Maxims and Hints on Angling, Chess, Shooting, and Other Matters Part 2

Do not leave off fis.h.i.+ng early in the evening because your friends are tired. After a bright day, the largest fish are to be caught by whipping between sunset and dark. Even, however, in these precious moments, you will not have good sport if you continue throwing after you have whipped your fly off. Pay attention to this; and if you have any doubt after dusk, you may easily ascertain the point, by drawing the end of the line quickly through your hand,--particularly if you do not wear gloves.

x.x.xIV.

No attempt is here made to give directions as to the best seasons for cutting the woods which are fittest for the making of rods, or as to the mode of preparing them; because the worst rod which is kept for sale at the present day is probably as good as the best of the first few dozen which any amateur is likely to make for himself.

x.x.xV.

Lastly--When you have got hold of a good fish, which is not very tractable, if you are married, gentle reader, think of your wife, who, like the fish, is united to you by very tender ties, which can only end with her death, or her going into weeds. If you are single, the loss of the fish, when you thought the prize your own, may remind you of some more serious disappointment.

R. P.

_Rod Cottage, River Side, 31st May, 1829._

[Ill.u.s.tration]

POSTSCRIPT.

I FORGOT to say, that, if a friend should invite you to his house, saying that he will give you "an excellent day's fis.h.i.+ng," you ought not to doubt his kind intention, but you certainly ought not to feel very sure that you will have good sport. Provide yourself for such a visit with everything which you may want, as if you were going into an uninhabited country. Above all things, take a landing-net with you. Your friend's (if he has one) is probably torn and without a handle, being a sort of reticulated shovel for taking fish out of the well of a punt.

Take warning from the following story:--

Mr. Jackson and Mr. Thompson went last week to the house of Mr. Jenkins, for a few days' fis.h.i.+ng. They were received with the utmost kindness and hospitality by Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins, and on the following morning after breakfast, the gardener (who was on that day called the fisherman) was desired to attend them to the river. Thompson, who had a landing-net of his own, begged to have a boy to carry it. Jack was immediately sent for, and he appeared in _top_ boots, with a livery hat and waistcoat.

Arrived at the water-side, Thompson gave his gnat-basket to the boy, and told him to go on the other side of the river, and look on the gra.s.s for a few May-flies. Jack said that he did not exactly know what May-flies were, and that the river could not be crossed without going over a bridge a mile off. Thompson is a patient man, so he began to fish with his landing-net for a few May-flies, and after he had necessarily frightened away many fish, he succeeded in catching six or seven May-flies.

[Ill.u.s.tration: The boy exclaiming, "d.a.m.n 'un, I miss'd 'un," instantly threw a second brick-bat.

To face page 23.]

Working one of them with the blowing-line much to his own satisfaction, and thinking to extract a compliment from his attendant, he said, "They do not often fish here in this way--do they?" "No," said the boy, "they drags wi' a net; they did zo the day afore yesterday."

Our angler, after much patient fis.h.i.+ng, hooked a fine trout; and having brought him carefully to the bank, he said, "Now, my lad, don't be in a hurry, but get him out as soon as you can." Jack ran to the water's edge, threw down the net, and seizing the line with both hands, of course broke it immediately.

Nothing daunted, Thompson now mended his tackle and went on fis.h.i.+ng; and when he thought, "good easy man," that the very moment for hooking another trout was arrived, there was a great splash just above his fly;--and the boy exclaiming, "d.a.m.n un, I miss'd un," instantly threw a second brick-bat at a rat which was crossing the river.

Mine host, in order to accommodate his friends, dined early; and when they went after dinner to enjoy the evening fis.h.i.+ng, they found that the miller had turned off the water, and that the river was nearly dry,--so they went back to tea.

R. P.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _F. R. Lee, Esq., R.A._]

MISERIES OF FIs.h.i.+NG.

"_Quaeque ipse miserrima vidi._"

MISERIES OF FIs.h.i.+NG.

I.

MAKING a great improvement in a receipt which a friend had given you for staining gut--and finding that you have produced exactly the colour which you wanted, but that the dye has made all your bottoms quite rotten.

II.

Suddenly putting up your hand to save your hat in a high wind, and grasping a number of artificial flies, which you had pinned round it, without any intention of taking hold of more than one at a time.

III.

Leading a large fish down-stream and arriving at a ditch, the width of which is evident, although the depth of it may be a matter of some doubt. Having thus to decide very quickly whether you will lose the fish and half your tackle, or run the risk of going up to your neck in mud.

Perhaps both.

IV.

Feeling rather unsteady whilst you are walking on a windy day over an old foot-bridge, and having occasion to regret the decayed state of the hand-rail, which once protected the pa.s.sing fisherman.

V.

Fis.h.i.+ng for the first time with flies of your own making--and finding that they are quite as good as any which you can buy, except that the hooks are not so firmly tied to the gut.

VI.

Taking out with you as your aide-de-camp an unsophisticated lad from the neighbouring village, who laughs at you when you miss hooking a fish rising at a fly, and says with a grin. "You can't vasten 'em as my vather does."

[Ill.u.s.tration: "And having occasion to regret the decayed state of the hand-rail," &c.

To face page 28.]

VII.

Making the very throw which you feel sure will at last enable you to reach a fish that is rising at some distance--and seeing the upper half of your rod go into the middle of the river. When you have towed it ash.o.r.e, finding that it has broken off close to the ferule, which is immoveably fixed in the lower half of your rod.