Your top for the running line must be always gentle, that the fish may the more insensibly run away with the bait, and not be checked by its being too stiff.

For all fishes that bite tenderly, a rod made of cane, reed, or bamboo, is the best, only be careful when you chuse such a one, that it will strike well, and that the medium between the ferrule and the joint that goes in is not cut too fine; for if it is, when you strike a good fish, it is ten to one you will lose some part of your rod, your line, and of course the fish; a misfortune that has often happened to me, before I was acquainted with the above rule.

A general rod is one which serves for trolling, dibbing, and the ground: for the former purpose small brass rings must be whipped all the way up it, at about a foot distance, for the trolling-line to run through; it may likewise be bored in the stock to hold the tops you are not using. That which you use for the troll must be strong, and have a ring on the top whipped on with a piece of quill to prevent the line being cut, when the voracious pike runs off with your bait to his hold; one of the others must not be so stiff, which will serve for carps, tenches, &c.; and the other fine and elastic for dace and roach fishing. These kind of rods, which are called bag-rods, and go up in a small compass, are to be had at all the fishing-tackle shops in London, more particularly in Crooked-lane, near the Monument; Fleetstreet; Bell-yard; also an excellent shop facing Southampton-street, Strand.

Angling-Line. To make this line, first note, that you are to take care that your hair be round and clear, and free from galls, scales, or frets;

for a well-chosen, even, clear, round hair, of a kind of glass-colour, will prove as strong as three uneven scabby hairs: then put them in water for a quarter of an hour, when made into lengths, and you will thereby find which of them shrink; then twist them over again. Some in the twisting intermingle silk, which is erroneous; yet a line of all silk may do pretty well, though I prefer hair in every mode of angling, except trolling, and then a silk line is best. Now the best colours for lines are sorrel, white, and grey; the two last colours for clear waters, and the first for muddy waters: neither is the pale watery green despicable, which is made thus: put a pint of strong alum-water, half a pound of soot, a small quantity of juice of waluut-leaves, into a pipkin, boil them about half an hour, then take it off the fire, and when it is cold steep your hair in it; or else boil a handful of marygold-flowers, with a quart of alum-water, till a yellow scum arises, then take half a pound of green copperas, with as much verdigris, and beat them together to a fine powder, and put them and the hair into the alum-water, and let them lie in it ten hours or more, then take them out and let them dry. Hair is made brown by steeping it in salt and ale. The best way of forming the hair into lines is with a new-invented engine, to be bought at any of the shops, and is to be used thus. To twist links with this engine, take as many hairs as you intend each shall consist of, and dividing them into three parts, tie each parcel to a bit of fine twine, about six inches long, doubled, and put through the hooks which impend from the machine: then take a piece of lead, of a conical figure, two inches high and two in diameter at the base, with a hook at the apex

or point; tie your three parcels of hair into one knot, and to this, by the hook, hang the weight. Lastly, take a common bottle-cork, and into the sides, at equal distances, cut three grooves; and placing it so as to receive each division of hairs, begin to twist. You will then find the links twist with great evenness at the lead: as it grows tighter, shift the cork a little upwards, and when the whole is sufficiently twisted, take out the cork, and tie the links into a knot; and so proceed till you.have twisted links sufficient for your line, observing to lessen the number of hairs in each link, in such proportion that the line may be taper.

Never strain your hairs before they are made into a line, if you do they will shrink when used.

Your links thus prepared, tie them together into a water-knot; then cut off the short ends, about a straw's breadth from the knot, and then whip some waxed silk about the knots, which is much better than inclosing them with wax.

Never, either at ground or fly angling, fix any hooks to a line that consists of more than three or four links at the most; but always make a small loop at the top and bottom of your line: the use of the one is to fasten it to your rod, and of the other to affix or remove your armed hooks. The line should always be leaded according to the rapidity or quietness of the river you angle in; therefore, as nearly as you can guess, always lead it in such manner as will sink the bait to the bottom, and permit its motion, without any violent jogging on the ground. Carry the top of your rod even with your hand, beginning at the head of the stream, and letting the bait run downwards, as far as the rod and line will permit, the lead dragging and rolling on the ground. No more of the line must

be in the water than will permit the lead to touch the bottom; for you are to keep the line as straight as possible, yet so as not to raise the lead from the bottom. When you have a bite, you may perceive it by your hand and the point of your rod and line: then strike gently and upwards, if you cannot tell which way the fish's head lies; but if you can, the contrary way from where it does; first allowing the fish, by a little slackening the line, a small time to pouch the bait. This is called angling by hand, and is very killing for trout, grayling, &c.

I shall treat of Float-fishing under the description of each fish.

As for your Fishing-hooks, they ought to be made of the best-tempered steel wire, longish in the shank, and somewhat thick in the circumference, the point even and straight; let the bending be in the shank. For setting on the hook, or more scientifically speaking, arming it, use strong but small silk, slightly waxed with shoemaker's wax; and lay the hair on the inside of the hook, for if it be on the outside the silk will fret and cut it asunder. There are several sizes of hooks, large ones and small ones, made according to the fishes they are designed to take, which, when I come to treat of the different fish, the number of the hook proper for each will be fully expressed. Ford and Kirby's hooks are excellent ones, but the best I ever had were from Red-bridge in Hampshire.

Floats, for angling, are of divers kinds : some made of Muscovy-duck-quills, which are the best for slow waters; but for strong streams, sound cork, without flaws or holes, bored through with a hot iron, into which is put a quill of fit pro

portion, is preferable: pare the cork to a pyramidal form, grind it smooth with a pumice-stone, then colour it according to your fancy. Floats, whether quill or cork, must be poised with shot when on the line, as to make them cock; that is, stand perpendicular in the water, that the least nibble or bite may be apparent.

When a float is split or bruised, there is no remedy for the mischance but getting a new one; but you may save the plug, and it will serve for another. But if the water gets in at the top of your float, a little sealing-wax will prevent it; if the plug of your float is loose, pull it out, and fasten it with the following cements.

Take bees-wax bruised small, chalk scraped fine, and black rosin powdered, of each an equal quantity; melt them in a spoon, or any small tin vessel, and see that they are well mixed or take brick-dust sifted very fine, and common rosin, pulverised; put one part of brick-dust to two parts of rosin, and melt them as before directed: dip your plug in either of these, and put your float immediately upon it. When you join two floats together, let the plug be a little thicker in the middle than at the ends, which ends are to go into the quills; dip one end into the cement, and put one quill upon it: then do the like by the other, and you have a double float or you may make it by dipping the ends of both quills, when prepared, in the cement, and fixing them together, which, when the cement is cold, will be very strong.

To dye quills red, which for still waters are better than any other floats, take what quantity you please of urine, and put in it as much powder of Brazil wood as will make it redden a piece of white paper; then take some clean water, into