HOOKS.
Hooks are to be bought at the angling shops, of all sizes, and suitable for the kind of fish to be caught. There are great controversies among adept anglers about hooks, which are sometimes as violent as those upon politics or religion. Some anglers prefer what are called the Limerick hooks, some the Kendal; while others again prefer the Kirby or Sneckbend. We are hooked to the Kirby, as we consider those to be by far the best for holding the fish—a most important particular. The hooks found most suitable for the following fish are these:—
- Barbel, 1, 7, 8, 9.
- Bleak, 11,12, 13.
- Bream, 10.
- Carp, 7, 8, 9.
- Chub, 8, 9.
- Dace, 10, 11, 12.
- Eels, 8.
- Flounders, 3.
- Grayling, 10, 12.
- Gudgeon, 9, 10.
- Loaches, 13.
- Miller’s Thumb, 13.
- Minnow, 13.
- Perch, 7.
- Roach, 10, 11, 12.
- Rudd, 10.
- Ruffe, 10.
- Smelt, 9, 10.
- Tench, 9, 10.
- Trout, 6, 10.
HOW TO BAIT A HOOK.
To bait a hook with a worm, use the following method: First enter the point of the hook close to the top of the worm’s head, and carry it carefully down to within a quarter of an inch of its tail; to do which you must gently squeeze or work up the worm with your left thumb and finger, while with your right you are gradually working the hook downwards. The small lively piece of the worm at the point of the hook moving about will entice the fish; but, mind, if too much of the worm hangs loose, though it may entice fish to nibble, yet they will seldom take the whole in their mouth, so as to enable the angler to hook them; on the contrary, he is frequently tantalized with a bite, and, when he strikes, finds part of his worm gone, and his fish too. Therefore, to bait a hook well with a worm is necessary to ensure hooking a fish when you strike; and it consists in drawing the worm without injuring it (use him as you would a friend, Walton says) quite over and up the shank of the hook, leaving only a small lively part of the tail below. If you bait with half a worm, prefer the tail end, and enter the point of the hook into the top part, and bring it down nearly to the end of the tail, leaving only a very small piece of it loose. If you bait with two worms on the same hook, draw the first up above the shank, while you put the second on in the same manner as directed with one worm, but enter the hook near the tail of the second worm; then draw the first one down on the second over the shank of the hook, and all will then be well covered, and the bait will be a very bon-bon for perch, chub, carp, barbel, and all large fish; but when angling for gudgeon, and other small fish, half a red worm is sufficient, and the tail end is best. If blood-worms are used, put on two or three, in doing which be tender, or you will burst them.
BAITS.
The principal baits are—
- The Lob-worm.
- The Brandling.
- The Marsh-worm.
- The Tagtail.
- The Ash-grub.
- Cowdung Bait.
- Caterpillars.
- Cabbage-worms.
- Crab-tree-worms.
- Gentles.
- Cad-worms.
- Flag-worms.
- Grasshoppers.
- Wasp-grub.
- Cockchafers.
- Bread Paste.
- Cheese Paste.
1. Lob-worms are found in gardens or churchyards, late in the evening; they have a red head, a streak down the back, and a broad tail. This is a good worm for salmon, chub, trout, barbel, eels, and large perch.