Loach, and Bansticle being of the same diet, I place here too.
The Chevin, loveth all sorts of Worms, Flies, Cheese, Grain, and Black Worms, their Bellies being slit, that the White may be seen: And very much delighteth in the Pith of an Oxes back, the tough outward skin being carefully taken off, without breaking the inward tender skin. In the Morning early angle for Chevins, with a Snail; in the heat of the day, with some other Bait; in the afternoon with the Fly; the great Moth, with a great Head, yellow Body, and whitish Wings, usually found in Gardens, about the Evening: The larger the Chevin, the sooner taken; loving his Bait larger, and variety on a Hook.
The Char is a Lancashire Fish, found in a Mere, called Winander-Mere in that Country, the largest in England.
For the Chub, called by some a Chevin, by others a Villain. Bait your Hook with a Grass-hopper, find the hole where he lies, accompanied in a hot-day, with twenty or more, floating almost on the very superficies of the Water; choose which you think best, and fairest, and drop your Hook some two foot before him, and he will bite at it greedily, and cannot break hold with his Leather Mouth; let him play and tire, lest you break your Line. If you cannot get a Grass-hopper, then any Worm, or Fly you will. In cold Weather, Fish for him near the bottom, and the Humble-Bee is the best Bait. Some appropriate Baits according to the Month, but I shall Omit that; The Chub (being best and in his Prime in the Winter) a Paste made of Cheese, and Turpentine, is the only Bait to take him.
The Carp is subtle, and full of Policy, will never bite in Cold Weather, but in Hot you cannot be too Early, or too Late. In March, he seldom refuseth the Red-worm, in June the Cad bait and the three next Months the Grass-hopper: Pastes that are sweet, of which I have spoken before, are very delightful to Carps: And especially, if you Bait your ground two or three dayes before you angle, with Pellets of course Paste, Chickens-guts, Garbage, &c. Gentles anointed, and a Piece of Scarlet dipt in Honey, put them on the Hook, is an approved way.
The Dace, Dare, Rudd, and Roach, being much of a kind, and feeding, I shall put together, and are easily taken with small Worms, Bobs, Cad-baits, Flies, Sheeps-Blood, all sorts of Worms bred on Trees or Herbs, Paste, Wasps, Gnats, Lipberries, &c. The Heads of the Wasps, being dipt in Blood, is good for Dace, and Dare; as is likewise the Ant Fly.
The Eel, takes great Red-worms, Beef, Wasps, Guts of Fowl, or Fish, Menows, or small Roaches are good Bait for Night Hooks; the Hooks being in the Mouth of the Fish. Now because this is very delightful to most, I shall prescribe three ways of taking them, as are most full of Pleasure. The first way is called; Sniggling, or Broggling for Eels, thus: Take a strong Line and Hook baited with a Lob, or Garden-Worm, and observing where Eels lurk in the day time, with a stick forked at the Top, gently put your Bait into the Hole, and if there be any Eels there, you will not fail of a Bite, of as large as can be had, but pull not too hard lest you spoyl all. The second is called Bobbing, which is thus done: Take some large well scoured Lobs, and with a Needle, run some
strong twisted Silk through them, from end to end, so many as are enough to wrap about a Board near a dozen times; tye them fast with the two ends of the Silk to hang in so many Hanks; then fasten all to a strong Cord, and a handful above the worms fasten a Plumbet of three quarters of a pound, and your Cord to a strong Pole, and in muddy Waters, you may Fish, and find the Eels tug lustily, and when you think they have swallowed them, draw up your Line, and ashore with them. Lastly the Eel-spear made with four teeth, jagged on both sides, stricken into the Mud, on the bottom of a River, and if you chance to strike where they lye, you infallibly take.
There is likewise an assured way of taking Eels, thus done: Take some Bottles of Hay, mixt with green Osiers of Willows, Bait them with Sheeps-Guts, or other Beasts Garbage, sink them down in the middle, to the bottom of your Pond or by the Bank sides, having fastned a Cord to the Bottles, that you may twitch them up at your pleasure, and all the best Eels will resort to them.
The Flounder, Shad, Thwait, Suant, and Mullet, are taken with Red-Worms of all sorts, Wasps, and Gentles.