ANGLING, may be defined the art of catching fish by a rod and line, furnished with a hook and bait, or artificial fly. It. is divided into two species principally, fly fishingandbait fishing: the first is perform ed by the use of artificial flies, which are made to imitate natural flies so exactly, that fish take them with equal eagerness. The second species of angling is effected by the application to the hook of a variety of worms, grubs, small fish, parts of fish, and a number of other matters, which shall be detailed more particularly.
Fly fishing requires more skill and ad dress than bait fishing ; and the formation of the artificial flies, for it is an art in itself of so much nicety, that to give any just idea of it, we must devote an article to it par ticularly. See FISHING Fuss.
To constitute a good angler, a know ledge of the natural history of the fish he desires to take is essentially necessary : without this,he cannot perfectly know the bait most suitable to them at different sea sons, and in different situations ; which is so far from being obvious, that there are many small rivers which are considered as totally exhausted of their fish, by the nerality of anglers, where, however, a few of extraordinary skill will find good sport. and take many fish of the best kinds.
The tisli caught by angling in this part ofthe world are, the salmon, salmon-trout, cod, bull-head, flounder, weak-fish, sea ba.sse, black-fish, perch, rock, drum, cat fish, eel, red drum, &c.
Several of these only inhabit the salt. waters, others migrate regularly from the sea up the riversto deposit their eggs, and some are found in the fresh waters only. In the lakes, rivers, and other streams of the interior, are caught rock, perch of different kinds, a salmon trout, gudgeon, carp, chub, roach, redfin, sucker, minnow (called minny), white and yellow-bellied catfish, eel, sunfish, or old wife, pike, &c. &c. The common and silver minnow, on account of their diminutive size, are used only as bait.
To this list a very. large addition might be made, but it wonld consist of names, like several of the above, often local, and confined exclusively to a particular state or district, or applied, in different parts of the country, to fish in every respect unlike each other. This vague nomenclature is a
source of constant error, ancl obviously in dicates the convenience, and even neces sity-,..of an universal language, such as sci entific natural history presents us with.
Baits for fish are principally natural; a few artificial ones are used,/ chiefly in F.shing for pike and perch, made to imi tate small fish, frogs, &c. The natural baits are whatever is commonly eaten by fish, as worms, maggots, grubs, caterpil lars, snails, small fish, frog* roe of fish, beetles, butterflies, moths, wasps, grass hoppers. Vegetable baits are sometimes used, as beans, wheat, barley-, and peas, which last are best when green, and slightly boiled; paste made of dough, bread, or flour, mixed with oil, and a little cotton to unite it together, also forms bait. It is generally best to colour it red, parti cularly for smelts.
Maggots are best procured by hanging up a bullock's liver, scarified pretty deep. ly all over, covered loosely, so as to ad mit flies. In two or three days, living maggots will appear on it, when it should be taken down and put into a pan, till the gentles attain their full size ; a suffi cient quantity of fine sand and bran is then to be put over the liver in the pan ; and the maggots will in a few days come into it and scour themselves, which ren ders them tough, clean, and fit to be han dled. Those produced in autumn will continue in that state all the winter, if they can get just under the surface of the earth. In the spring-, as the weather be comes warm, they change into flies.
The cadbate is a very excellent bait. This is an imperfect insect, resembling a WOMI, inclosed in a tube formed of ag glutinated pebbles, out of which the head and six feet are protruded when in mo tion ; it is the larva of the genus Pliryga nea, and is to bc found in great plenty in gravelly and stony rivulets; and by the side of streams in large rivers among. stones ; when you want them, turn up the stones, and you will find the best sticking to them. When a sufficient quantity of them are procured, hang. them up in a linen hag., aud dip them, in the bag, once a day into water, for four or five days. They will then turn yellow, and become tough and fit for use, being much better than when they first came out of the water.