The British angler's manual : or, The art of angling in England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. With some account of the principal rivers, lakes, and trout streams, in the United Kingdom

Front matter

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Introduction

SacrEp and profane history alike prove the antiquity of angling; the Book of Job and the prophet Amos speak of fish-hooks as well-known implements in the hands of ancient anglers; and Plutarch gives us a scene between the Queen of Egypt and her infatuated lover, which proves that Mark Antony, whatever might have been his personal accomplishments, was a very indifferent brother of the angle. Nor was this employment then held to be cruel (and thence unjustifiable), for He who “ went about doing good” chose the greater number of his apostles from amongst fishermen ; and, on one occasion, said expressly to a disciple, “ Go thou to the sea and cast an hook, and take the first fish that cometh,” which may surely be considered a suflicient answer to those whose extreme and somewhat morbid sensibility may have been awakened by the poetic vituperations of Lord Byron, or the exaggerated descriptions of the clever Horace Smith.

Past times and present, equally prove that learned and good men—those pre-eminently distinguished for amenity of temper and piety of life—have been lovers of the art of angling. The amiable and excellent Izaak Walton thus speaks of those he deemed most. remark-

XXVlll . INTRODUCTION.

able:—“ I might here enlarge, by telling you that commendation our learned Perkins bestows on angling, - and how dear a lover and great a practiser of it our learned Dr. Whittaker was, as, indeed, many others of great learning have been. But I will content myself with two men, who lived near to our own time, whom I ~ also take to have been ornaments to the art of angling. “The first is Dr. Nowel, sometime Dean of the cathedral church of St. Paul’s, London, 1550, where his monument stands yet undefaced. A man that, after the reformation of Elizabeth (not that of Henry the Highth), was so noted for his meek spirit, deep learning, prudence, and piety, that the then parliament and convocation, both chose, enjoimed, and trusted him to be the man to make a catechism for public use; such a one as should stand for a rule of faith and manners to their posterity ; and the good old man, knowing that God leads us not to Heaven by many, nor by hard questions, like an honest angler, made that good, plain, and unperplexed catechism, which is printed with our good old service-book. I say, this good man was a dear lover, and constant practiser of angling, as any age can produce ; and his custom was, to spend, besides his fixed hours for prayer, those hours which, by command of the church, were enjoined the clergy, and voluntarily dedicated to devotion by many primitive Christians: I say, besides those hours, this good man was observed to spend a tenth part of his time in angling; and also (for I have conversed with those who haye conversed with him) to bestow a tenth part

INTRODUCTION. | XXxI1x of his revenue, and usually all his fish, amongst the poor that inhabited near to those rivers in which it was caught, saying, often, that ‘Charity gave life to religion.’

“My next, and last example shall be, that undervaluer of money, the late Provost of Eton College, Sir Henry Wotton, a man with whom I have often fished and conversed; a man whose foreign employments in the service of this nation, and whose experience, learning, wit, and cheerfulness, made his company to be esteemed one of the delights of mankind: this man, whose very approbation of angling were sufficient to convince any modest censurer of it; this man was also a most dear lover and a frequent practiser of the art of angling, of which he would say, ‘ ’T'was an employment for his idle time, which was then not idly spent,’ for angling was, after tedious study, ‘a rest to his mind, a cheerer of his spirits, a diverter of sadness, a calmer of unquiet thoughts, a moderator of passions, a procurer of contentedness, and ‘that it begat habits of peace and patience in those that professed and practised it.’”’

Thus wrote the venerable Walton, and in our own day we may instance Sir Humphry Davy, who, notwithstanding the importance and variety of his scientific investigations, was also the author of ‘ Salmonia;” Archdeacon Paley, who, in reply to an inquiry after the progress of one of those immortal works, now so universally estimated, said, “it would be continued so soon as the fishmg season was over;” Sir F. Chantrey, Sir Anthony Carlisle, Professor Wilson, and the late

XXX INTRODUCTION,

Sir John Soane, and many others; for, indeed, the — catalogue is far too long for insertion of all the distinguished men of our times who pursue the gentle art.

The studious man, of whatever profession, although perfectly conscious of the necessity of air and exercise to the preservation of health, has seldom sufficient resolution to tear himself from his accustomed pursuits, without some powerful stimulus to action, and, therefore, any pleasurable recreation that may induce exercise, and lead the sedentary to the enjoyment of a pure air, breathing over woods, meadows, and waters, cannot fail to be beneficial. I am not acquainted with any amusement in which this advantage can be enjoyed without considerable alloy, except the diversion of angling. The hunter enjoys all the benefits of air and exercise, it is true, and the elasticity of his spirits gives a charm to the sound of the horn, and the cry of the hounds; but, i the ardour of pursuit, he is impelled forward over hedge and ditch, to the imminent peril of his life ; and, after having triumphed over the wily fox, or timid hare, he frequently returns from the chase so exhausted with fatigue, that he is tempted to recruit his spirits by intemperance at the table. This mode of recreation is evidently unfit for the studious, and can only be adopted by men of robust frame, who have passed much of their early life in field sports, or athletic exercises, calculated to produce extraordinary hardihood of constitution : the same objections will apply to shoot - ing, though certainly not in an equal degree.

Few poets and painters have been fox-hunters, but

INTRODUCTION. XXX1 many have been anglers: the witty, companionable, and gentle Gay, and the imaginative and philosophic Thomson, have often tried their art to “tempt the tenant of the brook ;”” and, in our own day (as already

noticed), the unequalled sculptor, the distinguished architect, and many of the “ Sons of Song,” delight in that quiet, yet interesting sport, which calls for vigilance and observation, and procures exercise and excitement, without necessarily inducing fatigue beyond the demands of health and safety.

Poets and painters “may, indeed, more especially, enjoy many delightful hours of recreation in pursuit of the finny tribes, and, at the same time, gather materials for their future studies. The angler rises with the sun, and, therefore, has frequent opportunities of beholding the various beautiful phenomena which attend the advent of that glorious orb; he hastens with buoyant spirits to his favourite stream, wending his way through flowery meadows, or to some lone mountain glen, where the congregated waters of the hills find a devious passage through rocks and woods, to the calm bosom of the expansive lake. All the varieties of light and shade, of form and colour, are presented to his view, amidst a succession of sublime, pastoral, or romantic scenery ; and the botanist, mineralogist, and entomologist, may find ample room for observation on the borders of a mountain stream.

The amusing study of entomology is necessary to a skilful fly-fisher, who ought to be acquainted with all the various insects and flies applicable to his art, and be om

XXX INTRODUCTION.

able to produce a close imitation of them. The following lines, by Gay, give a lively picture of this part of the angler’s labours :—

“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, his wings, his horns, and size ; Then round the hook the chosen fur he winds, And on the back a speckled feather binds ;

So just the colours shine throttgh every part, That nature seems to live again in art.’’

Thomson has also given a captivating interest to the insect tribes; and I believe there are few lovers of nature who will not find amusement and instruction in contemplating these minute but most wonderful productions of the Creator.

Walton has very justly styled angling “the contemplative man’s recreation ;” for the practice of it is, indeed, eminently calculated to still the stormy passions of the breast, and lead to the calm and tranquil pleasures arising from frequent meditation on the beauties of nature. This delightful old author has so skilfully defended his favourite art against the sneers of ignorance and prejudice, that it would be presumptuous in me to enlarge on the subject ; and I shall, therefore, be content to observe, that I believe the art of angling to be an innocent, entertaining, and a healthful pursuit, and calculated to be equally useful and amusing to men of studious habits and sedentary occupations.

Chapter I. On The Materials Used In Angling

Ir is impossible to become a successful angler, without such a complete and well-arranged assortment -of tackle as will enable you to be prepared for all times, seasons, and circumstances; and a true brother of ‘the craft will: find much to amuse him in the exercise of his ingenuity in making and repairing lines, flies, &c., and in the orderly disposition of the materials of his art: of which the following is a list :—

Rods for salmon-fishing, trolling, spinning the minnow and bleak, fly-fishing, and angling at the bottom.

Lines of hair, silkworm gut, Indian weed, plaited silk and hair, and patent line for trolling.

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Say Winches, or reels, for running tackle.

- Hooks for trolling, on wire or gymp, for the gorge,

vs the snap, &c.

\ t; - Bleak and minnow tackle, and baiting-needles, of |

various sizes.

| Hooks tied on gut, from No. 4 to No. 12.

— Hooks tied on hair, from No. 10 to No. 13. Loose hooks of all sizes.

‘ Paternosters for perch-fishing.

Shoemakers’ wax, and sewing silk.

Floats of various sizes, and caps for floats.

Split shot and plummets, for taking the depths of the water. t

Disgorger, clearing-ring, and drag.

Landing-net, a gaff, and kettle for live bait

Gentle-box, and bags for worms.

_ A fishing-basket, creel, or game pouch.

A pair of pliers, a pair of scissors, and a penknife.

A book of artificial flies.

A book of general tackle.

A book contaiming materials for making artificial flies, the necessary contents of which will be described — under the article on fly-making.*

| * Mr. Coleman, No. 4 Haymarket, makes very useful knives for

‘anglers. There is a short hammer at one end to kill fish, a saw at the | back of the blade to rub through the scales when the fish is to be crimped, and a sharp blade for crimping : a disgorger might be added © to run down the shaft for taking hooks from the mouths of pike when spinning.—Ep.

RODS.

| . Choice rods are of the utmost consequence to the ) angler’s success, and various instructions have been given, by different authors, for selecting proper kinds of wood for the purpose, and the method of making them ; but as excellent rods of every description are now to be purchased in almost every part of the United Kingdom, I will only recommend those made by Mr. Edmondson of Liverpool, and those who try his rods will thank me for having done so.

The joints of his rods always fit securely. They are perfectly straight when put together, and spring , equally in all parts, from the butt to the top, when

bent.

That which is commonly termed “a general rod,” will be found most useful to the traveller who has not

an opportunity of carrying more than one with him at a time, it being so contrived that it may be used either for fly-fishing, tfolling, or bottom-fishing, as the butt of the rod is bored and contains several spare tops, 7.e. one for

the fly, one for spinning the minnow, one for the float, and another for trollmg—the whole being conveniently packed up in a canvass bag.

Although this kind of rod will be found highly serviceable on many occasions, I would by no means recommend the use of it when you have an opportunity of employing separate and appropriate rods for the differ-

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"7 ent kinds of angling. The rods used exclusively for fly-fishing should be as light as possible, consistent with strength, and if for throwing with one hand, not more than from twelve to fourteen feet long, and if with both hands, not more than from sixteen to eighteen feet. Indeed, a rod shorter than either of these would be found very convenient in a narrow, closely wooded stream, where it is frequently necessary to force your fly with.a short lne under overhanging bushes.

I am acquainted with some excellent anglers in the north of England, who cannot be persuaded to use any other fly-rod than one composed of two pieces only, and spliced in the middle ; but this is mconyenient to carry, and the jomted rods are now brought to such perfection, that I feel assured they will answer every purpose of the spliced rods, besides bemg much more portable. The Irish fly-rods are screwed together at each joint, and are much more elastic than the English rods.

THE TROLLING-ROD

Should be very strong, and not less than twelve nor — more than sixteen feet in length, with large rings upon it, that the line may run freely. A new ring has lately been invented, which does not cut the line.

The rod for spinning a minnow, or bleak, should be of bamboo cane, and from eighteen to twenty feet long, — with a tolerably stiff top; the rings should be placed — at a moderate distance from each other, and be of the middle size. .

The barbel rod, for angling with the ledger bait, should have a stiff top, and be about eleven or twelve - feet in length; but for float-fishing it must be much lighter and something longer.

The rod for roach and dace should be of bamboo cane, and if for bank-fishing, from eighteen to twenty feet long; but if for angling from a punt, not more than eleven or twelve feet. It must be very lght, perfectly taper, and of a proper degree of elasticity, as the angler’s success in roach and dace-fishing will

depend upon his dexterity and quickness in striking when he has a bite. Many anglers never fish without running-tackle, that they may be always prepared to encounter a large fish; but they must not hope to meet with the same sport in roach and dace-fishing as_ those do who use a light rod without rings, and a short line, when the chance of striking your fish is much more certain.

L LINES.

The best lines for running-tackle are composed of _ silk and hair, of different degrees of strength and thickness, according to the purpose for which they are intended. For salmon-fishing, a strong winch or pirn, large enough to contain from eighty to one hundred yards of line, is requisite, and for trout, a brass reel,

Zz “ contaiming from thirty to forty yards of line, gradually tapering to a few hairs at the end, where a foot link of gut containing the flies is to be fixed.*

Silkworm gut-lines are from two to four yards, and are used as lengths to be added to the line on the reel, either for fly or bottom-fishing.

Lines for trollmg are of several kinds, some of twisted silk, and others of silk and hair, but that now sold by the tackle-makers, called India rubber-line, is by far the best and strongest. A strong reel and from forty to sixty yards of line are requisite.

A winch, or reel, is used for running-tackle, and is generally made of brass, but I have seen them in Scotland made of wood, where they are called pirns ; the multiplying reel was formerly much used, but from its lability to be out of order, a plain reel, without a stop, is now generally preferred. Reels are of various sizes, containing from twenty to one hundred yards of line.

Hooks for trolling will be described in the chapter on trolling.

Bleak and minnow tackle are of endless variety in form and contrivance, almost every experienced angler having his own peculiar plan. Some of the best of these will be described in the chapter on trout-fishing.

The paternoster is a line used for perch-fishing, made of strong gut, and should be connected with a

* These lines, ‘‘ fine by degrees, and beautifully less,’’ are now much exploded by good anglers.

~

ANG LER’S MANUAL.

_running-line by a fine steel swivel. It contains three . hooks, the size Nos. 7, 8, or 9, placed at equal distances from each other; the first near the bottom, where a small plummet of lead is fixed to sink the line, and 4 the others each from eighteen inches to two feet apart. The hooks are so contrived by swivels as to revolve _ round the line, and thereby give play to the live minnows with which they are to be baited.

FLOATS.

Much care and judgment are required in adapting your float to the various streams, or waters, in which you angle. A deep and rapid river will require a float that will carry from sixteen to twenty of No. 4 shot. If the stream be deep and the current gentle, a float carrying one half that number of shot will be sufficiently heavy, and when the water is perfectly still, a very light quill-float, carrying two of No. 6 shot, should be used; and I may remark here, that the smaller your float, the fewer the number of shot, and the finer your

_ bottom-tackle, the greater will be your success.

_ ‘The tip-capped float is the best for pond-fishing and _ for gentle streams, as the line is confined at each end of the float by a cap, which enables you to strike a fish with greater precision than with a plugged float, which has a wire ring at the bottom for the line to run through.

In shotting the line, I prefer a number of small shot to a few large ones, as they make less disturbance in the water.

Your line must be shotted, till not more than the cap of your float is seen above the water, unless it should be very rough from wind or a rapid current; in which case something more of the float must swim above water.

The porcupine quill is a favourite float with some anglers, but, for a moderate stream, I prefer a swan’s quill.

THE LANDING-NET AND GAFF.

The landing-net may be purchased so contrived as to unscrew from a socket in the handle (which should be four or five feet long), and a gaff, or hook, for landing salmon, pike, and large trout, may also be bought to screw into the same socket, and both the net and gaff may be carried in your basket, or creel, till you reach the river side.

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Chapter II. Baits

Tue most universal natural bait used in angling is the worm. It may be employed successfully for every kind of fresh-water fish, with the exception of the pike and the char, and even the pike may, I believe, be sometimes taken with a large lob-worm.

THE LOB-WORM, OR DEW-WORM,

Is in season from the beginning of May till September, and may be taken with a candle and lantern, at night, on any common or green where the grass is short, and will be found an excellent bait for salmon, trout, barbel, and eels; it is also used as ground-bait for barbel-fishing. There are several sorts of lob-worms, the best of which is the squirrel-tail; it has a red head, a streak down the back, and a broad flat

Note.—Worm-fishing is perfectly unnecessary, as well as cruel. Minnows, real or artificial, gentles and cadis worms (which die the

* moment the hook passes through them), and graves, for barbel, are excellent substitutes for worms. It is time that the use of them should be abandoned.—Ebp.

tail. The small maiden lob, without a ring, is the best bait for trout.

THE MARSH-WORM

Is smaller than the lob-worm, and of a paler colour, with a broad flat tail. It is an excellent bait for trout, when well scoured, and two of them may be used on one hook.

THE BRANDLING

Has been a great favourite with all writers on angling, but my experience does not confirm all that has been said in its favour. I very much prefer a red worm for the purposes for which the brandling is recommended. The brandling is streaked from head to tail im round ringlets, alternately red and yellow, and is found in old dunghills, but chiefly where various kinds of dung are mixed together, and in decayed tanners’ bark. It is considered a fine bait for trout, perch, and eels.

THE LITTLE GILT-TAIL, OR TAG-WORM,

Is of a pale yellow towards the tail, and knotted like the dunghill red worm, and found in old horse-dung.

THE RED WORM.

This worm is small and of a bright red; it is found in old manure heaps, in decayed tanners’ bark, and on the borders of old drains. It is impossible to speak too highly of the value of this worm to the angler, as almost every kind of fresh-water fish will take it eagerly. I have taken trout, in small bright streams, in the months of July and August, with a single red worm and single hair, when no other mode would take afish. It is the only sure bait for a gudgeon; also an excellent bait for perch; and, when the water is coloured by a fresh, it is equally good for roach and dace. I strongly recommend my brothers of the angle never to visit the Thames or the Lea without being well stored with red worms, or the small blood-worm.

THE SEGG-WORM

Is commonly found in the hollow parts of seggs, near the roots; he has a black head and a whitish body, and is a good bait to fish with where seggs grow.

THE PEACOCK RED, OR BLACK-HEADED RED WORM,

Is found under cow-dung or horse-dung, three parts dried, in the fields, from the latter end of April until the beginning of August, but chiefly under cow-dung. He is also found under stones in the bed of a river, and is a good trout-worm.

HOW TO BAIT HOOKS WITH WORMS.

To bait with a single worm, enter the pomt of the hook a little below the head, threading it carefully, without breaking or bruising it, to within a quarter of an inch of the tail, and the shank of the hook must be well covered with the worm.

To bait with two worms on a hook, enter your hook at the head of the first worm and bring it out at the middle, and then draw it over the arming of your hook on to the line; then enter the hook at the middle of the second worm, and bring it up to within one quarter of an inch of the head; draw down the first worm till it meet the second, and your bait will then travel freely on the bottom.

The common mode, with Thames anglers, of baiting a hook for barbel or eels, with a single lob-worm, is to enter the point of the hook at the head, and to bring it carefully down to within a quarter of an inch of the tail; and if the worm be very large, a part of it may be drawn above the arming of the hook on to the line.

TO SCOUR AND PRESERVE WORMS.

An angler should be always provided with well-scoured worms, as they are more lively, bright, and tough, than when first taken from the earth. There are various modes recommended for scouring worms, but clean moss alone will answer every purpose required. Moss may be easily procured in almost every part of the country, and, in London, may be purchased in Covent Garden: it should be well washed and squeezed till nearly dry, and then placed in an earthen

ANGLER’S MANUAL. ive pan to receive the worms, which will be ready for use in four or five days. Great care must be taken to keep the moss sweet and clean, by changing it every three or four days, or by well washing it; and if any of the worms are found to be in a sickly state, or dead, they must be removed, or they will destroy the sweetness of the moss, and thereby greatly injure the healthy worms.

GENTLES, OR MAGGOTS.

The gentle is a universal bait, and will take any kind of fresh-water fish, save salmon, pike, and char. Perch and gudgeon will sometimes take a gentle, but Mr. Jesse* has made a great mistake in his “Thames Fishing,” where he says, “the bait for a gudgeon _ should be gentles,” for, unquestionably, the only sure bait for a gudgeon is a well-scoured red worm; but for trout, grayling, barbel, chub, roach, dace, and

~ bleak, there is not a more killing bait than the gentle. Carp, tench, and bream, will also take this bait, but not so freely as a red worm. .

The later in the season, the greater will be your success with the gentle, and from October to Christmas no other bait need be used for the grayling.

TO BREED AND PRESERVE GENTLES, OR MAGGOTS.

Take a piece of bullock’s liver, and score it with a knife, and suspend it by a stick over a tub, or barrel,

* Mr. Jesse thinks otherwise.

full of dry earth, clay, or sand, in the open air, and the gentles formed in the liver by the blowing of the flesh-fly, when grown to a tolerable size, will fall into the barrel, and scour themselves, and always be ready for use when wanted.

Gentles may be thus produced from May to Michaelmas; but if you wish to preserve them through the winter, procure a dead cat or dog, and let it be fly-blown, and so soon as the gentles begin to stir, bury it and them im moist earth, which must be well secured from the frost, and they will last till March, and may be dug up when wanted.

Gentles may be procured ready for use at all tackle-shops, and most of the tallow-chandlers’ during the summer, but these last will generally require two days’ scourmg in moist sand before they are fit for use. There is no kind of ground-bait equal to gentles for barbel, roach, and dace, and they may be procured for sixpence or eightpence a-quart for this purpose, at the places where horses are slaughtered, and, when used, should be put, three or four dozen at a time, into small balls of clay, from whence they will make thew way through the clay, and draw the fish to the spot.

THE CADIS, OR CAD-BAIT, AND STRAW-WORM,

Are found in the shallow, sandy parts of rivers, small brooks, and even in ditches near rivers, and are of three sorts. The first is a yellowish grub, with a i

A ay , reddish head, and is covered with a case or husk of straw, bark, bits of rushes, particles of gravel, &c., and with this covermg to shelter it, is enabled, by protruding its head, to creep on the bottom of the water, where it is found.

There is another kind, called the straw-worm, and, I have no doubt, there are several other varieties, each producing a different sort of fly, such as the stone-fly, the May-fly, the duns, &c.

The cadis may be found from the middle of March to the beginning of June, and is an excellent bait for trout, and chub: roach and dace will also take it. The most convenient mode of carrying these baits is in a tin box, with a little moist moss, in their own husk or shell, from which they must be removed as they are wanted, by pulling them out by the head.

The hook which you use for the cadis should be armed with a hog’s bristle, which, passing through the head, will keep the bait in its proper place. :

A hook, No. 8 or 9, armed with a hog’s bristle, and with wings taken from a mottled drake’s or star- _ling’s, wing, is often used for cadis-fishing, the hook being covered with the cadis, the head of which is held fast by the bristle.

THE COW-DUNG BOB, OR CLAP BAIT,

Is found in the fields and old pastures, under cow-dung, from April to Michaelmas; at is something

- 4 ae fi 16 THE BRITISH | | larger than a gentle, has a reddish head, and is a capital bait for a trout, and you may angle with it either at the top or bottom of the water with a bristled hook. These baits may be preserved in a tin box with a little of the earth from which they were taken.