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FIS
a fmall Leach may ferve the Turn; cr for want of either, an artificial one may be made of Cloth, by the Life, which is found every whit as good a Bait as the natural one.
For Fijh'mg •with Flies, either Natural, or Artificial, fee Fishing Fly.
Carp Fishing. The Carp is generally held the Queen of Frefh-water Fifh.. It is exceeding fubtle, and of all others, the Eel only excepted, lives longeit out of Water. Mr. Ray allures us, that in Holland they have a fpeedy way of fat- tening them, by hanging them up in a Net in a Cellar, and feeding them with White-Bread and Milk. They breed feveral times in one Year ; for which reafon we feldom meet with either Male or Female, without either Melt or Spawn. Their natural Place is a Pond; in running Waters they rare- ly, if ever, breed. To make them fat and large, 'tis a good way, when the Pond is low, in April, to rake all the Sides thereof with an iron Rake, and fow Hay Seeds thereon. By Autumn there will be a Crop of Grafs; which coming to be overflow 'd, as the Pond riles, will be a fine Feeding Piace for them.
A World of Patience is required to angle for Carp, on account of their incredible Policy. They always chufe to lie in the deepeft Places: They feldom bite in cold Wea- ther; and in hot, a Man cannot be too early, or too late for them. When they do bite, there is no fear of the Hold. The Baits are, the Red Worm, in March ■ the Candice, in June ; and the Grafhopper in July, Auguft, and Septem- ber. Proper Paftes may alfo be prepared for him ; as Ho- ney and Sugar wrought together, and thrown in Pieces into the Water, fome Hours before you begin to angle. Honey and White Crums of Bread mix'd together do alfo make a good Pafte.
Tench Fishing". The Tench is a fine Frefh-water Fifh, having very lmall Scales, but large, fmooth Fins, with a red Circle about the Eyes, and a little Barb hanging at each Corner of the Mouth. It takes more Delight among Weeds in Ponds, than in clear Rivers; and covets to feed in foul Water. His Slime is faid to have a healing Quality for wounded Fifh ; upon which Account he is commonly called the Fijbes Phyfician. When the Carp, Pike, Zgc. are fick, they find Relief by rubbing themfelves againft the Tench.
The Seafon for catching this Fifh, is in June, July, and Auguft, very early, and late, or even all Night, in the (till Part of Rivers. His Bait is a large Red Worm, at which he bites very eagerly, if firft dipt in Tar. He alfo de- lights in all lort of Paftes, made up of ftrong fcented Oils, or with Tar : Or a Pafte of brown Bread, and Honey. Nor does he refufe the Cud-worm, Lob-worm, Flag-worm, green Gentle, Cad-bait, or foft boil'd Bread, Grain.
Tearch ot 'Perch Fishing. The Pearch or 'Perch is hook-back'd, not unlike a Hog ; arm'd with ftiff Griftles, and his Sides with dry thick Scales: He is voracious, and will venture on his own Kind; even with greater Courage than the Pike. He leldom grows above two Foot long : He fpawns in February, or March ; and bites bell when the Spring is far fpent.
The proper Baits are, the Brandling, Minnow, and fmall Frog; as alfo the Cob-Worm, Bob Oak-Worm, Gentle, Wa'fp, and Cad Bait. The Minnow yields the beft Sport, which is to be alive, and ftuck on the Hook through the up- per Lip, or Back Fin, and kept fwimming about Mid-Wa- ter. If the Frog be ufed, he is to be faften'd to the Hook by the Skin of his Leg. When the Fifh bites, as he is none of the Leather-mouthed kind, he mult have Time to pouch his Bait. The beft Place to fifh for him, is in the turning of the Water Eddy, in a good Gravel Bottom.
Roach Fishing. The Roach, or Rochet is no delicate, but a very filly Fifh. Thole in Rivers are more valued, than thofe in Ponds ; tho' the latter are much the larger. They fpawn about the Middle of May.
To angle for this Fifh in April, Cads or Worms are pro- per Baits ; (6 are fmall white Snails or Flies in Summer. The Bait is always to be under Water ; for the Fifh will not bite a-top. Others ufe a May Fly, in that Seafon, with good Succefs. In Autumn a Pafte muft be ufed, made of the Crum of White Bread, moulded with a little Water, labour' d with the Hands into a tough Paft, and colour'd, not very deep, with red Lead. In Winter, Gentles arc the beft Bait. Sprouted Malt ; the young Brood of Wafps, and Bees, dipt in Blood ; and the thick Blood of Sheep, half dried, are No-
strums in this fort of ' Fijhing.
2)ace, and Hare Fishing. The Tiace, aud Dare, bear- ing a near Refemblance to each other, in Kind, Size, Goodnefs, Feeding, Cunning, &c. we join them together. They bite at any Fly ; but especially the Stone Caddice Fly, or May Fly, the latter End of April, and moft Pure of May ; and the Ant Fly in June, July, Aiigufi, &c. They rarely
refufe a Fly a-top of the Water, in a warm Day; but when you fifh under Water for them, 'tis beft to be within a hand- ful of the Ground. To catch Dace in Winter, the Bait is a white Worm, with a large red Head, gathcr'd after the Plough
in Heaths or iandy Grounds. The Nolli-urns for Roaches
are alfo commended for Tiace.
Gudgeon Fishing. The Gudgeon is a fmall Fifh, of a ve- ry delicious Tafte. It fpawns three or four times in the Sum- mer Seafon, and feeds in Streams, and on Gravel ; flighting all kind of Flies : But is eafily taken with a fmall red Worm, fijhing near the Ground; and being a leather-mouthed Fifh, will not eafily be offthe Hook, when ftruck. The Gudgeon may either be fifh'd for with a Float, the Hook being on the Ground ; or by Hand, with a running Line on the Ground, without Cork, or Float. He will bite well at Wafps, Gentles, ' and Cad Baits ; and one may even fifh him with two or three Hooks at the fame time; which makes good Sport. When you angle for Gudgeons, ftir up the Sand or Gravel with a long Pole, which will make them gather to the Place, and bite the fafter.
Flounder Fishing. The Flounder is a flat Sea or River Fifh ; caught in April, May, June, and July, in any time of the Day ; in a fwift Stream, and fometimes alfo in the ftill Deep. The beft Bait is red Worms, Wafps, and Gentles. —
Eel Fishing. The Eel is a Frefh-water Fifh, much in Shape of a Serpent : Naturalifts have long been divided, as to the Manner how it is produced; whether by Generation; or Corruption as Worms are; or by certain glutinous^Dew • Drops, which, falling in May and June on the Banks of fome Ponds and Rivers, are by the Heat of the Sun turn'd into Eels. This is certain, that there is not the leaft Appearance_ of Sex or Difference therein. Abr ■ Mylius, in a Treatife of the Origin of Animals, defcribes a Method of producing them by Art. He fays, that if you cut up two Turfs, cover'd with May Dew, and lay one on the other, the graffy Side inwards ; and thus expofe them to the Heat of the Sun, on the Banks of a Water : In a few Hours time there will fpring from them an infinite Quantity of Eels. The Kinds of Eels are various : Some reduce them to four ; the Silver Eel ; a greenifh, call'd the Gray Eel; a blacki/h Eel, with a broad flat Head ; and an Eel with reddijh Fins. The firft is allowed to generate : It is viviparous, and the young, when it comes from the Female, is no bigger than a fmall Needle.
The Silver Eel may be caught with divers Baits; parti- cularly powder'd Beef, Garden Worms, or Lobs, Minnows, Hens Gut, Fifh Garbage, &c. But as they hide themlelves in Winter in the Mud, without ftirring out for fix Months, and in the Summer take no Delight to be abroad in the Day, the moft proper Time to take them, is in the Night, by fattening a Line to the Bank fide, with a laying Hook in the Water. Or a Line may be thrown at large with good Store of Hooks baited, and plumbed, with a Float, to dil- cover where the Line lies, in the Morning. The Roach docs here well for a Bait , the Hook being laid in his Mouth. ——Another ufual way of catching Eels, call'd Sniggling, is perform'd in the Day time, by taking a ftrong Line, or Hook baited with a Lob, or Garden Worm, and reporting to fuch Holes and Places, as Eels ufe to abfeond in, near Mills, Wears, or Flood Gates ; where, the Bait being gently put into the Hole, by help of a cleft Stick, the Eel will cer- tainly bite. Sobbing for Eels is another Method: In or- der to this, fcour fome large Lobs, and with a Needle run a twilled Silk through them, from End to End, taking fo ma- ny as may be wrap'd a dozen times round a Board. Tie them fail with the two Ends of the Silk, that they may hang in fo many Links. This done, faflen all to a ftrong Cord, and about an Handful and an half above the Worms fix a Plummet, three Quarters of a Pound Weight ; and make the Cord fafl to a ftrong Pole : Filhing with thefe in mud- dy Water, the Eels will bite haftily at the Bait. When you think they have l'wallow'd it, gently draw up the Line, and bring them afhore as foon as may be.— — Others ufe an Eel Spear, with three or four Forks, or jagged Teeth, which they itrike at random into the Mud.- — ' — ■
Chub Fishing. The Chcvin or Chub is a Frefh-water Fifh, with a large Head. It fpawns in March, and is very ftrong, tho' inactive ; yielding in a very little Time, after he is ftruck ; and the larger he is, the quieter. His Bait is any kind ofWorm, or Fly, particularly the large Yellow-moth; alio Grain, Cheefe, the Pith in the Bone of an Ox's Back i$c. He affefls a large Bait, and Variety of them at the lame Hook. Early in the Morning angle for him with Snails; but in the Heat of the Day chufe fome other Bait; and in the Afternoon fifh for him at Ground, or Fly-
FlSKINC
