The River Thames

After jumping over old "tower'd" Thames on our way to the south, we now

return to him to wind up this little chapter on rivers; there cannot be

a better river for the purposes of trolling, spinning, or bait fishing

in general, than the Thames, there is not a town on its banks from

Richmond to Oxford, that does not afford capital angling with the bait,

and in many places large trout may be caught with the fly in the

eve ing, these large trout are very delicious and grow fat on the

quantities of minnows and gudgeons which they prey upon, and of which

there are an inexhaustible supply. I have taken a few of them with

large size blood red flies, brown flies, and large palmers of the like

colours. The flies Nos. 4, 5, and 7, in the plates, are just the sort

made a size or two smaller; Hampton Court, Sunbury, Weybridge, and

Pentonhook, are likely places to rise a fish about seven in the evening,

and early in the morning from six to eight. A light general rod with

spare tops for fly fishing, about sixteen or seventeen feet long, with

reel, and line of sixty yards, would be about the sort I would

recommend, made of good hickory, or split cane; this sort of rod would

suit any purpose, either for trolling, spinning, or for barbel fishing

with the lob worm, &c.



Mr. Stoddart in his "Work on Angling" speaks very highly of worm and

bait fishing in general.



And "Mr. Salter's Book," is a very good authority for trolling and

spinning. The greater part of the fishermen and punt men on the Thames

are capital hands at using the trolling and spinning tackle, so that the

young angler who desires to become expert at this sort of fishing, can

easily gain instruction from these civil men; they are also good barbel

and trout fishers with the lob worm.



There are many good trout caught by spinning, and when bait fishing with

the lob worm for barbel in places where they would rise and take the fly

were they let alone, this is the cause of their being so scarce, as

trout from half-a-pound and upwards will take the worm.



The Thames produces many kinds of fish--trout, perch, barbel, pike,

roach, dace, carp, chub, gudgeons, minnows, eels, &c. As all these fish

take the bait in general, I will here give the proper sorts for each,

with the tackle to suit the purpose, and will show the angler which to

use to his best advantage in every river he fishes in.