Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB
[merged small][merged small][graphic][merged small]

This bluish-white carp is a lazy, wallowing gentleman, and the Launcelot Gobbo of the subaqueous pantries and cellars. The sound of the smacking of his lips tells you how fond he is of a good morsel. He acknowledges its receipt by the best music he can make, and yet what a shame it is that food should be thrown away upon this rather fine, though somewhat lubberly-looking, animal! So it is, however, and let him swallow good things ever so swiftly-let him be worm or gentle-crammed-his flesh is never the better for it, and his muscular tissues remain so flaccid and all his fibres so flabby, even whilst rioting in the

[blocks in formation]

midst of abundance, that, if incontinently afterwards caught and slain, a coroner's jury should judge the cause of death on view of the body, they would pronounce it to be inanition, or the want of the common necessaries of life. He is one of those ungrateful creatures that always shame their nurses. His great angling value is his obstinacy, which gives him strength, notwithstanding the morbid appearances of the muscles, and he will resist your efforts to tow him out of the water with exciting energy. His large fins give him great power in the water, and he works heavily with them to get away when hooked, making them tread and beat the water like the paddles of a slow steamer.

Barbel spawn about midsummer, and are soon again as well as ever. July, August, and September are the best months to angle for them. Their general haunts are the deep parts of rapid rivers. They very seldom seek the shallow streams. They are generally in company, and, wherever you catch one, you may expect to catch two or more. They lurk under the shelter of overhanging banks, and, by their great power in stemming the stream, they are able to place themselves in the best positions for seizing displaced insects or small fish ; for, though they will not, it is supposed, seize on live fish or other animals, they are considered greedily carnivorous-dead carcases of all sorts

ACTION OF THE LEGER-LINE.

303

being devoured by them. They delight in deeps, weed-beds, in hollows surrounded by shelving sides, in the strong, deep currents of bridges; and piles, weirs, and locks are favourite resorts of theirs. They chiefly feed during the night, and you cannot, in fine summer weather, angle too early or too late for them.

The lob-worm is the best bait for barbel; next, gentles, prepared greaves, and cheese and bullock's brains and pith. The latter are autumn and early winter baits. The most amusing and successful way of angling for barbel in the best rivers for them, such as the Thames and the Trent, is with the leger-line. The leger-lead should not be a perforated, flat piece of lead, but a perforated bullet, placed between two knots on the bottomline, about two feet from the hook. The knots should be an inch or two apart, and the piece of line between them should be of strong gimp, which will resist better than gut the attrition of the constantly moving bullet. The bullet enables you to cast your bait to any reasonable distance, and, when it sinks to the bottom, it keeps rocking there to the motion of the water, and the hole in it allows the worm to work away a little and wreath itself about, so that the bait is continually in attractive action. When the barbel takes it and moves off with it, he gets checked by the resistance to the bullet of the upper knot on the

304

DESCRIPTION OF THE CHUB.

line; you feel the check-strike sharply, and you cannot well fail in striking the leather-mouthed fish. Play him with moderate force, according to his size and the strength of your tackle, and, as soon as circumstances will permit you to get his head out of water, do so. That deadens the play of his fins, and enables you to bring him over and into the landing-net. If you wish to catch puntwells of barbel, ground-bait plentifully the spots you angle at for three or four nights previously. If you angle with worms, ground-bait with worms; if with gentles, ground-bait with them.

[graphic][merged small]
[ocr errors]

This silvery bluish carp is an exceedingly fine, splendid-looking fish; but in him is fully realised the proverb, All is not gold that glitters.' His burnished gold outside hides a miserable interior. He is neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring. He is, to all intents and purposes, save in appearance,

BEST BAITS FOR CHUB.

305

what the French call him, un vilain, that is, a downright chaw-bacon or clod-hopper. Though M. A. Soyer, of the Reform Club, should condescend to dress him, I doubt whether he would make him fit to appear at any dinner-table.

This fair outside and foul inside beauty spawns in April, and is soon in its usual condition. In the summer and autumn months it will take very wantonly artificial flies, large red hackles, and large palmers of different colours. In the evening it can be readily seduced by artificial moths. Its angling value rests on its occasional fondness for artificial insects. I have caught dozens of them in a few hours with large red and furnace hackles. They are very fond of imitations of the humble bee and large blow-fly. In dibbing for them, use the grasshopper, cockchafer, and small butterflies. In bottom-fishing for them use worms; but in the hot months they are fondest of gentles and prepared cheese. They will also take pastes and salmon-roe with great gusto. In rivers that breed the lamprey that species of eel will be found a very deadly bait for chub and trout. Salmon will take it also. Put the lamprey on your hook as you would a worm. Fish without a float, with a No. 3 hook and salmon gut, one duck shot to be placed on the gut, about a foot from the hook. The bait is to be worked with the current, and sometimes slowly across and against it at

« AnteriorContinuar »