILLOW FLY. 
 
 HACKLED FLIES. 
 
 1. Dubbing, fur from the back of a hare's neck, twisted 
 sparingly round pale orange silk ; wings, feather from 
 the breast of an old moor cock of a ruddy colour hook 
 No. 1. 
 
 2. Dabbing, blue squirrel fur twisted sparingly round 
 pale yellow silk ; wings, feather from the neck of a dark 
 dun hen hook No. 1. These, together with the flies of 
 the last month, concludes the season of fly-fishing, more 
 particularly the black nat, the russet fly, the little pale 
 blue, and the willow cricket. With these flies I durst be 
 bound to take any day a dish of fish, through this month, 
 if the weather is favourable. 
 
 I have here given you a list of forty-seven as good 
 flies as ever were thrown on the water ; and if used as I 
 shall hereafter direct, will kill trout, greyling, etc., any 
 day during the season, except it be freezing, or those white 
 rocky clouds be rolling about in the air. 
 
 There are a few other flies I will describe, which I 
 have omitted in the foregoing list. 
 
 THE HAWTHORN FLY. 
 This fly comes on about the beginning of April if the 
 
DESCRIPTION OF FLIES. 29 
 
 weather is warm (though I have killed best with it in May) 
 and continues to the end of May. It is of longer dura- 
 tion, but not of much service to the angler after that time. 
 It is easily distinguished from the other flies by the length 
 of its legs which hang below the body as it flies. The 
 body is made with black ostrich harl and black silk, and 
 two or three strands from a black cock's tail feather tied 
 under the wings for legs, which should come below the 
 bend of the hook ; the wings are made from the wing feather 
 of a starling hook No. 2. 
 
 THE SMALL HAWTHORN FLY 
 
 Comes on the beginning of May and continues to the end 
 of the month. The wings of this fly are made from a quill 
 feather of the dottril's wing, or the lightest part of a starl- 
 ing's wing-feather, warpt with black silk and black horse- 
 hair or black ostrich harl, but the horse-hair comes nearest 
 to the body of the fly, with a black cock's hackle under 
 the wings for legs hook No. 1. This fly js an excellent 
 killer in warm days. 
 
 COW DUNG FLY. 
 
 Towards the latter end of April and through May ; the 
 wings are made with a feather from the back of a dottril of 
 a dun brown colour, with yellow edges, body warped with 
 yellow silk hook No. 2. This fly is an excellent killer 
 to the end of May ; in June and July it changes its co- 
 lour to a kind of dirty orange it may then be made with 
 a landrail's feather for wings, warped with orange silk, 
 dubbed with orange and a little light brown worsted ; but 
 
30 1 DESCRIPTION OF FLIES. 
 
 when it becomes of an orange colour I think it of little use 
 being made, for then there are many flies of an orange co- 
 lour which we use that the fish like much better. 
 
 MARCH BROWN 
 
 Comes out the middle of March and continues to the end 
 of April ; its body is made u ith pale orange silk ribbed 
 with the strand of a pheasant's tail feather, with a brown 
 partridge hackle under the wings ; wings, from the spotted 
 tail-feather of a partridge hook No. 2. This fly may be 
 used in May by making the wings of a feather from 
 under the woodcock's wing. 
 
 STONE FLY 
 
 Comes on the middle of April, and continues to the end of 
 May. The body is made with yellow silk, ribbed with a 
 strand from a fpeacock's tail-feather; wings, a woodcock's 
 wing-feather, and a partridge hackle under the wing hook 
 No. 3. 
 
 LITTLE STONE GNAT. 
 
 This fly comes on the beginning of May, and will kill very 
 well in cold showery days to the end of July. The body 
 is made with pale lead-coloured silk ; wings, feather from 
 a longwing hook No. 1. 
 
 SMALL GREEN ALDER FLY. 
 
 This fly comes on the latter end of May and continues to 
 the middle of August ; it is a neat little fly, and is taken 
 pretty well during and after a warm shower of rain, espe- 
 
DESCRIPTION OF FLIES. 31 
 
 cially in the evening of a warm day. The body is made 
 with pale pea green siA ; wit.gs, feather from a sea swal- 
 low of a very pale dun or white hook No. 0. 
 
 BLUE GNAT. 
 
 This fly comes on about the middle of May and continues 
 to the end of June, in cold stormy days ; wings, feather 
 from a starling, the body of mazarine blue silk hook No. 1. 
 
 YELLOW SALLY. 
 
 This fly comes in about the middle of May and continues 
 to the middle of June. The body is made of very pale yellow 
 silk, and the wings with a white sea swallow's feather 
 dyed a pale yellow hook No. 1. 
 
 LITTLE RED LEGS 
 
 Comes on about the tenth of Oct. and continues through the 
 season and I believe it is the same fly that we find 
 in spring with a red body, which I call the spring black ; 
 the wings are made with a feather from a young rook, and 
 put on as a hackle ; the body is warped with pink silk 
 and a little red worsted or mohair under the wings. 
 This fly is a very good killer. 
 
 GREY DRAKE. 
 
 This fly comes on about the middle of May and continues to 
 the middle of June, (in those rivers where they frequent ;) the 
 body is made with a little grey wool from a turkey carpet, 
 warped with grey silk, and ribbed with black, and 
 two or thrse strands from the feather of a black cock's 
 
32 PALMER WORMS. 
 
 tail for the whisks of its tail ; wings, a dark grey feather 
 from a mallard or drake, a black hackle under the wings- 
 hook No. 5. 
 
 GREEN DRAKE. 
 
 This fly is on at the same time as the grey drake; the body 
 is made with a little yellow wool and a little fur from the 
 back of a hare's neck mixed, warped with yellow silk 
 and ribbed with green ; the wings are made from the 
 light grey feather of a drake, dyed yellow, and three 
 strands from a black cock's tail-feather for the whisks of 
 the tail, and a dun hackle under the wings hook No. 5. 
 
 There are many more flies that frequent the water that 
 I have not mentioned, but you will find those which I have 
 enumerated to be of the greatest service. You may discover 
 a fly that kills very well for a time; but you will find 
 those in the foregoing list the most general killers. 
 
 CHAPTER 3. ON THE PALMER WORMS, THE METHOD or DUBB- 
 ING, AND THE DIFFERENT SEASONS WHEN TO USE THEM. 
 
 MARCH. 
 
 1 RED PALMER. 
 
 2 GREEN PALMER. 
 
 3 BLACK PALMER. 
 
 1. Body, peacock's copper harl, whipt with red silk, 
 red cock's hackle over all hook No. 2. 
 
 2. Body, green peacock's harl, green silk, black hac- 
 kle over all hook No. 2. 
 
PALMER WORMS. 33 
 
 3. Body, black ostrich harl warped with black silk, 
 black cock's hackle over all hook No. 2. 
 
 The red palmer will kill nearly any day in summer 
 in any river in England, that have any fish in. 
 
 APRIL. 
 
 1 GREY PALMER. 
 
 1. Body, peacock's harl warped with red silk, ribbed 
 with silver twist, and a blue dun cock's hackle over all 
 hook No. 2. 
 
 MAY. 
 1 SILVER PALMER. 
 
 1. Body, green peacock's harl, green silk ribbed with 
 silver twist, and a black cock's hackle over all hook 
 No. 2. This palmer is taken to the end of July. 
 
 JUNE. 
 
 1 GOLDEN PURPLE PALMER, jl 3 BROWN PALMER. 
 
 2 GOLDEN PALMER. 
 
 1. Body, purple mohair or wool, warped with pur- 
 ple-coloured silk, ribbed with gold twist, red cock's hackle 
 over all hook No. 2. 
 
 2. The body is made with orange silk, ribbed with 
 peacock's harl and gold twist, with a red cock's hackle 
 over all hook No. 2. 
 
 2. The body is made with amber-coloured wool 
 
34 PALMER WORMS. 
 
 or mohair, warped with brown silk, and ribbed with 
 gold and silver twist, and a red cock's hackle over all 
 hook No. 2. 
 
 JULY. 
 
 1 LATE BLACK PALMER. 1 1 2 WHITE PALMER. 
 
 1. Body, peacock's harl of a copper-colour, red silk, 
 black hackle over all hook No. 2. 
 
 2. Body, white ostrich harl, white dlk, white hackle 
 over all hook No. 2. 
 
 There are also the white and brown moths, which are 
 used in the evening and at night for trout with both the 
 long and short line ; the latter with the natural fly for 
 dibbing. You may see them flying about on a summer's 
 evening in great numbers. 
 
 THE WHITE AND BROWN MOTHS are made as follows : 
 
 1 WHITE MOTH. 
 
 3 LIGHT BROWN MOTH. 
 
 2 BROWN MOTH. 
 
 1 . Body dubbed with white wool warped with grey 
 silk; wings, a white-grey feather from a hen or white howl 
 hook No. 5, The body made large and thick, with a 
 grizzled cock's hackle under the wings. 
 
 2. Dubbed with brown wool or mohair, warped with 
 brown silk ; a dark brown hen's feather for wings, and a 
 partridge hackle for legs hook No. 5. 
 
 3. Body, pale snuff-coloured wool, ash-coloured silk ; 
 wings, a pale brown hen-feather, with a dark grizzled cock's 
 hackle under the wings hook No. 5. The body of these 
 flies are made large. 
 
PALMER WORMS. 35 
 
 As a friend of mine was dibbing with the natural white 
 moth one night in the river Eatherow, he caught a very 
 fine eel with it. 
 
 Though I have given you the size of the hook to each 
 fly ; some of them may be made larger for dead, heavy, or 
 coloured waters, but in fine water use small flies, for by 
 doing so you will have considerably more sport ; you cer- 
 tainly will lose more fish by their becoming unhooked, 
 than if you used large ones ; but you can afford to do so, 
 because you will have more rises, and in the summing up 
 at night you will find that you have it ken more fish than 
 you would have done had you used the larger flies. 
 
 Be very careful to keep your silk and dubbing clean 
 when making flies, and see that the body and wings 
 lie neat and straight on the hook ; never mind what slo- 
 vens say (for some of them will tell you it does not matter 
 how the fly is made if the wings and body be the right 
 colour,) but I say to them, they are mistaken ; for you 
 may be sure the nearer they are to nature the better. 
 Others say the fish are not so particular to a shade as old 
 anglers would make you believe ; but I say, they are to the 
 greatest nicety, more particularly in the body ; for if you 
 make two flies apparently both alike, with but a slight 
 shade of difference in. the body, and use them both at once, 
 yon will find they will take one, but scarcely look at the 
 other, particularly if the day be bright and the water clear. 
 But theory without practice is like a ship without a helm. 
 
 For the better illustration of the flies, I give a copy in 
 the annexed engraving of some of the principal ones, and 
 here I will give you the names of them , 
 
36 
 
 NAMES OF FLIES. 
 
 NAMES OF THE FLIES. 
 
 1 OLD JOAN. 
 
 2 LARGE SPRING DUN. 
 
 3 DUN CUT. 
 
 4 RED PALMER. 
 
 5 RED ANT FLY. 
 
 6 BUFF DUN. 
 
 7 ORANGE BROWN. 
 
 8 LITTLE IRON BLUE. 
 
 9 GREEN TAIL. 
 
 10 PARTRIDGE RUMP. 
 
 11 WILLOW CRICKET. 
 
 12 WREN-TAIL. 
 
 13 GREY DRAKE. 
 
 14 BRACKIN CLOCK. 
 
 15 COCKIN DUN. 
 
 16 RED BREECHES. 
 
 17 BANK FLY. 
 
 18 TAILEY-TAIL. 
 
 19 SHORN FLY. 
 
 20 HAWTHORN FLY. 
 
 21 SMALL SPRING DUN. 
 
 22 BROWN PARTRIDGE. 
 
 23 ORANGE DUN. 
 
 24 RED SPINNER. 
 
 25 RUSSET FLY. 
 
 26 GREEN DRAKE. 
 
 From the above list you will have an idea of the size, 
 colour and form of my flies. There are many of the natu- 
 ral flies which have whisks or tails at the tail end of their 
 bodies, but I do not put them on my artificial flies, because 
 I think the hook tail enough, and many fish have found 
 it so to their cost. When you are angling never use more 
 than four flies at one time, indeed three are plenty : for 
 the fewer flies you use the better you can deceive the fish. 
 Nor would I advise you to change your flies very often as 
 I have seen some do ; but to keep on a black, a brown, 
 and a dun, except the day is very bright and warm, for 
 then the dun is not so much on, except morning and even- 
 ing; but there comes in their place, the reds and shiners. 
 
 Notice that if you should at any time see crowds of 
 any particular kind of flies come on, or near the water, you 
 
PALMER WORMS. 37 
 
 may conclude that they will be the most killing flies for 
 that day : therefore if you have not any of that kind make 
 one. 
 
 There is also another good rule poetically described by 
 Mr. Gay as follows : 
 
 " Mark well the various seasons of the year, 
 How the succeeding insect race appear; 
 In this revolving moon one colour reigns, 
 Which in the next the fickle trout disdains 
 Oft have T seen a skilful angler try 
 The various colours of the treacherous fly; 
 When he with fruitless pain hath skimmed the hrook, 
 And the coy fish rejects the skipping hook. 
 He shakes the boughs that on the margin grow, 
 Which o'er the stream a waving forest throw ; 
 When if an insect fall (his certain guide) , 
 He gently takes him from the whirling tide, 
 Examines well his form with curious eyes, 
 His gaudy vest, wings, his horns and size ; 
 Then round his hook the chosen fur he winds, 
 And on the back a speckled feather binds. 
 So just the colour shines through every part, 
 That nature seems to live again in art.'* 
 
 It is well to use the palmers if there is a stiffish breeze 
 stirring, for then they drop from the trees. Once a cir- 
 cumstance occurred which I shall here mention, not that 
 it was of an unusal occurrence, for cases of that kind hap- 
 pen many times during the season, but for the better informa- 
 tion of the young angler. As I was angling one day in the 
 river Derwent, my sport was pretty regular till about 
 ten o'clock (this was in May), when there came on a gentle 
 shower, and with it came crowds of flies, not duns as I ex- 
 pected, but fles with a very bright pale yellow wing, and the 
 
38 PALMER WORMS, 
 
 fish began to rise at them gloriously both trout and greyling -, 
 at length I eaught one of these flies, and found that though 
 the wings were yellow the body was of a pale transparent 
 flesh colour I never saw any of that kind either before or 
 since that day however I soon made one ; the wings with 
 a white feather from a hen's neck dyed yellow ; I dubbed 
 the body with fine deep orange coloured mohair, warped 
 very sparingly round very pale buff silk, which gave the body 
 the exact colour of the fly, I no sooner threw it on the 
 water than it was taken ; and they continued rising at it 
 whilst it continued raining, which lasted about an hour ; at 
 the end of which time they disappeared. I then took it off 
 my line till about six in the evening ; they then came on 
 again, and I had as fine sport as a person would wish to 
 enjoy. Therefore when you go to angle, take your, dub- 
 bing, silk, feathers and hooks with you, so that you will be 
 provided with materials to make a fly wth if it be requisite. 
 You should also be provided with a whinch to fix to 
 your rod, so that you can lengthen or shorten your 
 line as occasion may require. 
 
 When you make a cast, wave your rod in a small 
 circumference round your head, and never make a return 
 of it before it has had full scope, for if you do the fly 
 will snap off. Let your flies drop lightly on the water 
 with as little of the line as possible, and keep them in 
 continual motion by gently rising the rod after making 
 the cast, or the fish will discern the cheat. You must 
 have a sharp eye and a quick hand to strike the moment 
 a fish rises, or it will quit the hook. 
 
 When you have hooked a good fish, do not trust to 
 
PALMIR WORM 39 
 
 your rod and line in landing it, but use a landing-net. 
 
 Always throw up 01 across the stream, for trout lie with 
 their heads up the stream. You might have more rises 
 down than up, but they do not come so sure. 
 
 After rain, if the water becomes brownish, the bank-fly 
 is then taken very well. On bright days and clear wa- 
 ters, use small light-coloured flies. But I would advise 
 you always to use the smallest flies, except in heavy 
 waters where there is large fish, then you may use 
 larger. 
 
 If at any time your hair lash should be difficult to 
 sink, draw it through wet fuller's earth, and it will sink 
 the first throw. 
 
 When you see a fish rise, throw your flies beyond it, 
 and draw them gently over the place where it rose, and if 
 they are right the fish is your own. 
 
 When you angle in dead heavy waters, let your flies 
 sink a little, and draw them towards you ; but if you 
 angle in quick running waters, your fly must always 
 swim on the top, under the continual inspection of 
 your eye. 
 
 Always turn out early in the morning, it being the 
 best time, for then you may either use the natural or 
 dub fly or worm, and you have the day before you. 
 
 I shall conclude this chapter with a description of 
 the beauties of a May morning such as sluggards sel- 
 dom see. 
 
40 PALMER WORMS. 
 
 BLOOMING MAY. 
 
 The upland lawn looks blythe and gay, 
 The morning star hails blooming May 
 The mist of night flies swift away, 
 
 And rolls along the dale. 
 The morning's light appears in sight, 
 With gentle zephyrs fanning by 
 The sun just breaking forth on high, 
 And on his golden pinions fly 
 
 To deck the fertile vale, 
 
 The angler hastens with delight 
 And the lark takes his aerial flight 
 They rise to meet the morning's light, 
 
 And hail the break of daj. 
 Birds do sing and flowers spring, 
 O'er blooming heath we lightly tread, 
 Down by the mountain's rocky glade, 
 Where mimic waterfalls are made, 
 
 And trout around us play. 
 
 The blooming rose and woodbine meet, 
 Such pleasures there the anglers greet ; 
 The air is filled with fragrance sweet, 
 
 What more could mortals crave ? 
 Our flies we guide on every side, 
 With vernal rains the waters bouud, 
 And with success the day is crown' d 
 The trout are sporting all around, 
 
 Beneath the curling wave. 
 
 There is no sport which can compare, 
 
 To anglers who fish with hair ; 
 
 We tempt the trout that's leaping there, 
 
 Along the silver stream. 
 With line and hook we skim the brook ; 
 Our flies they are so fine and neat, 
 That fish ne'er can discern the cheat ; 
 At night we give our Mends a treat 
 
 By tho sun's parting beam. 
 
ON NATURAL FLY- FISHING. 41 
 
 A SUMMER'S MORNING. 
 
 The bright summer's morning breaks blooming and fair, 
 The lark springs from his nest and mounts in the air ; 
 The dew-drops on the grass look sparkling and gay 
 Dame nature is deck'd in her liv'ry of May. 
 
 From yon bank of clouds se e bright Phoebus doth rise. 
 And with his- bright rays ;he enlivens the skies ; 
 The tops of the mountains in grandeur are seen 
 The woods and the vallies are clothed in green. 
 
 For the white blossom' d thorn is in its full bloom, 
 The air fill'd with fragrance spreads the perfume ; 
 Down by the valley where primroses spring, 
 The blackbird, the thrush, and the linnet do sing. 
 
 CHAPTER 4. A DESCRIPTION OF NATURAL FLY-FISHING AND 
 
 THE FLIES MOST SUITABLE FOR GENERAL USE, BOTH IN DlB- 
 
 BING AND MIDDLE PISHING ; TOGETHER WITH A FEW HINTS 
 TO BE OBSERVED IN THE ART OF ANGLING. 
 
 DIBBING is a method by which very often the largest fish 
 are taken, and it requires great nicety and circumspec- 
 tion. For this kind of angling your line should be a 
 yard and a half to two yards long ; and your rod should 
 be as long as you can well manage, longer and better. 
 As dibbling must be performed as near the bank as pos- 
 sible, a long rod and short line is the best. You must 
 keep as far from the spot that you dib in as you can, and 
 shelter behind bushes or clumps of trees, &c. Your rod 
 
42 ON NATURAL FLY-FISHING. 
 
 for this purpose should be rather stiff, with rings and a 
 whinch fixed upon it, so that when you have hooked a 
 good fish, you can give him as much line as you think 
 proper, and you can lengthen or shorten it as occasion 
 may require. When you see a fish, rise guide your fly 
 over it immediately, and he is sure to come if it 
 be right. When you dib for chub, roach, or dace, move 
 your fly very slow when you see them make towards it. 
 Roach take flies the best a little under water. The best 
 flies for the anglers use in this method of angling are as 
 follows : 
 
 1. THE WOODCOCK CANNON, OR DOWNHILL FLY. 
 
 Found on the bodies of oak or ash trees, with its head down- 
 wards, from which it takes the name of downhill fly or 
 down looker. It is something in the form of a horse fly, 
 but rather longer, and of a brownish colour, the wings 
 being spotted like the feather under the woodcock's 
 wings ; the body is a fine orange colour, interlaced with 
 black spots, the head of a ash-colour; used from the begin- 
 ning of May to the end of June. Be careful not to ruffle 
 the wings. I believe the orange brown and the 
 brown shiner are taken for this fly when made arti- 
 ficially. For this, as well as most of the other flies, use 
 a No. 7 hook. 
 
 2. THE HAWTHORN FLY. 
 
 Found on hawthorn bushes when the leaves come 
 forth. It is a slender black bodied fly, with dark dun 
 wings, and very long legs, which are easily discerned as 
 
ON NATURAL FLY-FISHING. 43 
 
 it flies, and is taken from the middle of April to the end 
 of July. 
 
 THE STONE FLY. 
 
 Found under hollow stones at the side of rivers, has 
 large brown wings and a brown body, with yellow streaks 
 on the back and belly, and is taken from the middle of 
 April to the end of June. Chiefly morning and even- 
 ing. 
 
 THE GREEN DRAKE 
 
 Has a yellow body ribbed with green, is long and slen- 
 der, with wings like a butterfly, and its tail turns up 
 towards its back. It is in season from the middle of 
 May to Midsummer. You may take them with your 
 landing net and put them as well as all your other flies 
 in a box, with a slide-lid full of holes to give them air. 
 Put the point of the hook in the thickest part of its 
 body under one of its wings, and out at the other side ; 
 then take another and put it on the contrary way. It 
 is taken any part of the day on rivers where they resort. 
 
 THE GREY DRAKE. 
 
 It is generally found in the same places where the green 
 drake resorts, and is in shape perfectly the same ; it 
 comes in, and is taken after, the green drake, and when 
 made artificially, kills fish very well in the months of 
 May and June. 
 
 BLACK WOOD FLY. 
 Found in woods and about edges : any new dung will 
 
44 ON NATURAL FLY-FISHING. 
 
 attract them in crowds, when you may knock them down 
 with a hazel bough with the leaves stripped off. Put 
 them in your box till wanted. I consider this fly the 
 best for all rivers. It may be used in a variety of ways, 
 and in all with advantage to the angler. When you dib 
 with it use one on the hook ; put the hook through the 
 thick part of its body near the back, so that when you 
 drop it on the water, it may alight with its legs down- 
 wards, and if the fish be rising you are sure to hook one, 
 and ten to one but that it will be a good one. It is a 
 large fly, and some call it the blue-bottle. The body is 
 of a fine blue or lead-colour, ribbed with fine black 
 stripes ; the wings are a very dark dun, and lie on the 
 back like the house flies. Some of them have a dirty 
 grey or ash-coloured body, and are rather smaller 
 than the others, and generally kill better : you may use 
 one or two on the hook at once, bated as in middle fish- 
 ing. I have killed with it made artificially, but the 
 natural ones are the best for dibbing with. 
 
 There is another way of fishing with them which I 
 call " middle fishing," which is second to none. I use 
 two on the hook at once. Put in the hook at the head of 
 one and out at the tail ; drawn up till it lies straight on 
 the hook ; then take the other and put the hook in at the 
 tail and bring it up to the tail of the other, and i fit is a 
 coloured water, put a number four shot about ten inches 
 from the hook : but if the water is clear, you must use 
 them without shot, and your line must be longer. When 
 you fish in coloured water your line must be about as 
 long as your rod, and you must cast it across the stream 
 
ON NATURAL FLY-FISHING. 45 
 
 and let it carry the flies down, which will sink a little 
 with the shot, and if there be a fish in the stream it is 
 yours. If the water continue coloured, you may fish all 
 day ; but in clear water the best time is from day break 
 to eight o'clock, and from seven in the evening till sun- 
 set. You must" be careful in throwing your line or you 
 will lash off your flies. I have taken fish this way when 
 all else have failed. They kill best through May and 
 June ; and trout are very fond of them. Your hook 
 for this fly should be a No. 8. 
 
(46) 
 
 THE ECHOING HORN. 
 
 The echoing horn calls the huntsman away, 
 The fox or the hare to pursue, 
 As I rise in the morn by break of the day, 
 Ere the sun from the grass drinks the dew. 
 
 O'er hill and through vale I then cheerfully stray. 
 Some murmuring river to find; 
 The birds singing sweetly to hail the bright day, 
 Gives delight to the angler's mind. 
 
 Down to the streamlet I with eagerness Me, 
 For my heart is now all of a glow, 
 To see the bright stream that runs sparkling by, 
 And the trout which are sporting below. 
 
 The morn's overcast and the day is our own, 
 And I for the sport do prepare ; 
 The clouds up the vale fly sluggishly on, 
 And the small whirling dun fills the air. 
 
 Lively small insects on the surface do rida. 
 Near the bank I then see ahold rise ; 
 My line with nice care o'er the circle I guide, 
 For beneath it I know a trout lies. 
 
 Then quick at my fty see he makes a bold spring, 
 
 I striVe, and with terror he flies ; 
 
 He drives through the deep, and he makes the reel ring, 
 
 But at length, to the bank draw iny prize. 
 
 Thus with greyling or trout my basket I fill, 
 Then homeward delighted I trip ; 
 I meet with my friend, and we join in good will 
 O'er a bowl or a bottle of flip. 
 
(47) 
 
 PART II. 
 
 CH AFTER 1. DESCRIPTION OF BAITS MOST KILLING FOR TROUT, 
 AND THE BEST METHOD OF USING THEM BOTH IN MIDDLE 
 AND BOTTOM FISHING. 
 
 WHEN you angle for them with a worm at bottom, use 
 a long rod and a short line, so that you may keep out of 
 their sight and command the line. The worms for this 
 kind of fishing are the lob-worm, brambling, gilt-tail, and 
 small red garden- worm but the best are the brambling, 
 gilt-tail, and red worm. Put two small ones on the hook 
 at once, for they are much better than one large one. 
 Your line must have three No. 3 shots about ten inches 
 above the hook, which should be a No, 8. When you are 
 thus prepared, put the hook in near the tail of the red 
 worm and out near the head, then draw it up the line a 
 little to allow you room to put on the gilt tail or bramb- 
 ling ; put the hook in near the head of either of them, 
 draw the red worm down till it joins the other; then 
 drop your [bait behind a stone or under a hollow bank, 
 or behind a root, or in the eddie, and let the water take 
 it round, you still keeping the line tight and feeling 
 the bottom, and the instant a fish bites you must strike 
 and pull out at the same time ; and if at any time your 
 line should stop in any place where it ought to keep 
 moving, strike out, for it is ten to one but there is a 
 trout at the end of your hook. Though the trout is 
 
48 BAIT-FISHING. 
 
 a bold biter, sometimes he will mouth the worm without 
 disturbing the line, and if you do not strike he will al- 
 low himself to be brought to the top of the water and 
 then quit the hook. Therefore every time I take out 
 my line I strike, and by that means I take many a trout 
 I should have missed if I had not done so. I always 
 use a winch and a ringed rod, so that if T hook a good 
 fish I can let him have as much line as I think proper. 
 "When you hook one of this kind, gvie him the but of 
 your rod, and keep the top bent so that he cannot break 
 your line, which, for this kind of fishing roust for two 
 lengths from the bottom, be of the best silk worm-gut. 
 This manner of fishing is mostly for his favourite 
 haunts, such as purling brooks and the cooler and 
 smaller rivers which descend from hills and rocky moun- 
 tains. They love rapid currents and clear swift streams, 
 with gravelly, sandy and stonny bottoms ; upon which 
 account they are found in most of our mountain streams. 
 Lower down the rivers, where it is more deep and still, 
 you may find larger and fatter trout, but they are more 
 scarce there than near their sources. If the water be 
 coloured with rain, you may angle the day through ; 
 but if it be clear, from daybreak till nine o'clock, and in 
 the dusk of the evening. But the best way to angle for 
 them in clear water, is with one worm and a smaller hook 
 without shot on your line, which should be as long as 
 your rod, and you must cast it across the top end of the 
 stream and let it go down, and they will seldom refuse it. 
 If used early in the morning: when you use the worm at 
 bottom in the deeps, when the water is coloured, your 
 
BAIT-FISHING. 49 
 
 line must be loaded with shot, as in the other method, 
 but a little longer,; the hook about the same size, with a 
 light cork float ; and you must strike as soon as you see 
 the the float move away. You must also angle in this 
 way with the ant-egg, but your rod need not be so long. 
 I consider this the best bait for deep waters, especially 
 when it is disturbed by rain. You must proceed as fol- 
 lows : provide a moderate-sized bag when you go to an 
 ant-hill, which is generally found in the woods on a slop- 
 ing bank, open your bag ready to receive the eggs as you 
 take them from the hill ; which piece of business must 
 be performed very quickly or you will be covered over 
 with ants, which will not be very pleasant, work with 
 both hands till you get to the centre, where the eggs are 
 deposited; then lift out indiscriminately, eggs, ants, 
 and nest, till you get all you want, then tie your bag up 
 securely, otherwise they will creep all about you. When 
 you are thus provided, and have reached the pool at 
 which you intend to angle, take a handfull of the eggs 
 and nest and wet them so that they will sink, then throw 
 them into the water; bait your hook with five or six eggs, 
 and proceed as with the worms, and you may take both 
 trout and greyling if there be any in the place, for they 
 are both fond of them. You will find larger eggs the 
 latter end of April and May than in the summer months, 
 when the wasp-grub or gentle may be used, but they are 
 not to be compared to ant- eggs. To prepare the wasp- 
 grub some put them in a warmish oven to bake them, 
 but I consider scalding them in blue milk to be much 
 better ; it makes them tough, and they keep longer ; and 
 
50 TROULING, ETC. 
 
 yet the fish will take them better in their natural state. 
 One day I was angling in the Derwent-with some that I 
 had just taken from the nest, I was at the same time 
 provided with ant-eggs to bait or feed the fish where 
 I intended angling ; the trout began to bite, but every 
 time I struck the only thing I found at the end of the 
 hook was a long thin skin, the inside of the grub being 
 drawn out. I scarcely knew what to think of it, till an 
 idea suggested itself to me. I immediately put it into 
 practice as follows. I took from by baiting-bag some 
 ant-eggs, though I had to put eight or nine on the hook 
 to make it any thing like the size of the wasp-grub. 
 When all was right I threw in again, and directly I had 
 a nibble, then down goes the float, jerk goes the rod, and 
 out comes a fine trout. Well, thinks I, old gentleman, 
 I have been too old for you : I'll try again, and see if 
 there be any more of the same family. "I sometimes 
 used the wasp-grub [and sometimes the ant-egg ; and I 
 found it to answer my utmost expectation, for in a short 
 time I took a dish of very fine trout and a few greylings. 
 They will also take gentles at the bottom. 
 
 TROULING, OR SPINNING THE MINNOW, &c. 
 
 In trouling you must be provided with some No. 2, 3, 
 and 5 hooks, and proceed as follows. Take two No. 2 
 or 3 polished hooks, which you can get at the tackle 
 shops made double; then take a length of strong round 
 silk worm-gut, and with a bit of fine waxed silk whip the 
 double hooks to the end of it ; then take two No, 2 and 
 
THOU LING, ETC, 51 
 
 one No. 5 hooks, either braize or get them braized 
 or soldered back to back like a pair of grapples, and 
 whip them on the gut about half an inch from the double 
 hooks ; then whip a very small loop of gut to a No 5 
 hook and slip it on the gut, so that it may dro [) down to 
 the treble hook; then get a piece of lead the form of a 
 barleycorn, but twice as large, with a hole pierced through 
 to admit another loop of gut rather longer than that 
 attached to the hook, which is also slipped on the gut ; 
 then at the loose end of the gut fix a small swivel and 
 another lenglh of gut about a yard and a half long, with 
 a swivel at the end to fix to the line, and your tackle is 
 completed. 
 
 There is another way to fix the single No. 5 hook as 
 follows. Take a piece of well waxed silk and whip it 
 round the bare hook from near the'bend to near the 
 shank, then place the back of the hook on the length of 
 of gut, a little above the treble hooks, and whip the silk 
 round the gut and hook till it comes near the bend, then 
 fasten and cut off the loose end of the silk. The hook 
 fastened in this manner, will, as well as the looped one, 
 move up and down the gut, so that you may accommo- 
 date it to the length of your minnow or any other 
 bait-fish. 
 
 The annexed plate will give you an idea of the traces 
 both before and after they are baited. 
 
 To bait the hooks proceed as follows. We will con- 
 sider you have already provided yourself, with some of 
 the middle-sized and brightest minnows you can get the 
 whitest are the best ; then pierce the tail of the minnow 
 
52 TROULING, ETC. 
 
 with one of the two hooks at the end of the trace, bring 
 the treble hook along the side of the fish, then hook in 
 the largest, so that the two small ones will lie close to the 
 side of the minnow ; put the ead into its mouth, then 
 with the moveable hook (that is the single one), button 
 its mouth up by hooking it in the bottom jaw and out at 
 the top ; see that the minnow lies straight on the trace, 
 with the exception of a small curve in the tail to allow it 
 to spin round, which it will do when it is in the water 
 and humoured a little with the hand. Some anglers will 
 cut off one of the gill fins and one of the ventrail fins at 
 the opposite side of the fish. These kinds of traces I 
 have found the best for snap-fishing , but I shall treat 
 more largely on the snap under the head of "pike- 
 fishing." 
 
 There is another trace which I shall here describe, 
 which is little inferior to the last, of which I shall give 
 you a design in the engraving. In this method 
 you only use three hooks, as follows. Provide a length 
 of strong and round silk worm-gut, then at the end whip 
 a No, 9 hook ; then a little higher up the line whip on 
 a No. 6 hook, so that the bent will come within a quarter 
 of an inch from the shank of the other hook ; then higher 
 up the line whip another No. 6 hook, which will move up 
 or down the line as in the other method, so that you can 
 accommodate it to any size of a bait, either minnow or 
 gudgeon, for you may not always be provided with the 
 former, then you must use the gudgeon, which is little if 
 any inferior to the minnow, and may be taken in almost 
 any river or canal, and are easily caught, by the means 
 
TROULING, ETC. 53 
 
 which I shall hereafter describe under the head "gud- 
 geon." Thei about ten inches or a foot from the hooks 
 fix a small shot, and above that again slip on a piece of 
 lead the form of a barleycorn, and about half as large, with 
 hole through the centre from end to end, so that it will 
 drop upon the shot and sink ) our bait ; then a little 
 above the lead fix on your swivel, and about a yard more 
 gut, to which you attach your line, either with or with- 
 out another swivel ; or if you think proper you may 
 fix the lead in the mouth of your bait-fish, as in the 
 other traces instead of on your line ; you bait these 
 traces the same as the other. You may vary your bait- 
 ing by whipping the bottom hook or hooks with a bit of 
 white thread to the tail of your bait fish. 
 
 There are mary wars of making traces which I think 
 needless to mention, those already enumerated being 
 quite sufficient for the angler's use. There are some 
 anglers about London who use ten, eleven and even 
 twelve hooks to their traces, but I cannot see the use of 
 so many they surely must scare away the fish. 
 
 In the next place you must provide a ringed rod 
 about twelve or fourteen feet lonr, and somewhat stiffer 
 than your fly-rod, with a winch for your line ; and when 
 you go to the river where you intend to angle, let off as 
 much line as you think you can throw ; make a gentle 
 cast across the stream, causing the minnow to fall on the 
 water as lightly as possible ; then draw it gently across 
 the stream, sometimes letting it sink to near the bot- 
 tom, then rising it up again ; then draw it up the 
 stream, taking care that the minnow spins freely round, 
 
54 TROULING, ETC. 
 
 and lies straight on the hook, with a small curve in 
 the tail. 
 
 The best way to make a cast is when you have roved 
 as much line off the winch as you think will be neces- 
 sary ; coil it nicely on the ground, not from the end of 
 the rod, but direct from the winch, in such a manner that 
 it will run glibely through the rings of the rod ; then 
 draw your bait-fish to within about a yard or a yard and 
 a half from the top of your rod, holding the slack line 
 in your left hand ; and mark when you make a cast, do it 
 underhand, and not as you throw your flies, letting the 
 line run gently through your left hand so that it may 
 not have too sudden a check, but fall lightly on the water; 
 and each time you raise your rod, draw a small portion 
 of the line in with your left hand, taking care that 'it lies 
 even on the ground, so that should a fish strike there 
 will be no impediment to the line running out, which 
 might be the means of its breaking its hold, if not you 
 tackle, and it will be likewise ready for the next cast, 
 which should not only be across the stream, but in any 
 likely place where the fish might resort, which, with a 
 little practice and the instructions I have given in a for- 
 mer page, you will soon find out. 
 
 There is also what is called " ledger-bait fishing," but 
 as I shall treat of this under the head "pike-fishing," I 
 need not insert it here. 
 
 There is a method practised called "CROSS-FISHING," 
 whereby many salmon are taken, which is performed by 
 two anglers one on each side of the river. They are 
 each provided with- a long strong-ringed rods, at the butt 
 
TROULING, ETC. 55 
 
 of which is fixed a large winch, with thirty or forty 
 yards of line, which is run through the rings of each 
 rod, and are united at the smaller ends, where you attach 
 three or four salmon-flies, whipt to three fine guts twisted 
 together, or you may whip them on a single salmon-gut, 
 when you are thus provided, you may walk up the river 
 side, dropping your flies in places most likely where sal- 
 mon resort to, and if they are right the fish will seldom 
 refuse them. 
 
 Thnre is another destructive method of taking salmon, 
 trout, and many other fish, called " LATH-FISHING. For 
 this kind of angling you must provide a deal board, six 
 feet long, and four and a half inches wide, including a 
 piece of iron which is fixed on the thinest edge from end 
 to end which causes the board to swim with the thickest 
 edge up, which must be an inch thick, and the iron-shod 
 edge three-eights of an inch. There must be a hole 
 bored through near to each end, and two inches from the 
 top or thick edge, to admit of a piece of string being 
 fixed somewhat like the bellyband of a kite. You 
 must tie a small piece of string to this bellyband, two feet 
 six inches from one end, and three feet six inches from 
 the other, to which you fix the small end of your line ; 
 the rod must be nine feet long, and three-quarters of an 
 inch thick at the top, with a brass hoop fixed upon it, 
 and a large ring screwed to the end for the line to run 
 through, which must be wound round a reel, and fixed to 
 the thick end of the rod; you may use three, four, or five 
 flies on your line at once. I have seen laths which have 
 not been more than three feet long, and ten inches dee}), 
 
56 THE TROUT. 
 
 which have answered very well. But you may have two 
 small hinges fixed upon the Ion* one, so that it will double 
 up when you are not using it : the rod also may be made 
 to take to pieces. When you go to a lake, or any still 
 water where you intend to angle, launch your lath, and 
 move along the side, and you will see it strike out to- 
 wards the middle, or as far as you will allow it, and it will 
 move as you do. Let your flies dib on the water, and the 
 fish will take them greedily. This way of angling is very 
 destructive; so much so, that it has been prohibited on 
 several waters. 
 
 THE TROUT 
 
 Is of a rather longish make and comes nearer in shape to 
 the salmon than any other fresh-water fish, and is consi- 
 dered by some little inferior in taste. In the summer 
 months when they are in season, the back is of a pale 
 olive colour, interspersed with brown and red spots, 
 which in some cases will extend below the littral line, 
 but the colour in a great measure depends upon the 
 water which they are bred in ; those bred in the Dane 
 and Wye, and such places as have lime-stone or chalky 
 bottoms, are of a lighter colour, (inclining to white), 
 than those bred in the moor lands, where the bottoms are 
 of a darker colour ; indeed those which resort to the 
 sources of rivers amongst the moss-clad hills, are 
 almost black upon the back. I have caught trout of two 
 or three different colours in the same river, more parti- 
 
THE SALMON. 57 
 
 cularly when there has been a fresh of water, The best 
 time to angle for them at the bottom, or with the min- 
 now, is from March to June, and from the middle of 
 August to the middle of October, at which period they 
 may be f- mnd in almost every stream. They spawn in 
 the cold months of November, December and January; 
 at which time they are very sickly and thin, with large 
 heads, and of a dark colour ; though to this rule there 
 is an exception, for there are some trout at that season of 
 the year which seem to be well fed and of a good colour, 
 called in my neighbourhood " the maden trout," be- 
 cause they are without either milt or spawn, and may be 
 found in the streams in the winter season ; whereas 
 the others resort to the still deeps, and shelter under 
 roots, rocks, and hollow banks, at which time they may 
 be taken with the red worm or brambling, but they are 
 not worth the labour. 
 
 THE SALMON, 
 
 The salmon may be called the king of the fresh water fish, 
 being the largest we have in our country. It is a handsome 
 made fish ; the head is small with a sharpish nose; the body 
 is rather long and covered with fine bright scales ; the co- 
 lour of the back is a grey-blue, ihe other part of the body 
 is of a pale silvery colour, and is marked with irregular 
 bright brown spots ; but it is a fish so well known to all 
 our anglers, that a further description would be superflu- 
 ous. They begin to leave the sea about January or 
 February ; in some places they will leave sooner, and 
 
58 THE SALMON. 
 
 in other places later ; they continue running up till 
 near their spawning time, which is chiefly in September 
 and October, though some will spawn in August and 
 others as late as December ; at such time they choose to 
 be near the sides or at the end of swift streams with g ra- 
 velly and sandy bottoms, and so high up the river as to 
 have the water pure and free from any brackish tinc- 
 ture, where they will make large holes wherein to depo- 
 sit their spawn. The spawner and milter having per- 
 formed their office, and covered the spawn with the gra- 
 vel, which they had before thrown out, they leave nature 
 to do the rest, and betake themselves to the sea. The 
 best months to angle for them are from the middle of 
 March to the end of June, and from the end of August 
 to the middle of October ; the best time of the day is 
 from five to nine in the morning, and from three till sun- 
 set. They are to be fished for with the flies which I have 
 enumerated in the list, a few of which I give a copy of in 
 the annexed engraving. They will likewise take the min- 
 now and other small fish, as well as lobworms. When you 
 angle for them with the fly, your rod should be from six- 
 teen to nineteen feet long, strong and supple, with strong 
 brass rings from the top to within two feet from the bot- 
 tom, to which should be attached a large reel with about 
 forty or fifty yards of strong tapering line, to the end of 
 which must be fixed about three or four yards of strong 
 salmon gut, well knotted, and whipt on each side of the 
 knots with waxed silk ; to the small end of which must 
 be a well whipt loop to attach your fly to, for you must 
 use but one on your line at * time. When you use the 
 
THIS SALMON FRY. 50 
 
 minnow or any small fish, the same traces that you use 
 for the pike or trout will do for the salmon also. His 
 haunts are in swift violent streams and large rivers; 
 therefore when you angle for them it must be in such 
 like places. When you fish with the lobworm, use the 
 single three-hook traces with two worms on at once, and 
 fix them so that all the hooks may be covered and the tail 
 of one hang below the other. When you are thus pro- 
 vided, fish at the bottom and at the tail end of the 
 stream, keeping the line still, and yourself out of sight aa 
 much as possible ; but if they do not bite, move your 
 line gently up the stream, and if your bait is not taken, 
 you may conclude there are not any there. This way of 
 angling is best at the clearing after a fresh, or when 
 on the rise before it becomes too thick ; but the best way 
 of taking them is with the fly. 
 
 THE SALMON FRY. 
 
 They are in some places called "salmon smelts," in 
 other places " smelts," and also " salmon pinks ;'' it is 
 a handsome little fish, and has very much the appearance 
 of a young trout, indeed the difference is scarcely dis- 
 cernable, only the small fleshy fin on the back near the 
 tail is of a grey colour, and that on the trout is red. They 
 are to be met with in all the rivers which salmon fre- 
 quent, being the produce of the spawn left by them, In 
 the second year they are called "sprods," in the third 
 "morCs," in the fourth "forktails," in the- fifth "half 
 fish/' and in the sixth year "salmon." They begin to 
 
60 THE SALMON TROUT. 
 
 appear in February, March and April ; if a fresh happens 
 to swell the rivers in April, they begin to go down it. It 
 is a common saying amongst the anglers near the river 
 Ribble, that " the first fresh in May, takes all the smelt 
 away.'' At this time of the year they are about an ounce 
 weight ; by the middle of summer they will have grown 
 to the length of four or five inches. They will take 
 almost any small fly, particularly the golden palmer, 
 and afford great diversion. When I was a little boy, 
 not more than eight or ten years of age, I took great 
 quantities of them, and a many times three at once, 
 with a short hazel rod and a line in proportion with 
 three or four flies on, in the river Neath, near Pumfries. 
 They resort to gentle shallow streams, not daring to ven- 
 ture in the deeper parts of the river on account of the 
 various fish of prey which frequent such places. 
 
 THE SALMON TROUT 
 
 Is a very handsome fish, rather thicker and rounder than 
 a salmon, and is beautifully intermixed with black and 
 red spots from head to tail, and the flesh is considered 
 murh better than that of the salmon ; their haunts are 
 the same as the salmon and the larger-sized trout, and 
 may be taken when fishing for either. They will grow to 
 the weight of six or seven pounds. They are fond of 
 large gaudy flies, and when the river is fresh, they will 
 take the worm the same as the trout. 
 
THE BARBEL. 61 
 
 THE BULL TROUT OR SC U R F . 
 
 The bull trout differs from the salmon and salmon trout, 
 the body and head being much thicker and the tail not so 
 forked ; they will grow to four or five pounds weight, 
 and are to be met with in most rivers that have a com- 
 munication with salt water, from the beginning of June 
 to the end of October ; they are most plentiful in Septem- 
 ber and October, which is their spawning time; there- 
 fore they are not so good at that time; indeed their flesh 
 is at no time so good as that of the salmon. Their 
 haunts are the same as those of the salmon trout, and 
 are to be fished for the same way and with the same 
 flies and baits. 
 
 THE BARBEL. 
 
 So called on account of the two barbs or beards which 
 hang from the upper lip and extend beyond the lower ; it 
 is a handsomely made fish, covered with small round 
 scales, which, together with the sport it affords, is all 
 there is to recommend it to your notice, being scarcely fit 
 for the table. It generally spawns in April or May, and 
 the best feeding time is from the beginning of July to the 
 end of September ; it is to be angled for at the bottom, 
 where he will take the salmon-roe, gentles, lob -worms 
 or toasted cheese. When you bait the place where you 
 intend to fish, do it with rnalt grains, blood, or lob-worms, 
 cut into pieces, and well worked up with clay, and made 
 
62 THE PIKE. 
 
 into small balls to prevent the stream from washing it 
 away, for it resorts to such like places. If you fish in 
 gentle running water, you may use a quill or cork float ; 
 but when you fish in streams it is better without a float ; 
 your line should be loaded with a moderate-sized lead of 
 an oval form, with a hole through it to admit the line, which 
 may be bought at any respectable tackle shop, and a shot 
 about a foot from the hook to prevent the lead from drop- 
 ping any lower. When it bites give it a little time, and 
 strike when you see your line going out. It is a leathern- 
 mouthed fish, therefore, when you have hooked one, all that 
 you need be afraid of is your tackle, which should be fine 
 and strong, for the barbel is a powerful fish and struggles 
 hard for its life. 
 
 THE PIKE, 
 
 May justly be termed the fresh-water shark, on account of 
 its verocity ; it has a long and roundish body, covered 
 with small scales, and is of a greenish colour ; the sides 
 are spotted with yellow, and the belly with white ; the 
 snout is somewhat like the bill of a duck ; the teeth in the 
 lower jaw are crooked, the upper jaw is void of teeth; there 
 is a tripple row on the palate, and the tongue is almost 
 covered with them. Its chief article of sustenance are 
 frogs and fish, even those of his own species ; but the 
 larger ones do not confine themselves to these alone, but 
 will take young ducks from the top of the water. Their 
 spawning time is from the middle of February to the mid- 
 dle of March; at which time they seek out some narrow 
 
THE PIKE. 63 
 
 creek or ditch wherein to deposit their spawn. In lakes or 
 ponds they will resort to the neck or shallow parts of the 
 water, amongst weeds. They are in season all the \ear, 
 except February, March and April ; and the best time to 
 angle for them is from the end of May to December ; the 
 best baits are the young roach, dace, minnow, gudgeon, 
 loach, salmon-smelt, bleak, and yellow frogs ; when the 
 latter is used, put your hook in at its mouth and out at its 
 gills, and then with a fine thread tie it above the upper 
 joint of its leg. But the best way to angle for it is with 
 some fish, larger or smaller, according to the size of pike 
 you expect to meet with. 
 
 There is a method called " snap-fishing," in which 
 some use a double spring hook, which may be had at the 
 tacke shops ; you bait it thus : with a penknife you make 
 a hole in the side of your bait -fish, then put the gimp which 
 is fastened to the hook into it, and bring it out at the 
 mouth till the spring hooks come to the place where the 
 incision is made, put them into the belly of the fish ; then 
 have a piece of lead (the same as I have laid down in 
 toaces for trowling), put it in the fish's mouth, and sew it 
 up. When your hook is thus baited, throw into the most 
 likely place for a pike ; let it sink near the bottom, then 
 raise it to near the top, then let it sink again, and so on ; 
 still keep drawing your line down the rod with your left 
 hand till the bait is near the side ; if a pike should take 
 the bait, strike immediately the contrary way. This kind of 
 angling is practised in March and April, when the fish are 
 spawning, or soon after they have spawned. 
 
 But the best way to angle for the pike is with the traces, 
 
64 THE PIKE. 
 
 which I have treated upon under the head " trouling,' ' 
 but your hooks must be much larger ; and mark, fix on 
 gimp instead of gut. When the fish bites you need not 
 strike with your rod, but give the line a smart jerk with 
 your left hand, which has hold of it, which does not en- 
 danger your rod. For the pike should be stronger than that 
 for the trout. The best kind of rods that I have seen for this 
 kind &f fishing were made by an old angler of the name 
 of George Grantham, residing in Manchester ; they ans- 
 wered for trouling, bottom, and fly-fishing, having the va- 
 rious tops in the hollow bottom. 
 
 There is also another way to fish for the pike (both 
 trout and perch may be caught the same way;) I call it 
 middle fishing. You fix a single hook to the end of your 
 gimp, with two or three shots about a foot from the hook, 
 to keep the fish from coming to the top ; put on a large 
 cork float, sufficient to swim a gudgeon ; and when you 
 bait the hook put it through the top lip or through the 
 back fin. You may bait the same way with a minnow or 
 any other fish, which must be kept alive in a tin kettle with 
 holes in the lid to give them air. 
 
 There is another way called " fishing with the gorge." 
 You may either use a single hook or two hooks tied back 
 to back, though they are better braized together. They 
 should be moderately large, with long shanks, and copper- 
 twisted wire or gimp whipt to the end of them ; the shanks 
 must be leaded. If you use twisted wire, which is the best 
 for large fish, it must have a joint about six inches from 
 the hook, (you may buy them ready fitted up at the tackle- 
 shops ;) to the end of which wire you must fix about a foot of 
 
THE PIKE. (if) 
 
 gimp, with a loop at the contrary end to attach the swivel 
 to ; you must also be provided with a baiting-needle about 
 six inches long, with an eye at one end to admit the loop 
 which is made at the end of the gimp. You likewise must 
 have a piece of gimp about five or six inches long, with 
 a loop at one end to fix to your line, and a box-swivel at 
 the other, with the spring end to receive the loop of the 
 gimp which is attached to the hooks or arming wire. When 
 you are thus provided, take vour dead fish, which may be 
 any one of those before enumerated, put the point of the 
 needle in at the mouth and out near to the tail, then draw 
 it and the gimp through till the leaded shank of the hook 
 is buried inside the lish, with only the bend of the hooks 
 outside, and the points towards the eyes, and with a needle 
 and thread sew its mouth up, and with another piece of 
 thread tie the arming- wire to the tail, fix the loop to the 
 swivel, and it is ready for use. This may be used in the 
 same manner as the other trouling, throwing it in those 
 places which the pike is most likely to haunt, viz., amongst 
 weeds, under roots or hollow banks. When a pike takes 
 your bait, slacken the line, and let it have time to pouch it, 
 of which you will Lave notice by its sailing away with it, then 
 strike, and if he is nicely managed the fish is your own ; 
 but when you are middle-fishing you must strike when you 
 see it sailing off with the float. Let your dead baits be 
 as fresh as possible ; they are best when packed in 
 bran. 
 
 You may also use the gorge for the hand line, but the 
 shank of the hook need not be leaded. They are nothing 
 more than common night-lines ; and you may throw 
 
66 THE GREYLING. 
 
 one or more of them in the places at which you are ang- 
 ling with the rod. 
 
 THE GREYLING. 
 
 It is a handsome fresh-water fish, and more particularly 
 the young ones ; they will grow to three or four pounds 
 iu weight, and are somewhat longer than a trout ; in make 
 the belly is more flat and broad ; they are hogged-backed, 
 somewhat like the roach, and of a dusky green ; the sides 
 and belly are of a silver grey, and are marked with black 
 spots, which is more apparent in autumn and winter than 
 the early part of summer, for then they appear more like 
 stripes from head to tail. They may be taken all the 
 year round, but the best time is from the end of August to 
 the end of November 
 
 For then's the time, if you're inclin'd, 
 To tamper the quick-eyed greyling, 
 For they're in season, you will find, 
 If you go where they are sailing 
 Down by the dove's romantic banks, 
 Which through those rocky vallies glide ; 
 There you may see them play their pranks, 
 Along the stream on every side. 
 
 They spawn in April and May, and are the most in season 
 at the latter end of the year. You must fish for them in 
 the same manner as for trout, but they will take the fly 
 somewhat deeper in the water. The ant-egg is an excel- 
 lent bait for them, but they will take the worm, wasp, 
 grub, gentle, and grasshopper ; their haunts are nearly the 
 same as the trout's, and you may take- them both at the 
 
THE BREAM. 87 
 
 same standing. An acquaintance of mine took one with 
 the minnow when trouling for trout in the Derwent. They 
 are by no means a common fish, and are found in but few 
 rivers, such as the Dove, Trent, Wye, Tame, near Ludlow, 
 and a few other streams. When I fish for it with the fly, 
 I always use single hair for my lash or bottom, about two 
 and a half or three yards long. If you miss it when it 
 rises, and should you even prick it, he will come again. I 
 saw a particular instance of it one day that I and three 
 others were angling with the ant- egg in the Derwent, two 
 on each side ; one of those on the opposite side had a 
 bite, and when he struck, his line broke and the fish sailed 
 away with about half a yard of it, and in about five min- 
 utes after my neighbour took the same fish with the 
 hook in its mouth. 
 
 THE BREAM 
 
 Is a very coarse bony fish, and but little esteemed in 
 this country for the table ; the places it chiefly fre- 
 quents are ponds or deep gently-flowing rivers, with clay 
 or sandy bottoms, and in the deepest parts of such places, 
 it spawns about the latter end of June. The best time 
 to angle for it is from the beginning of May to the mid- 
 dle of June, and from July to October, and both early 
 and late in the day ; they will take the small red worm, 
 wasp, grub, gentle, grasshopper, and red paste, but 
 the red worm is preferable to all other baits, and the 
 bait must lie on the bottom. The bream is a very strong 
 fish, and very much hogged-backed, which has been the 
 
68 THE CARP. 
 
 cause of some anglers calling it a pair of bellows, it hav* 
 ing much the appearance of that article of housewifery. 
 Its back is of a blue-black, the sides are of a yellowish 
 colour, and the belly reddish ; the tail is forked, and the 
 head somewhat broad and smooth. When it is hooked 
 it struggles hard and requires time in landing it. The 
 tackle must be firm and strong, the hook No. 8. 
 
 THE CARP 
 
 Is by nature a cunning fish, and by some is called "the 
 fresh-water fox ;" it is a leathern-mouthed fish; its back 
 rises from its head, somewhat sharp and edged, and is 
 generally of a yellowish olive ; it has large broad scales, 
 its fins are purple-brown, and the tail slightly forked. 
 Its chief spawning time is in May, though it is said they 
 spawn several times in the year. Their haunts are ex- 
 actly the same as the bream's, and the bait is the green 
 cabbage-grub, wasp-grub, gentle, brambling, red-worm, 
 and crumbs of white bread and honey made into a paste, 
 some use green peas parboiled, but I never tried them. 
 The rod should be long and strong, the line strong in 
 proportion, with a quill float, and gut next to the hook, 
 which should be a No. 8, and it must lie at the bottom, 
 except in spawning time when you fish amongst the 
 weeds, when it should be near the top of the water. 
 When you intend to bait the place where you are going 
 to angle at, do it with the same composition that I re- 
 commend for the barbel, and use the same for bream. 
 "You must keep out of sight as much as possible, for 
 
THE TENCH. 69 
 
 they are very shy. When you have hooked one give H 
 play enough, or it will break your tackle. 
 
 THE TENCH 
 
 Is considered to be the fish's physician, and is a most 
 delicious fish, but its appearance is by no means prepo- 
 sessing, for its body is covered with an adhesive mocus 
 or slime, which is said to be healing to other fish, and 
 even the pike will rub itself against its sides if it has 
 received a wound or be sick, and will abstain from 
 devouring it however hungry it may be. The tench is 
 leathern-mouthed, with a small barb at each side ; it is 
 covered with small scales of a blackish olive colour. The 
 spawning time is the latter end of June and the begin- 
 ning of July, and the best time to angle for them is April, 
 May and June, the latter end of July and August. The 
 baits are the red-worm, gentle, wasp-grub, dock-grub, 
 March worms, and all kinds of pastes. Its haunts are 
 in ponds and rivers which are well shaded with bushes, 
 and amongst weeds, rushes, or flags. They thrive better 
 in foul than clear water. The tackle must be rather 
 strong, with a cork or quill float, and you must fish at 
 the bottom if it is not too thick with mud, but if it is 
 you must suspend the bait as near to it as possible. 
 It will sometimes take the bait at mid-water, but I gene- 
 rally take the largest fish at the bottom. It is well 
 to keep feeding the place you are angling in with the 
 same kind of bait you are using, and when he bites 
 
70 THE CHUB. 
 
 give him time. You may angle for them all day, but the 
 best times are early and late. 
 
 THE CHUB 
 
 Is a well known fish, and inhabits many of our rivers 
 and ponds ; in shape it somewhat resembles the carp 
 and tench, but its colour is more pleasing-, being of a 
 silvery grey. It resorts to deep waters where the cur- 
 rent is strong, and it loves to shelter under hollow 
 banks, bushes and large trees that overhang the water, 
 and is often taken when angling for the trout. They 
 spawn in April and May, and may be angled for the 
 year round, when the weather is favourable, with natu- 
 ral (see dibbing) and artificial flies (see fly-fishing), like- 
 wise with salmon-roe, ant-eggs, wasp-grubs, gentler, 
 dock-gaubs, and paste tinged with vermilion, old cheese 
 worked in the hand and made into large pills. You may 
 fish either at the bottom or in the middle. Use a shot 
 to your line sufficient to sink your bait, and a fine quill 
 float. The rod must be a long one, and you must keep 
 out of sight as much as possible, for they are a very shy 
 fish, and swim in shoals. Strike as soon as the 
 float is drawn under water, give it play, and keep it from 
 getting amongst the roots or weeds, which it will endea- 
 vour to gain. If you bait the ground, do so before you 
 begin to angle, and with the same composition you use 
 for carp, &c. 
 
THE PERCH. 71 
 
 THE PERCH. 
 
 The perch is a very ravenous fish, its mouth being fur- 
 nished with very large teeth ; it is hogged-backed, on 
 which are two strong prickly fins ; the sides are covered 
 with hard dry scales ; its body is thick and deep, and 
 of a brownish olive colour, with four for five blackish 
 marks proceeding from the back downwards ; its flesh is 
 little inferior to that of a trout. They spawn in February 
 and March, and sometimes as late as May. They bite best 
 from the middle of May to the end of July, and may be 
 taken as late as September. They delight in gentle clear 
 streams with sandy and gravelly bottoms, and are found 
 in almost every lake and river. They swim in shoals, 
 and. when you find them, you may take nearly every fish 
 at one standing. Your line and rod must be the same as 
 for chub, with a small cork float. They are taken at 
 several depths, but you will take the best fish at the bot- 
 tom. They bite best in warm weather. If the day be 
 cloudy and windy, you may angle from sunrise to sunset. 
 When he bites give him time you cannot give him too much 
 for if you let it alone it will hook itself. The best baits 
 are the minnow used as a leger-bait, or with trouling, the 
 brambling-worm, dock-worm, red-worm, wasp-grub, a 
 blue worm that you may find under old cow dung in a 
 pasture field, and if you take the eye out of one that you 
 have caught, and put it on the hook, it will take it greedi- 
 ly ; it will likewise take a dirty brownish-looking bot, 
 found in ploughed fields or amongst clods that arc piled 
 
72 THE 
 
 together. When you bait with one of these, put the 
 hook in at one end, and it will turn inside out upon it ; 
 they will also take the yellow-jack, and a grub about three 
 quarters of an inch long, of a lead colour, both found 
 under old cow dung. When you bait the ground for 
 perch, use chopped dew-worms, or any other sort you 
 may think proper. 
 
 THE EEL 
 
 Is an inhabitant of almost every river, lake and pond, 
 in the united kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland, par- 
 ticularly those waters which have a communication with 
 the sea. There are several kinds, viz., the conger-eel, the 
 silver-eel, the gred-eel, &c. The silver-eel is accounted 
 the best, but the conger-eel attains to a larger size ; I have 
 seen them from eighteen to twenty-four pounds weight. 
 The silver-eel will grow to about five or six pounds in 
 weight. The best places to angle for them are by the 
 side of old walls, bridges, amongst piles, near hollow 
 banks, tails and sides of streams, and the best time is at 
 night or when the tide is flowing, or when the water 
 is foul by rain, and in rough stormy days. The best 
 bait for it in the day time is the wasp-grub, it will also 
 take worms of all kinds, particularly the dew-worm and 
 lampreys or seven eyes, cut in pieces about an inch long; 
 the latter is mostly for night fishing. When you angle 
 for it with the rod, let it, as well as the line, be rather 
 strong, either with or without a cork float, the hook 
 No. 3. 
 
THE EEL. 73 
 
 There is also another way called "bobbing," by which 
 I have taken large quantities of eels. Get two or three 
 yards of worsted, make a knot at one end and at the other 
 tie a piece of wire about eight inches long, sharp at the 
 point, then provide a quantity of dew-worms, put the wire 
 hi at the head of one and bring it out at the tail, then draw 
 it down the worsted to where you made the knot; serve the 
 other worms in the same manner till you have covered the 
 worsted all over, then cut off the wire, make a knot on 
 that end to keep the worms from 1 coming off, then lap 
 them round your hand till you come to the other end, 
 then get a piece of strong twine about two yards and 
 three quarters long, tie one end fast to the bunch of 
 worms, make a knot four inches from them, then slip 
 a piece of lead with a hole through it down the line to 
 the knot, about half a pound in weight, fasten the line to 
 a pole about two or three yards long ; when you use them 
 let the bait lie on- the bottom. You may know when they 
 bite, by feeling them tug at the bait; give them a little 
 time before you pull up, which must be gently done till 
 they get near the surface of the water, then hoist them 
 out quickly, the worsted sticking fast in their teeth, pre- 
 vents them from getting off till you have landed them. 
 When they are disengaged from the worsted, throw in 
 again; and so continue putting in and drawing out. In this 
 manner you may take a large quantity of eels. 
 
 There is another way called " sniggling'' or " brag- 
 gling." You must get a slender stick about a yard and 
 a half long, with a quill fixed to the small end; then get 
 a small stocking needle, whip a piece of simpliiig to the 
 
74 THE EEL. 
 
 middle with a piece of waxed silk, then put the thick end 
 of the needle into the head of a loh-worm, letting the 
 point come out about the middle ; then put the point 
 of the needle into the quill, holding the string slack in 
 your hand ; put the baits into holes in hollow walls, 
 under stones, or any place where eels are likely to 
 resort. If there be an eel he will take it and draw 
 the worm and needle out of the quill ; give it time to 
 swallow the worm, then give the line a smart twitch, 
 and it will fix the needle across the throat ; hold a mode- 
 rate tight line and he will soon come out of his hold, 
 and you may then bring him to land. Instead of the 
 quill you may make a small cleft in the end of the stick 
 to put the point of tbe needle in, which answers as 
 well. 
 
 There is another way to take them. Get a bundle of 
 straw, and put inside of it a quantity of offal, then tie a piece 
 of string round near to each end; then get a strong 
 cord and tie it round the middle of the bundle, and with 
 a large stone sink it in the most likely place for eels, 
 leaving the end of the cord on land; go early the next 
 morning after leaving it there ail night, . take hold 
 of the string and pull out the bundle of straw as quickly 
 as you can, and you will find a quantity of eels creeping 
 out of it. 
 
 They are also taken with night-lines with several 
 hooks fixed on them baited with lob- worms, bull-heads, 
 minnows, and lampreys cut in pieces ; the latter is the 
 best bait for these kinds of lines. 
 
THE ROACH. 75 
 
 THE FLO UND E R 
 
 Is an inhabitant of all the rivers which have a commu- 
 nication with the sea ; it is a flat fish, somewhat like a 
 plaice, but the body is longer ; the back is a dirty olive 
 brown colour ; the belly is of a dull white. It delights 
 to be in gentle streams with gravel or sandy bottoms. 
 It spawns in June and July, and is in season all the re- 
 mainder of the year. It is the same with the flounder 
 as with all other flat fish, to feed at the bottom. You 
 may angle for them all the day through on the declivity 
 of a deep hole, either with or without a small cork float. 
 When you have a bite give it time to gorge the hook be- 
 fore you strike, and you will seldom lose them. Let 
 your tackle be fine. The best baits are the small red 
 worms, bramblings, and march worms ; be sure your 
 hook is well covered and lies on the ground. 
 
 THE RO A GH 
 
 Is rather a handsome fish; it has a small head and 
 mouth, a hog back, and the scales are large ; the fins, 
 when in season, are red, the tail a little forked. It is a 
 simple fish ; and inhabits most of our rivers, especially 
 such as are deep, still and clear, with sandy and gravelly 
 bottoms. It is also found in many of our lakes and 
 canals. Its sides are of a silvery colour with a shade of 
 yellow, rather more dusky on the upper parts. During 
 
76 THE DACE, 
 
 spring they resort to shallows and scours, in summer 
 amongst weeds, and in winter in deep holes and eddies. 
 They spawn in May, and are best in winter, though they 
 begin to be in season in July. You may angle for them 
 the day through, but like most other fish it is best early 
 and late. Your rod must be long and slender, your line 
 single hair or gut, with a single shot on, and a fine 
 quill float ; the baits most killing are gentles, wasp- 
 grubs, pastes, and small red worms hook No. 2. When 
 angling for them and you see the float moving away, strike 
 or it will leave the hook and suck of the bait. 
 
 THE DACE OR DAKE 
 
 Differs some little from the roach by having a wider 
 mouth, blunter nose, and larger head, with a longer and 
 thicker body, the scales not so large, and the tail more 
 forked, and it is a more lively fish in the water ; the 
 flesh is much better, and it is not so boney. Its haunts 
 are much the same as the roach's. They spawn the 
 latter end of March, and are in season soon after. The 
 same baits and tackle that are used for the roach will do 
 for the dace. Also, when you fish for either, you must 
 keep baiting the place with bits of paste made into small 
 pills, chewed bread, or bits of potatoes mixed with bran. 
 But the best way to take them from April to October is 
 with artificial flies, such as the black gnat, wren-tail, 
 small, ant-fly, &c. 
 
THE BLEAK. 77 
 
 THE BLEAK 
 
 Is called by some " the fresh-water swallow," and by 
 others " the fresh-water sprat:'' its length is about five or 
 six inches ; the back is of a olive green, the scales thin 
 and of a silvery colour. It is found in many of our rivers, 
 and it haunts both deeps and streams. It spawns in 
 May. When you angle for them use a single hair line, 
 with a slender rod, a small quill float, with two or three 
 No. 1 hooks on your line, and fish at mid water. You 
 may also take tbem with the fly, such as you use for 
 dace. The best baits for the bleak are gentles, small cad- 
 dies, house flies, and small bits of reddish paste. Bait 
 the ground the same a for roach and dace. 
 
 THE GUDGEON 
 
 Is to be met with in most of our small rivers and rivulets, 
 particularly those which are connected with lakes and 
 ponds with sandy and gravelly bottoms ; its length is 
 about five or six inches. The back is of a pale olive co- 
 lour, the sides of a silvery hue marked with black spots, 
 and the belly white. It spawns in April or May. In 
 summer it resorts to gentle shallow streams, in winter to 
 deep still waters. It is an excellent bait for the pike. 
 They are to be angled for at the bottom, with fine tackle. 
 The baits are gentles and small red worms. 
 
73 THE MINNOW, 
 
 THE MINNOW OR PINK 
 
 Is an inhabitant of most of the clear streams in England, 
 and in length seldom exceeds three inches. It is of diffe- 
 rent colours, some being of a wavy green, others brown- 
 ish intermixed with blue : the bellies of some are of a sil- 
 very white, others are tinged with yellow or red. It makes 
 its first appearance in March and disappears in October - r 
 it spawns in June and is an excellent bait for pike, 
 perch, and trout. It may be angled for from sunrise to 
 sunset with small worms : your tackle must be fine, your 
 hooks of the smallest kind, and your bait must be on or 
 near the bottom. 
 
 There is also the "loach'' and " bull-head" or "miller 's- 
 thumb," both of which are good baits for night-lines, but 
 they are so well known to most anglers that I need not 
 enter into any particulars with regard to their form, co- 
 lour, or haunts. 
 
 THE LAMPREY OR SEVEN EYES 
 
 Is an inhabitant of most rivers which receives the influx of 
 the tide. Its length is from ten to twelve inches; the 
 back is of a greyish black, and the belly a bright silver 
 colour : its mouth is round and furnished with six or 
 seven teeth; on the top of the head there is a hole to 
 take in the water when it adheres to a rock or stone, (for 
 then its mouth is entirely shut) and the water is again 
 discharged by the seven holes placed on each side near 
 
THE LAMPREY. 79 
 
 the head, It is entirely void of bone and is an excellent 
 bait for night-lines, particularly for eels. There is a 
 smaller kind which inhabits many of our streams near 
 their source, which are not more than six or seven inches 
 long, and about as thick as a dew-worm, of a pale brown 
 or sandy colour ; it will also do to bait night lines 
 when cut in pieces about an inch long, but it is not to be 
 compared to the larger sort. There is also another kind, 
 which is an inhabitant of the sea, though it comes into 
 fresh water to deposit its spawn ; it is called " the lam- 
 prey eel." The skin is of a blackish colour and full of 
 paleish angular spots. I have seen in the river Neath lamprey 
 eels which have measured three feet in length ; but they 
 are of no service to the angler ; for without they are a fish 
 whereon he can exercise his patience and abilities to cap- 
 ture, he considers them worthless ; and he may be classed 
 amongst the most persevering enemies of the finny race, 
 which are too numerous to mention ; but I shall here 
 enumerate a few, as Pope and other writers have given 
 them : 
 
 " A thousand foes the finny people chase, 
 
 Nor are they safe from their own kindred race : 
 The pike, fell tyrant of the liquid plain, 
 With ra\'nous waste devours his fellow train ; 
 Yet howso'er with raging famine pined, 
 The tench he spares, a salutary kind; 
 Hence, too, the perch, a like voracious brood, 
 Forbears to make this gen'rous race his food, 
 Though on the common drove no hound he finds, 
 But spreads unmeasured waste o'er all the kinds : 
 Nor less the greedy trout and glutless eel, 
 Incessant woes and dire destruction deal : 
 The lurking water rat in caverns preys, 
 And in tho weeds the wily otter slays ; 
 
80 ON BAITS. 
 
 The ghastly newt in muddy streams annoy, 
 And in swift floods the felly snake destroys ; 
 Toads for the swarming fry forsake the lawn 
 And croaking frogs devour the tender spawn. 
 Neither the habitants of land nor air, 
 (So sure their doom) the fishy numbers spare : 
 The swan, fair regent of the silver tide, 
 Their ranks destroy, and spread their ruin wide ; 
 The duck her offspring to the river leads, 
 And on the destin'd fry insatiate feeds ; 
 On fatal wings the pouncing bittern soars, 
 And wafts her prey from the defenceless shores ; 
 The watchful halcyons to their reeds repair, 
 And from their haunts the scaly captive hear ; 
 Sharp herns, and coim'rants too their tribe oppress, 
 A harass'd race, peculiar in distress, 
 Nor can the muse enumerate their foes : 
 Such is their fate, so various are their woes." 
 
 CHAPTER 2. A FEW REMARKS ON BAITS WHERE TO BE FOUND 
 
 AND HOW TO BE PRESERVED. 
 
 MINNOWS AND GUDGEONS 
 
 Are to be found in many small rivulets, and may be taken 
 by small nets and kept in a tin kettle of an oval form, the 
 lid to open with an hinge, and pierced full of holes to let' 
 in the air, and the handle to carry it by to be over the 
 top. If your bait-fish be dead, pack them in bran, which 
 will absord the moisture, and if you have to keep them 
 a length of time, sprinkle a little salt over them. They 
 are a good bait for pike, trout, perch and eels. 
 
ON BAITS. 81 
 
 LOACH AND BULLHEADS 
 
 Are to be found near the sides, on the bottom, and under 
 stones in shallow gravelly waters; they may be taken 
 either with small worms or by the hand. They are a good 
 bait for night lines. 
 
 BRAMBLINGS, GILTTAILS AND RED-WORMS. 
 
 Are to be found in old horse-dung hills, hog's dung, and 
 rotten earth, and about cucumber pits, and in tanner 's 
 bark, after it has been used and has become rotten ; you 
 may scour them in damp moss, but they are better with- 
 out it. 
 
 MEADOW-WORMS 
 
 Are longer than the brambling, of a whiteish colour, with 
 a yellow tinge at the end of the tail, something like the 
 gilt-tail, and may be found in turnip-fields and pasture- 
 land, after or during rainy weather. 
 
 MARSH-WORMS 
 
 Are found in marshy ground, under cow-dung, and in rich 
 soils near the banks of rivers ; they are of a dark blue 
 colour. They are an excellent bait for perch, and many 
 other fish. 
 
 SMALL WHITE EARTH WORMS 
 Are found in gardens and ploughed fields ; they are of a 
 
82 ON BAITS. 
 
 dirty white colour, with pale red heads and yellowish at 
 the tail ; when scoured they are of a pale pink colour. 
 They are an excellent bait for trout; chub, dace, carp, 
 tench, bream, perch, eels and gudgeons. 
 
 LOB-WORMS 
 
 Are to be found in gardens in the evening of damp days, 
 during spring and summer. They are a good bait for sal- 
 mon, trout, barbel, and eels, 
 
 KNOT-WORMS 
 
 Are found in stiffish marl or sandy ground ; they are of a 
 deep pink or pale red colour, and are often found tied in 
 a knot. They are a good bait for most of the lesser kind 
 of fish, and if put on the hook together with a brambling, 
 trout will take them much better. 
 
 TO CLEANSE OR SCOUR WORMS. 
 
 The best way to scour worms is to put them in an earthen 
 jar with a quantity of clean damp moss, changing or wash- 
 ing the moss every three or four days. 
 
 MAGGOTS OR GENTLES 
 
 Are^ produced from fly-blows in any kind of animal 
 substance, and may be retained in a tin box with a quan- 
 tity of bran and damp sand, or damp sand alone, and put 
 
ON BAITS. 
 
 in a damp place ; and if you want some for winter or 
 spring fishing about November, procure a cow's liver or a 
 sheep's head, and expose it for the flies to blow upon, 
 aud when the maggots are full grown, put them, together 
 with the liver or heads, into a tub or cask, with one end 
 taken out, first putting at the bottom a quantity of fresh 
 mould mixed with half dried cow-dung, then fill the tub 
 with the same kind of mould, and keep them in a cool 
 place ; if the mould should become "dry at the top, sprin- 
 kle a little water over it. 
 
 WASP-GRUBS 
 
 Are an excellent bait for many kinds of fish. To prevent 
 them from coming forward too fast, keep the wasp-combe 
 in a very cool place, or bake them a little in a half-cooled 
 oven, or pour scalding milk over them. . 
 
 ANT-EGGS 
 
 Are capital bait for trout, greyling, roach, dace, chub, 
 and many other kinds of fish, 
 
 THE COD-BAIT 
 
 Is to be found in gravelly and sandy rivulets, and by the 
 sides of streams in large rivers, among and under stones ; 
 put them into a linen bag, dip them, bag and all, into wa- 
 ter, and hang them up. When you want to use them 
 
84 ON BAITS. 
 
 break off carefully the husks. They are a good bait for 
 most fish. 
 
 DOCK-WORMS. 
 
 These worms are found by plucking up the plan ts and 
 washing their roots free from earth ; in their fibres are 
 little cases of a red or yellow colour, in which, upon being 
 opened with a pin, Vill be discovered the worm ; they 
 must be kept in bran. They are a good bait for bream, 
 greyling, trout and perch. 
 
 PASTES 
 
 Made of old rotten Cheshire-cheese and white bread, is a 
 good bait for chub. A good bait for barbel may be made 
 by dipping white bread in the water which chandler's 
 greaves has been boiled in, and kneaded stiff. But the best 
 paste which I have found for all kinds of fish is made as 
 follows : Get a moderate-sized potato, nearly half its bulk 
 of cheese, and a teaspoonful of white sugar, mix them in a 
 bason till they are well incorporated together, then add to 
 it white flour until it has the consistency of putty, tie it 
 in a clean cloth, put it in a saucepan full of cold water 
 over the fire, let it boil about three or four minutes, and it 
 is ready for use. 
 
 SALMON-ROE 
 Is an excellent bait for trout, chub, roach, dace, and 
 
ON RODS. 8f> 
 
 many others, used raw as it comes from the fish, and cut 
 with a pair of scissors the size which will cover the hook ; 
 or you may preserve it in the following manner ; take a 
 pound of the roe, put it in warm water, and carefully wash 
 off the particles of skin and b!ood ; then rinse it by pour- 
 ing over it cold water, and hang it up in a bag to drain 
 for a day and night ; then put to it two ounces of salt, 
 a quarter of an ounce of saltpetre, and a quarter of an 
 ounce of ground loaf sugar, and hang it tip again for 
 twenty-four hours more ; then spread it on a dish to 
 dry before the fire, or in the sun until it becomes stiff, 
 and then put it into a small jar and run melted suet on 
 the top, The jar must be covered with a bladder to 
 keep out the air. If this be placed in a dry cool place, 
 it will keep good for two years. When you wish to 
 make your paste of a pink colour, mix a little vermillioii 
 with it. When you fish with paste or roe, you must be 
 quicker in striking than when you are fishing with 
 worms or grubs ; and it is a good plan when fishing 
 with the paste, to suspend on your line, about a foot 
 from the rod, a small piece of lead, which prevents the 
 fish from being pricked before you strike. 
 
 RODS. 
 
 As a rod is an indispensible article to an angler, I shall 
 here give you a description of those which I have found 
 the best. A fly-rod should be from nine to ten feet long 
 for small rivers ; let the bottom part be five feet long, 
 
 and made of hickory, ash, or lancewood I give prefr- 
 
 r A 
 
86 ON RODS. 
 
 rence to the hickory, it being very light and elastic ; the 
 top must be made of logwood that is straight grained, 
 and made very fine it must be fixed to the bottom 
 by a long neat splice, tied with fine waxed string, 
 but some will have the.ni made in three parts, fixed toge- 
 ther by brass ferrules for convenience of carriage. The 
 bottom end of the rod must be made so thick that it will 
 fit easily in the hand, and taper much for about a foot 
 above the handle, then gently to the top end ; it must 
 likewise be ringed from the top to within half a yard 
 from where the reel is fixed on ; the nearer the rings are 
 placed towards the top the less liable the line is to swag. 
 For large rivers and lakes a fly-rod about twelve feet 
 three inches long is a very good length. Bottom and 
 dibbing-rods should be from thirteen to fifteen feet long 
 and a little stifferthan fly-rods. Trouling-rods shou'd 
 be from twelve to thirteen feet long, and rather stifFer 
 than bottom-rods, w T ith broader and larger rings. There 
 has lately been invented a new kind of ring for trouling- 
 rods, and may be purchased at the tackle-shops. There 
 are two-handed salmon-rods made from sixteen to 
 twenty feet long. Your lines for salmon and large 
 pike fishing should be about forty or fifty yards long, 
 and finely tapered. Trout lines must be from eighteen 
 to thirty yards long, and rather much tapered for about 
 twelve yards, the thickest part being from twenty-four to 
 twenty-six hairs thick, and run down to four hairs at 
 the point. These lines must be free from knots, other- 
 wise they will not run through the rings. They may be 
 purchased at the tackle- shops any length you may think 
 
ON DYEING. 87 
 
 proper. I have given you a description of the rods, lines, 
 baits and flies requisite for the angler, so that I have 
 only further to add, that neatness, cleanliness, perseve- 
 rance and patience, are highly necessary in every depart- 
 ment of angling. 
 
 As it may be difficult to obtain feathers and hair of 
 the exact colour you may want, I shall here inform you 
 how to dye them. 
 
 HOW TO DYE THE MALLARD AND OTHER FEATHERS 
 YELLOW. 
 
 Take the root of the barbary tree, shave it, put to it 
 woody vis, with alum the size of a wallnut, and boil the 
 feathers in it with rain water, and they will be a fine 
 yellow ; or after you have boiled your feathers in alum 
 water, boil them again in water wherein you have put 
 some fustic, and they will be of a deep yellow ; or get a 
 little weld and recou and boil your feathers with them, 
 and they will be a fine yellow colour. By the same 
 means you may dye the buffferrit fur yellow, which will 
 be equal to yellow martin's fur. 
 
 TO DYE FEATHERS RED. 
 
 After they have gone through the process of being dyed 
 yellow, put them in an earthen pipkin with rain water 
 and a few cochineals, boil them three-quarters of an 
 hour. The feathers best adapted for being dyed this 
 colour are the dark buff hackles from a common cock's 
 
88 ON DYEING. 
 
 neck; they make excellent legs for the red britches and 
 some of the salmon-flies. 
 
 TO DYE GUT A CHESNUT COLOUR. 
 
 Take a handful of logwood shavings and boil it in rain 
 water, and when nearly cold, steep in your gut, but 
 you must not let it stay in long or it will become too 
 dark ; or you may boil red onion pealings, which will 
 answer the same purpose. 
 
 TO DYE WHITE HORSE HAIR BROWN. 
 
 Take the first runnings from new malt liquor and steep 
 your hair therein ; but if you can obtain pale chesnut 
 and fine transparent grey horse hair it will be much bet- 
 ter than any you can dye. 
 
 TO STAIN RODS. 
 
 To stain rods a cinnamon-colour, cover the rod over 
 with aquafortis, and after it has stood awhile wash it over 
 with cold water, and let it dry. To stain a brown-colour, 
 dissolve a little iron in the aquafortis. To stain a ma- 
 hogany-colour, dissolve a little brass in the liquor. 
 
 TO MAKE A VARNISH FOR RODS. 
 
 To a gill of alcohol put four ounces of shell-lac, two ounces 
 of seed-lac, and a quarter of an ounce of resin ; let them 
 be dissolved cold, and they will make an excellent 
 
 varnish. 
 
AK ADDRESS TO THE AUTHOR. 89 
 
 LINES 
 
 TO THE AUTHOR BY A GENTLEMAN OF MACCLESF1 K I, I). 
 
 My friend, for friend I hold him who, 
 Votery of Isaac Walton true, 
 Can write on streams and choice of flies, 
 Of colours bright and mingled dyes. 
 
 Need I assure you, Sir, that I, 
 Since I could throw, have lov'da fly ; 
 Or that for pike and river trout, 
 I've always kept a sharp look out ? 
 
 Needs it to tell, that, ere the sun 
 Has half its annual circle run, 
 With rod in hand and brimful heart, 
 I for the river's margin start ? 
 
 And mark what time the dark blue dun, 
 Its dusky wings waves in the sun, 
 For then I know that sport is rife 
 The'essence of thesportman's life. 
 
 O men of hope ! a partridge rump 
 Is plucked to wing the freckled stump ; 
 Indue succession next come down, 
 The iron blue and dark March brown. 
 
 The husk and greentail next appear, 
 Disporting on the waters clear ; 
 The yellow dun and grey sand fly 
 Ill-fated tribes ! their care must ply. 
 
 Nor ply in vain, for oft the trout, 
 Is springing with his eager snout, 
 And seizing on his destin'd prey, 
 Then backward makes his sullen way. 
 
90 AN ADDRESS TO THE AUTHOR. 
 
 Now cast your line a yard above, 
 If deftly done his mood 'twill prove. 
 And if you throw* direct, not crook'd, 
 'Tis ten to one the beggar's hook'd. 
 
 Now comes the time your skill to prove, 
 For if with hasty steps you move, 
 Sure as a gun your victim 'scapes, 
 By tugging sheer, or else by breaks. 
 
 But you must temper him j in fine, 
 Give him due length of rod and line, 
 But not too much ; for if you do, 
 It rather will untemper jou. 
 
 And think not at an end your sport, 
 Until he's fairly 'twod' in port ; 
 Nor yet in strictness may you own him, 
 Till in the pannier you have thrown him. 
 
 And here, appropos, 1 may tell, 
 
 An incident myself befel . 
 
 While fishing on the banks of Dane, 
 
 There came a drenching shower of rain ; 
 
 On this, my line, I 'gan to heave, 
 Thinking with haste the scene to leave, 
 When lo ! a check without a rise, 
 Told me I'd hook'd a noble prize. 
 
 Soon as I found how matters stood, 
 I slack'd my line of horse hair good, 
 Keeping however so tight a hand, 
 As serv'd to keep him in command. 
 
 'Twas long to tell what crafty art, 
 Evinced as slow I played my part; 
 Suffice to say, the fish was ta'en, 
 While down in torrents fell the rain. 
 
 I raised him, nor a thought once crost me 
 How dearly had his capture cost me ; 
 When sudden it came to my mind, 
 My pannier I had left behind. 
 
AN ADDRESS TO THE AUTHOR. 91 
 
 But this did naught avail the trout, 
 For quick as thought I pull'd him out, 
 And then for lack of better cover, 
 1 stowed him safely in my beaver; 
 
 When taking up my rod with glee, 
 
 A. circumstance 1 failed to see ; 
 
 My line, which down the stream the while 
 
 Had floated, hook'd upon a pile. 
 
 The pile, to all appearance, sound. 
 And firmly hedded in the ground, 
 Was standing on a sloping ledge, 
 A distance from the water's edge. 
 
 Thinking it well might me uphold, 
 To place my hand on't 1 made bold; 
 But scarce an ounce required to show, 
 The rottenness of all below. 
 
 A crash ensued, and quick as thought, 
 1 headlong to the stream was brought. 
 And but that of the bank I'd hold. 
 In sooth I had been fairly sold. 
 
 As 'twas, 1 only got a fright, 
 And soon recovering, all was right ; 
 When looking round, as in a dream, 
 My hat was floating down the stream. 
 
 Where is the fish ? was my next thought 
 The fish I had so lately caught 
 The unlucky cause of my disaster 
 And how shall I regain my castor ? 
 
 The rest's soon told : the fish vrent down, 
 And[tho' I'd e'en ha' giv'n a crown. 
 Had it been brought me safe and sound , 
 I verily believe.that it was drown'd. 
 
 My hat was scarce in better plight, 
 And on my head felt somewhat tight ; 
 And for myself, a word, a letter, 
 "Would be too much the less the better. 
 
92 THE AUTHOR'S REPLY. 
 
 Now all you sporting blades may glean, 
 From this it is not safe to lean, 
 At all times o'er a stake or pile, 
 Lest you, as I, should lose your tile. 
 
 But wisely con the chances o'er 
 Precipitance oft proves a bore 
 And from the adage much you'll reap, 
 " Always look before you leap." 
 
 And never in your zeal forego, 
 Disrcretion's maxim " Sure.tho' slow ;" 
 These not attending, 'gainst my wish, 
 Had nearly made me food for fish. 
 
 LINES 
 
 11 Y THE AUTHOR IN ANSWER TO THE ABOVE. 
 
 Sir, in reply to you, I write, wishing you merry cheer, 
 
 Certainly I must allow it's a dull time of the year 
 
 To write or think of anglTng as the season now is o'er ; 
 
 Ne'ertheless we'll have a chat of what has been done before, 
 
 For many pleasant hours we've spent beneath th' embowering shade, 
 
 Oft made the fly, and tap'd the flask, within the silent glade. 
 
 And yet thoughts of old mother Dane still occupies my pate, 
 
 For some of her bright spangled trout look well upon a plate, 
 
 In a wicker creel, or trencher, or on a table spread ; 
 
 But a fish you must allow would look shocking on your head ; 
 
 Your coat pocket I should think, would hold the trout much faster, 
 
 Than in the flimsy lining of any slap-up castor. 
 
 You wrote to me of slippery piles which line the river Dane, 
 To protect those verdant flowery banks from the liquid plain ; 
 You tell me they are insecure, and some of rotten wood, 
 For as you disengaged your line they pitch'd you in the flood. 
 I laugh'd to think how you'd look as your fish i'th' water sunk, 
 I smiling thought within myself surely the man was drunk. 
 
THE AUTHOR'S REPLY. 93 
 
 Now that advice which in your note you kindly sent to me, 
 You bid me look before 1 leap, to keep from danger free, 
 And that I must be slow, tho' sure, to save myself a ducking ; 
 I must stand, I suppose, whilst fish at my flies are plucking ; 
 But that would neverdo for me, I am too old a hand, 
 I say we must be quick and sure to bring them to the land. 
 
 And as to " look before we leap," there must be some mistake, 
 
 For if we did we should be like poor Sannock on the stake. 
 
 Oft have I seen those sober souls every caution use, 
 
 As they have stepped from stone to stone, that they might safely choose, 
 
 Which next to set their foot upon, to keep their stockings dry, 
 
 And yet they've floundered in the pool and made the waters fly. 
 
 When next to the Dane you go, take your landing net and reel, 
 
 Your rod, your line, your pocket-book, likewise your wicker creel; 
 
 If some of these you should forget, when you've been there a while, 
 
 You probably may have cause again to use your tile. 
 
 All that I now have got to say think of your former plight 
 
 "Tis late, and 1 have boozy got, so now I bid good night. 
 
94 RIVERS IN ENGLAND. 
 
 ENGLAND. 
 
 CHAPTER 3. A SHORT ACCOUNT OF THE PRINCIPAL RIVERS IN 
 ENGLAND, IRELAND, SCOTLAND AND WALES. 
 
 THE rivers in England are calculated to be about four 
 or five hundred ; and it would be surperfluous here to 
 treat particularly of their diversities and situations. 
 
 The rivers in BEDFORDSHIRE are the Ouse and Ivel ; 
 they produce pike, perch, eels, and an abundance of com- 
 mon fish. 
 
 There are also the Isis and Kennet in BERKSHIRE ; 
 the former rises in Gloucestershire, and with other 
 streams form the Thames, famous for trout. 
 
 The chief rivers in BUCKINGHAMSHIRE are the Thames, 
 Ouse, Tame and Colne ; trout, pike, perch, and many 
 other good fish are to be found in these rivers. 
 
 In the Ouse and Gam in CAMBRIDGESHIRE are to be 
 found pike and perch. 
 
 The principal rivers in CHESHIRE are the Mersey, the 
 Dee, and the Woval ; the first of these divides Cheshire 
 from Lancashire ; the second rises in North Wales, and 
 the third springs up in Shropshire ; in these rivers are 
 to be found salmon, salrwon-trout, trout, perch, dace, 
 bream, eels, and pike. There are many other small rivers 
 that abound with trout which run through and border on 
 this county. 
 
 The rivers in CORNWALL are the Tamar, the Camel, 
 the Fale, the Fowey, the Cobor, and the Looe ; they 
 abound with salmon, trout, and many other fish. 
 
KIVERS IN ENGLAND. 95 
 
 The rivers in CUMBERLAND are the Eden, the Solway- 
 frith, the Petterel, the Couda, or Cowd, and the 
 Derwent ; all these rivers abound with salmon, trout, and 
 almost every other kind of fish. 
 
 DERBYSHIRE has several fine rivers, among the prin- 
 cipal of which are the Derwent, the Dove, the Wye, and 
 the Erwash ; all these rivers end in the Trent, and are 
 noted for the quantity and quality of the trout and 
 greyling. 
 
 DEVONSHIRE is well watered by several fine rivers, 
 and abundance of small streams ; the principal rivers are 
 the Ax, theTamar, the Ex, the Columb, the Loman, the 
 Towridge, the Taw, the Tavy, and the Dart ; these rivers 
 abound with salmon and trout, and contain uncommon 
 quantities of other fish. 
 
 The chief rivers in DORSETSHIRE are the Stour or 
 Stower, which rises in Somersetshire, but soon enters this 
 county, theFroom, the Piddle, and Wey; these rivers pro- 
 duce trout, tench, and eels. 
 
 The chief rivers in DURHAM are the Wear and Tees ; 
 these rivers produce salmon, trout, and plenty of com- 
 mon fish. 
 
 The rivers of ESSEX are the Stour, the Lea, which 
 runs into the Thames, a little below Stratford, the Black- 
 water, the Chalme, and the Colne ; what few fish are in 
 these rivers are pike, perch, chub, roach, dace, gudgeon, 
 and barbel. 
 
 The principal rivers in GLOUCESTERSHIRE are the 
 Severn, which is a beautiful river and second only to 
 the Thames, the Wye, the Stroud, the Avon, and Isis ; 
 
96 RIVERS IN ENGLAND. 
 
 these rivers produce plenty of fine fish and abundance of 
 salmon. 
 
 The principal rivers in HAMPSHIRE are the Avon, 
 which comes down from Salisbury, bringing with it all 
 the waters of the south and east parts of Wiltshire, and 
 receiving also the Stour and the Piddle, two Dorsetshire 
 rivers there are also the Tese, the Wye 'and the Itching ; 
 the principal fish are salmon, salmon-trout, trout, and 
 mullet. 
 
 The rivers in HEREFORDSHIRE are the Wye, the Lug, 
 the Arrow, the Monow, the Frome, and the Diffrin-doe, 
 the last of which is the only river of the county which 
 does not rise in Wales ; they abound in salmon, salmon- 
 trout, trout, greyling, and almost every other species of 
 river fish. 
 
 Many small rivers water the county of HERTFORD- 
 SHIRE, but the principal ones are the Lea and the Colne, 
 in which trout and other fish abound. 
 
 The chief rivers of HUNTINGDONSHIRE are the Nyne 
 or Nen, and the Olise ; they produce pike, perch, eels, 
 and abundance of other fish. 
 
 The Medway is the chief river of KENT (besides the 
 Thames), and produces fish of several kinds , the>iver 
 Thames passes this county at Greenwich ; near Westram 
 rises nine considerable springs, which form the river 
 Dart ; there are also the rivers Len and Tumi ; The last 
 of which runs into the Medway near Tunbridge, and the 
 river Stour, which affords plenty of trout. 
 
 The chief rivers in LANCASHIRE are the Mersey the 
 Ribble, the Darron, the Lun, the Wire, the Roch, 
 
RIVERS IN ENGLAND. 97 
 
 the Irwell, and the Colder, the latter runs into York- 
 shire; these rivers afford pleanty of fish, except 
 the Irwell, which is spoiled by the different works built 
 upon its banks. 
 
 The chief rivers in LEICESTERSHIRE are the Soar, the 
 Avon, the Wreke, the Anker, the Swift, and the Welland ; 
 the sportsman will meet with good diversion a distance 
 from the towns the farther off the better. 
 
 The chief rivers in LINCOLNSHIRE are the Trent, the 
 Welland, the Witham, the Nen, and the Aukam ; they 
 afford plenty of salmon, trout, eels and other fish. 
 
 The chief river in MIDDLESEX is the Thames, which 
 is a compound of two rivers, viz., the Isis and the 
 Thame ; the former rises in Gloucestershire, the latter 
 in Buckinghamshire, they unite their names with their 
 streams in Oxfordshire, and from thence are called by 
 the single name of " Thames;" it joins the midway in 
 the mouth of the British ocean ; they produce large quan- 
 tities of fish, such as dace, roach, trout, pike, perch, 
 carp, chub, barbel, flounders, gudgeon, and eels, and a 
 few salmon. In the river Colne, near Uxbridge, are 
 some good trout and eels. 
 
 The chief rivers in MONMOUTHSHIRE are the Wye, 
 the Usk, the lluinney, the Monnow, the Severn, the Eb- 
 with, the Trothy, the Lug, and the Gavenny ; all these 
 rivers abound with fish of various kinds, amongst which 
 are salmon, trout, and greyling. The Lug is most noted 
 for greyling. 
 
 The principal rivers in NORFOLK are the Ouse, the 
 
98 RIVERS IN ENGLAND. 
 
 Waveney, the Yare, the Thyrn, and the Duze ; these 
 rivers produce fish of almost every kind. 
 
 The principal rivers in NORTHAMPTONSHIRE are the 
 Nen, the Nynes, the Wreke, and the Welland ; it is also 
 partly watered hy the Ouse, the Charwell, and the Learn. 
 In these rivers may be found trout, perch, pike, and 
 other fish. 
 
 The principal rivers in NORTHUMBERLAND are the Soutli 
 Tyne, the North Tyne, the Tweed, the Cocket, the Wents- 
 back, and the Alne ; all these rivers abound with fish, 
 particularly salmon. 
 
 The chief rivers in NOTTINGHAMSHIRE are the Trent, 
 which has its rise in Staffordshire, receives thirty smaller 
 rivers, and which produces thirty kinds of fish, the Er- 
 wash and the Idle the Trent is famous for angling. 
 
 The principal rivers in OXFORDSHIRE are the Isis, the 
 Tame, the Windrush, the Charwell, and the Evenload, be- 
 sides the Thames : all these rivers produce trout, pike, 
 perch, eels, and abundance of other fish. 
 
 The chief rivers in RUTLANDSHIRE are the Welland 
 and the Wash, besides various smaller rivers ; they have 
 a plentiful supply of good fish. 
 
 The chief river in SHROPSHIRE is the Severn, and it 
 contains abundance of salmon-trout, trout, greyling, 
 pike, perch, carp, chub, dace, roach, ruifs, gudgeon, 
 flounders, eels, salmon-fry, and many other fish ; there 
 are also in this county the rivers Tame and Weval, Ter- 
 ney-brook and Lee-brook, which afford trout, greyling, 
 pike, perch and eels. 
 
 The rivers in SOMERSETSHIRE, besides the mouth of 
 
RIVERS IN ENGLAND. 99 
 
 the Severn, are the Avon, the Brent, the Parret, the 
 Yeovil, the Tome, the Brews, the Parr, and the Ivel ; 
 these rivers produce trout and other good fish. 
 
 The chief rivers in STAFFORDSHIRE are the Trent, 
 the Sow, and the Ecclashall-water, the Dove, which 
 forms the boundary between this county and Derbyshire, 
 and the Tame ; these rivers contain abundance of fish of 
 almost every kind. 
 
 The chief rivers of SUFFOLK are the Debn, the Or- 
 well, the Waveney, the Stour, the Aid, the Blyth, the 
 Larke, and the Breton ; most of these rivers contain fish 
 of different kinds, particularly eels. 
 
 The chief rivers in Surrey, besides the Thames, are 
 the Mole, the Wey, and the Wandle ; these are excellent 
 rivers for trout, particularly the Wandle. 
 
 The chief rivers in SUSSEX, (besides the Midway,) are 
 the Arun, the Adur, the Ouse, the Rother, the Crook, 
 and the Lavant ; these rivers are rather well stored with 
 fish of different kinds. 
 
 The chief rivers in WARWICKSHIRE are the Avon, 
 the Tame, the Blyth, the Arrow, the Anker, the Cole, 
 and the Sherburn ; there are many fine fish in some of 
 these rivers, particularly in the Avon. 
 
 The chief rivers of WESTMORLAND are the Eden, the 
 Lone, the Ken, and the Lowther; there is also that 
 famed water called the Winander-meer, noted for the qua- 
 lity of its fish, particularly the gilt char : all the rivers 
 abound with trout and salmon. 
 
 The principal rivers in WILTSHIRE are the Upper and 
 Lower Avon, the Nadder, the Willy, the Bourne, and the 
 
100 RIVERS IN NORTH WALES. 
 
 Kennel ; these rivers abound with trout, greyling, and 
 othe fine fish. 
 
 The principal rivers of WORCESTERSHIRE are the Se- 
 vern, the Tame, the Avon, the Salwarp, and the Stour ; 
 these rivers supply large quantities of salmon, salmon- 
 trout, greyling, and most other river fish. 
 
 The rivers of YORKSHIRE are the Trent, the Ouse, the 
 Derwent, the Umber, the Dun, the Aire, the Calder, the 
 Wharfe, the Swaile, the Rother, the Ure, the Hull, the Tees, 
 the Ribble, and the Rhy, there is also a small but rapid 
 stream called Duffield-beck, which produces fine trout ; most 
 of these rivers produce salmon, salmon-trout, chub, pike, 
 trout, perch and eels. 
 
 NORTH WALES. 
 
 The chief rivers in the isle of ANGLESEY are the Brant, 
 the Mineu, the Alow, and the Keveny ; there is a great 
 store of fine fish in these rivers, particularly salmon- trout 
 these run up the rivers from the sea in great numbers 
 all the summer. 
 
 The chief river in CARNARVONSHIRE is the Canway, 
 though there are several other small rivers excellent for 
 angling in. 
 
 The chief rivers in DENBIGHSHIRE are the Clwyd, the 
 Elway, and the Dee ; in these rivers I have found salmon, 
 trout, pike perch, dace, bream, ruff, eels, and many 
 other fish. 
 
 The chief rivers in FLINTS HIRE are the Elway, the Dee, 
 
RIVERS IN SOUTH WALES. 101 
 
 the Clwyd, and the Alen ; all of which afford good trout 
 and all other fish. 
 
 The principal rivers in MERIONETHSHIRE are the 
 Drurydh, the Avon, and the Dee ; the Dee rises in this 
 county and passes through a lake called Pemble-meer, 
 a large water, which abounds with a much-esteemed fish 
 called "guiniad," and yet there are not any found in 
 the river; the Dee is possessed of salmon, yet there 
 are not any found in the lake. All these rivers produce 
 plenty of fish, particularly of the salmon and trout 
 kinds. 
 
 The rivers of MONTGOMERYSHIRE are the Rhydel, the 
 Wye, the Ten at, the Wurway, and the Turgh, together 
 with other small rivers that fall into the Severn ; all of 
 which afford fine sport to the angler. 
 
 SOUTH WALES. 
 
 The chief rivers in BRECKNOCKSHIRE are the Usk, 
 the Wye, the Irvon, the Tavey, and the Bumney ; these 
 rivers afford salmon and trout, There is a large water 
 in the middle of the county called brecknock-mere, which 
 is full of fish. 
 
 The chief rivers in CARMARTHENSHIRE are the Toway, 
 the Cotley, the Teivy, and the Keach ; these rivers 
 have fine trout, salmon, salmon-trout, and other good 
 fish. 
 
 The chief rivers in CARDIGANSHIRE are the Toway, 
 the Teivy, the Rhydel, and the Istwyth ; these rivers 
 produce plenty of salmon and other fish. 
 
102 RIVERS IN SCOTLAND. 
 
 The chief riyers in GLAMORGANSHIRE are the Avon, 
 Rumney, Agmore Tavey, and the Elri ; these rivers 
 have a great variety of good fish. 
 
 The chief rivers in RADNORSHIRE are the Temd, the 
 Wye, the Ithon, and the Somergill, besides a great num- 
 ber of other streams, all of which abound with excellent 
 trout and greyling, and many other fish, and they are 
 very good waters to angle in. 
 
 The chief rivers in PEMBROKESHIRE are the Teivy, 
 the Clethy, the Dugledye, and the Cledhewen ; all these 
 are good trout rivers. 
 
 SCOTLAND, 
 
 The principal rivers of ABERDEENSHIRE are the Dee, the 
 Don, the Deveron, and the Bogie ; these rivers produce 
 salmon, trout, and other fish of the salmon kind in great 
 abundance. 
 
 The chief rivers in AYRSHIRE are the Aire, the Coil, 
 the Irvin, the Stincher, and the Girven ; these rivers 
 afford fine salmon and trout, 
 
 In the county of INVERARY there are many fine 
 lochs ; one called Loch-aw, is between twenty and thirty 
 miles long : there issues from it a river called Aw, which 
 after a few miles enters Loch-celiff. These lochs are 
 full of fish. 
 
 There are also several rivers in the ISLE OF ARRAN 
 which abound with salmon and trout. 
 
 The chief rivers in BANFFSHIRE are the Spey, the 
 
RIVERS IN SCOTLAND. 103 
 
 Dovern, and the Ugie ; these rivers abound with salmon 
 and other fish. 
 
 The chief rivers in BERWICKSHIRE are the Tweed, the 
 Lauder, the Eye, the Black Adder, and the White Adder ; 
 all these produce many kinds of fish in abundance. 
 
 The river or water Thurso in BUTESHIRE and CAITH- 
 NESS is famous for salmon. 
 
 There are numbers of other rivers and lochs in this 
 part of the country that produce abundance of fish. 
 
 The principal rivers in DUMBARTONSHIRE are the 
 Clyde and the Leven ; they produce salmon, trout, perch, 
 ells, &c. 
 
 The chief rivers in DUMFRIESHIRE are the Annan and 
 the Neith ; there are also many fine trout- streams which 
 run into these rivers. They abound with excellent sal- 
 mon and trout. 
 
 The chief rivers in Mid-lothian are the Leith and the 
 Esk; there are also several others, wherein there is 
 good angling for trout. 
 
 The, chief rivers in ELGINSHIRE are the Spey, the Tay, 
 the Ness, the Eawic, and the Lossie ; all which rivers 
 have salmon in abundance. There are also the Loch- 
 garif and the Loch-ness. 
 
 The chief rivers in FIFESHRIE are the Forth, the Tay, 
 the Edin, and the Leven, which flow from Loch-leven 
 at Kinross ; the rivers abound with excellent salmon, and 
 the Loch with trout from four to fourteen pounds in 
 weight. 
 
 The chief rivers in FORFARSHIRE are the Tay, the 
 North Esk, and the South Esk ; these rivers produce 
 
104 RIVERS IN SCOTLAND. 
 
 salmon, trout, and a fish called " white trout," and by 
 some called " windings," which take the fly extremely 
 well, 
 
 The principal rivers of HADDINGTONSHIRE are the 
 Firth and the Tyne^ there is good angling for trout in 
 these rivers. 
 
 The chief river in INVERNESS is the Ness, wherein are 
 taken large salmon and greater quantities of trout than in 
 any other river in Scotland* 
 
 The principal rivers in KINCARDINESHIRE are the Dee, 
 and the North Esk, which I have spoken of before. 
 
 The chief rivers of LOWER GALLOWAY are the Nith, 
 the Dee, and the Ken, together with several smaller rivers, 
 all of which produce fine trout. 
 
 The principal rivers in LANARKSHIRE are the Annan, 
 the Clyde, the Tweed, and the Douglas; these rivers 
 produce good fish. 
 
 The principal rivers in NAiRNsniREare the Nairn, and 
 the Galder, with several others of less note, all of which 
 produce plenty of good trout, salmon, and other fish. 
 
 The chief rivers in PEEBLESHIRE are the Tweed and 
 the Yarrow ; these rivers produce good fish of various 
 kinds, 
 
 The chief river of PERTHSHIRE is the Tay ; it is a fine 
 rapid river, and takes its name from Loch-tay : it runs 
 through the heart of Scotland, taking in its course the 
 rivers Ern, Timel and Keith. This river abounds with sal- 
 mon and trout. 
 
 The chief rivers in RENFREWSHIRE are the Clyde, the 
 
RIVERS IN SCOTLAND. 105 
 
 White Cart, and the Black Cart ; these rivers produce 
 trout and perch. 
 
 The county of Ross abounds with lochs and rivers, 
 which produce great quantities of fish, the principal of which 
 are herrings and cod ; and there is good angling in the 
 rivers at a distance from the sea. 
 
 The chief rivers of ROXBURGHSHIRE are the Tweed, 
 the Tefy, and the Jed ; the angler may find good sport in 
 these rivers. 
 
 The chief rivers in SELKIRKSHIRE are the Ettrick, the 
 Yarrow, and the G-alla-water ; these rivers produce eels 
 and other fish. 
 
 The principle rivers of STIRLINGSHIRE are the Forth 
 and the Allan ; these rivers abound with salmon and 
 trout. 
 
 The county of SUTHERLAND has a great many rivers 
 and lochs which abound with salmon, trout, eels, and other 
 sea fish. 
 
 WIGTONSHIRE has many rivers and lochs which abound 
 with good fish, particularly eels. 
 
 Most of the rivers of Scotland are clear and full of 
 large stones and rocks. 
 
 IRELAND 
 
 Has numerous rivers and lochs, all of which abound with 
 fish of many kinds Some of the principal rivers are 
 the Shannon, (which produces large quantities of sal- 
 mon, trout, pike, perch, and eels) ; the Saire, the Near, and 
 the Barrow, which produce salmon, trout, and many 
 
106 RIVERS IN IKE LAND. 
 
 other good fish; there are also the rivers Kilmachow, 
 Suire, Blackwater, Bayne, Bann, and Lee these rivers 
 produce good salmon and trout. There are likewise 
 the rivers Liffy, Castle-knock, Nure, Slaine, May, 
 Suck, Drosos, and Gall; these rivers produce salmon, 
 trout, pike, and eels. There are also the rivers Flesk, Lane, 
 Swilly, Logan-water, Newry-water, and many smaller 
 rivers and rivulets, which abound with fish of various 
 kinds ; and, indeed, there are both in Great Britain and 
 Ireland inumerahle small rivers and brooks which will 
 afford the angler as much diversion as many of the larger 
 rivers. You will find several rivers of the same name in 
 different counties, and others with names much similar. 
 
 THE ANGLER'S HOME. 
 
 In an ivy bound cot near a sheltering wood, 
 
 On the brink of a murmuring rill, 
 There T ever would dwell, for I'd haste to the flood, 
 
 E're bright Sol had o'ertopt the brown hill, 
 Where the woodbine and jessamin friendly do twine, 
 
 And the blue-bell and daffodil grow, 
 I'd away to the stream with my rod and my line, 
 
 When the south or the western winds blow. 
 
 ADDRESSED TO A FRIEND, JANUARY QTH, 1844. 
 
 The hard' ning ground and cutting wind, 
 
 To angling gives no zest 
 Of congeal'd water here I find. 
 
 The rivers are possess'd. 
 
ON THE WEATHER. 107 
 
 My rod and basket I've laid by, 
 
 My furs and feathers too ; 
 I never thought to make a fly, 
 
 Though I'd little else to do. 
 My book with mould is cover'd o'er, 
 
 As it neglected lies ; 
 The moths as they the leaves explore. 
 
 Make havoc with the flies. 
 Nor in the morn the lark we hear. 
 
 As through the air he flies- 
 No cookoo's note the vallies cheer 
 
 For chilling looks the skies. 
 But when these storms are wafted by, 
 
 And buds are springing out, 
 Then to the waters we will hie, 
 
 To kill the speckled trout. 
 
 OBSERVATIONS ON THE WEATHER. 
 
 WHEN the sun rises red and fiery, wind and rain are sure 
 to follow. When the sun appears white at setting, or 
 goes down into a rock of clouds, which lie in the horizon, 
 it is a sign of bad weather. If the moon and stars be- 
 cfJme dim in the night, with the like haziness in the air, 
 and a ring or halo round the moon, rain will ensue. If 
 the moon at her rising looks pale and dim, expect rain ; if 
 red, it is a sign of wind ; and if white and the sky clear, 
 it is a sign of fair weather. When the clouds are formed 
 like fleeces and very white at the edges, either hail, snow, 
 or hasty showers of rain will soon follow. When a fiery 
 redness, together with a ruggedness of the clouds, extends 
 towards the zenith in an evening, it is a sure sign of speedy 
 
108 ON THE WEATHER. 
 
 rain, and is often attended with a flood. If the wind blows 
 from the south, south-west, or west, on the twentieth, 
 twenty-first, and the twenty- second of March, June, Sep- 
 tember, or December, rain will prevail most of that quar- 
 ter ; if from the east, north, or north-east, you may de- 
 pend upon fair weather. 
 
 "Whene'er, dear brothers, you shall go to fish, 
 
 I wish you spoil to take a handsome dish 
 
 Of carp, tench, pike, perch, dace or roach, 
 
 By angling fair 1 pray you never poach, 
 
 But first, good Sirs, a useful lesson take, 
 
 From a brother bob, an angling rake 
 
 Before you quit your home look round and think, 
 
 If all your traps are right with cash for meat and drink ; 
 
 Flies, worms, gentles, and paste you must provide 
 
 Good lines, floats, plummets, and spare hooks besides ; 
 
 And when your sport is done, bear this in mind, 
 
 Look well about that nought is left behind, 1 ' 
 
 CHEETHAM, PRINTER, 11, CROSS-STREET. MANCHESTER, 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I D I UvJVJO 
 
 I