Part 2

To take a Carp either in Pond or River, if you mean to have sport with some profit, you must take a peck of Ale-graines, and a good quantity of any bloud, and mix the bloud and graines together, and cast it in the places where you meane to Angle; this feed will gather the scale Fish together, as Carp, Tench, Roach, Dace, and Bream; the next morning be at your sport very early, plum your ground: you may Angle for the Carp with a strong Line; the Bait must be either a red knotted worm, or Paste: there is no doubt of sport.

To take Pearch. The Pearch feeds well, if you light where they be, and bites very free: My opinion is, (with some experience) to bait with Lob-worms, chopt in pieces over night; so come in the morning betimes, plum your ground, gage your line, bait your hook with a red knotted worme; but I hold a Menow better: put the hook in at the back of the Menow, betwixt the fish and the skin, that the Menow may swim up and down alive, being boyed up with a Cork or Quill, that the Menow may have liberty to swimme a foot off the ground: there is no doubt of sport with profit.

I will shew, a little, my opinion of floating for scale fish in the River or Pond: The feed brings the Fish together, as the sheep to the Pen: There is nothing better in all your Anglings, for feed, then Bloud and Grains; I hold it better then Paste: then plumming your ground, Angling with fine Tackles, as single haire for halfe the Line next the hook, round and small plumed, according to your float: For the Bait, there is a small red worm, with a yellow tip on his taile, is very good; Brandlins, Gentles, Paste, or Cadice, which we call Cod-bait, they lye in a gravelly husk under stones in the River: these be the speciall Baits for these kinde of Fish.

One of my name was the best Trouler, for a Pike, in this Realme: he laid a wager, that he would take a Pike of four foot long, of Fish, within the space of one Moneth, with his Trouling-Rod; so he Trouled three weeks and odde days, and took many great Pikes, nigh the length, but did not reach the full length, till within the space of three dayes of the time; then he took one, and won the wager. The manner of his Trouling was, with a Hazell Rod of twelve foot long, with a Ring of Wyre in the top of his Rod, for his Line to runne thorow: within two foot of the bottome of the Rod there was a hole made, for to put in a winde, to turne with a barrell, to gather up his Line, and loose at his pleasure; this was his manner of Trouling: But I will pawn my credit, that I will shew a way, either in Maior, Pond, or River, that shall take more Pikes than any Trouler with his Rod: And thus it is. First, take forked stick, a Line of twelve yards long wound upon it, at the upper end, leave about a yard, either to tye a bunch of Sags, or a Bladder, to Boy up the Fish, and to carry it from the ground: the Bait must be a live Fish, either Dace, or Gudgin, or Roach, or a small Trout: the forked stick must have a slit in the one side of the fork to put in the Line, that you may set your live Fish to swimme at a gage, that when the Pike taketh the Bait, he may have the full liberty of the Line for his feed.

You may turne these loose, either in Pond or River: in the Pond with the winde all day long, the more the better: at night set some small weight, as may stay the Boy, as a Ship lyeth at Anchor, till the Fish taketh. For the River, you must turn all loose with the streame; two or three be sufficient to shew pleasure, gaged at such a depth as they will go currant downe the River; there is no doubt of sport, if there be Pikes: for the hooks, they must be doubled hooks, the shanks should be somewhat shorter than ordinary: my reason is, the shorter the hook is of the shank, it will hurt the live Fish the lesse, and must be armed with small wyre well softned; but I hold a hook armed with twisted silk to be better, for it will hurt the live fish least.

If you arm your hook with wyre, the neeld must be made with a small hook at the one end thereof. If you arme with silke, the neeld must be made with an eye: then must you take one of those Baits alive (which you can get) and with one of your neelds enter within a strawes breath of the Gill of the Fish, so put the neeld betwixt the skin and the Fish; then pull the neeld out at the hindmost finne, and draw the arming thorow the Fish, until the hook come to lye close to the Fishes bodie: But I hold for those that be armed with wyre to take off the hook, and put the neeld in the hindmost fin and so to come forth at the Gill; then put on the hook drawn close to the body, 'twill hurt the live Fish the less, so knit the arming with the live Fish to the Line; then put off either in Maior or Pond, with the winde, in the River with the stream: The more you put off in Maior or Pond, you are like to have the more pleasure: For the River I have shewed you before.

There is a time when Pikes goe a Frogging Ditches, and in the River to Sun them, as in May, June and July, there is a speedy way to take them, and not to misse scarce one in twenty.

You must take a Line of six or eight foot long, arm a large hook, of the largest size that is made; arm it to your Line, lead the shank of your hook very handsom, that it may be of such a weight as you may guide the hook at your pleasure: you may strike the Pike, you see, with the bare hook where you please: this Line and hook doth far exceed snaring.

The principall sport to take a Pike, is to take a Goose or Gander, or Duck: take one of the Pike Lines I have shewed you before: tye the Line under the left wing, and over the right wing, about the body, as a man weareth his Belt: turne the Goose off into a Pond, where Pikes are, there is no doubt of sport, with great pleasure, betwixt the Goose and the Pike: It is the greatest sport and pleasure that a noble Gentleman in Shropshire doth give his friends entertainment with.

The way to make the best paste is, Take, a reasonable quantity of fresh Butter, as much fresh sheeps Suet, a reasonable quantity of the strongest Cheese you can get, with the soft of an old stale white loafe; beat all this in a Morter till it come to perfect paste; put as much on your hook as a green pease.

There are many wayes to take Eeles: I will shew you a good way to take a dish of Eeles. When you stay a night or two Angling, take four or five Lines, such as be laid for Pikes, of fourteen or fifteen yards long, and at every two yards make a noose, to hang a hook armed either to double thred, or silk twist; for it is better then wyre: Bait your Hooks with Millors-thumbs, Loaches, Menowes, or Gudgins: tye to every noose a Line baited: these Lines must be laid crosse the River in the deepest places, either with stones, or pegged, so the Line lie in the bottome of the river, there is no doubt of taking a dish of Eeles; you must have a small neeld with an eye, to bait your hooks.

Now to shew how to make Flies: learn to make two Flies, and make all: that is, the Palmer ribbed with silver or gold, and the May-flie: these are the ground of all Flies.

We will begin to make the Palmer Flie: You must arme your Line on the inside of the hook; take your Scisers, and cut so much of the brown of the Mallards feather, as in your owne reason shall make the wings, then lay the outmost part of the feather next the hook, and the point of the feather towards the shanke of the hook, then whip it three or four times about the hook with the same silk you armed the hook: then make your silk fast: then you must take the hackle of the neck of a Cock or Capon, or a Plovers top, which is the best, take off the one side of the feather, then you must take the hackle silk, or cruell, gold or silver thred; make all these fast at the bent of the hook, then you must begin with Cruell, and Silver, or Gold, and work it up to the wings, every bout shifting your fingers, and making a stop, then the gold will fall right, then make fast: then work up the hackle to the same place, then make the hackle fast: then you must take the hook betwixt your finger and thumb, in the left hand, with a neeld or pin, part the wings in two: then with the arming silk, as you have fastned all hitherto, whip about as it falleth crosse betwixt the wings, then with your thumb you must turne the point of the feather towards the bent of the hook, then work three or four times about the shank, so fasten, then view the proportion.

For the other Flies: If you make the grounds of Hogs-wooll, sandy, black or white; or the wooll of a Bear, or of a two year old red Bullock: you must work all these grounds upon a waxed silk, then you must arm and set on the wings, as I have shewed before: For the May-flie, you work the body with some of these grounds, which is very good, ribbed with a black hair; you may work the body with Cruels, imitating the Colour, or with Silver, with suiting the wings. For the Oak-flie, you must make him with Orange-tauny and black, for the body, and the brown of the Mallards feather for the wings. If you do after my directions, they will kill fish, observing the times fitting, and follow my former Directions.

If any worthy or honest Angler cannot hit of these my Directions, let him come to me, he shall read and I will work, he shall see all things done according to my foresaid Directions: So I conclude for the Flie, having shewed you my true Experiments, with the Rod, I will set all labouring sports aside:

And now I am waiting on my Lord with a great Dish of Trouts, who meeting with company, commanded me to turne Scullion and dresse a Dinner of the Trouts wee had taken: whereupon I gave my Lord this Bill of fare, which I did furnish his Table with, according as it was furnished with flesh. Trouts in broth, which is restorative: Trouts broyled, cut and filled with sweet Herbes chopt: Trouts calvored hot with Antchovaes sauce: Trouts boyled; out of which Kettle I make three Dishes; the one for a Soused Dish, another for a Stew'd Dish, the third for a hot Dish: the Sauce is Butter, Vinegar, beaten Cinamon, with the juyce of a Lemmon, beaten very well together, that the Sauce is white and thick, or else it is no Sauce for a great man's Table: Trouts fryed, which must be done, and not put into the Pan, untill the Suet boyle very high, and kept with stirring all the time they are frying, being flowr'd first. Trouts stew'd: Trouts close, boyled with the calvored Trouts, all in one Kettle and the same liquor: Trouts butter'd with Egs: Trouts roasted: Trouts baked: these are for the first course, before the Salt.

And these are for the latter course. Trouts calvored cold: Trouts flat cold: Baked Trouts: Trouts marilled, that will eat perfect and sweet three moneths in the heat of Summer: if I did say, for the whole year about, I would make it good.

For the dressing of four or five of the Dishes, I will shew you how I did perform them.

First, I will shew you for the boyling and calvoring, that serves for hot and cold, for first and latter course.

First, you must draw out the Intrails of the fish, cutting the fish two or three times in the back; lay them in a Tray or Platter, put some Vinegar upon them; you shall see the fish turn sanguine, if they be new, presently: you must put so much water in the Kettle as you thinke will cover them, with a pint of Vinegar, a handfull of Salt, some Rosemary and Thyme and sweet Marjoram tyed in a bunch: then you must make this liquor boyle with a fierce fire made of wood: when the liquor hath boyled very well, put in your fish by one and one, keeping your liquor alwayes boyling, untill you have put all in: having provided a cover for your Kettle, so put on the cover: you must have a paire of Bellowes to blow up the fire with speed, that the liquor may boyle up to the top of the Kettle; so the fierce boiling will make the Fish to calvor: provided, the fish be new killed: you may let them boile nigh a quarter of an hour; when they are cold, you may put them in a Tray or earthen Pan, untill you have occasion to use them: be sure they lie covered.

For your stewed Trouts, you must cut them on the side, as for broiling: there are divers wayes of stewing; the English hath one way, the French hath another way, the Italian hath another way: I may speak this; for I have been admitted into the Kitchins, to furnish men of most Nations, when they have been in England.

We will begin with the English: He broyleth first upon a Charcoale fire; the first thing that you must have a care of is, when your Grid-iron is hot you must coole it with ruff Suet, then the skin of your Fish will not break, with care of turning them: when they are nigh broyled, take them off the Grid-iron; set on a Chafing-dish of coals in a Stew-pan, or Dish; put in a good quantity of fresh Butter, so much Vinegar as will give the relish, a penny-worth of beaten Cinamon; then put in your broyled fish, and let them stew, about halfe an houre will be sufficient, being turned: adorn your Dish with Sippets, take the fish out of the stew-pan, lay them for the service, be sure to squease a Lemmon on them: I will warrant them good victuall.

The Italian he stewes upon a Chafing-dish of coals, with white Wine, Cloves, and Mace, Nutmegs sliced, a little Ginger: you must understand when this fish is stewed, the same liquor that the fish is stewed in, must be beaten with some Butter and the juyce of a Lemmon, before it is dish'd for the service. The French doe add to this a slice or two of Bacon.

I will shew you the way to marrionate a Trout or other fish that will keep a quarter of a yeare in Summer, which is the Italians rarest Dish for fresh fish, and will eat perfect and sweet.

You must take out the Intrailes as you doe of other fish, and cut them a-crosse the sides, as you do to broyle, washed clean, dried with a cloth, lay them upon a Tray or board, sprinkle a little salt on them, and flowre them as to frie them, so take your Frying-pan with so much Suet, when it is melted, as the Fish may lye to the midside in the liquor, and so fry them; and every time you turn them, flower them againe, untill you finde the fish fryed sufficient: when you think the fish is fryed, take it out of the Pan, and lay it upon some thing, that the liquor may draine out of it; when the fish is cold, you may reare it an end.

You must have a close Vessell to keep this fish and liquor in, that no winde comes in, according to the quantity you make triall of.

For the Liquor. First, you must take halfe Claret-Wine, the other halfe Vinegar, two or three Bay-leaves, so much Saffron as a Nut tyed in a cloth, with some Cloves and large Mace, some Nutmeg sliced; boile all these together very well; when the liquor is cold, and the fish cold, put the fish and liquor into the close Vessell, with three or four Lemmons sliced among the fish; make all close that no winde can get into the Vessell; after eight or ten days you may begin to eat of this fish; the Sauce must be some of the same liquor, with some of a sliced Lemmon.

To dresse a Pike.