More Fishing: "A Booke of fishing with hooke and Line" by Leondard Mascall

[hsifeng]

A couple of items that I have gleaned from this resource (forgive any mistranslations, it is in ‘olde Englishe’ both in script and style – not as easy to read as you’d think):

 

“To know how to plumbe your line.”

 

“Your lines must be plumed with lead, finely and thin beate, and lapt close around your line next your hooke, and the next leade to your hooke must be from your hooke a foote long or else somewhat more: and everie plummet ought to be of the quantitie according to his line in bignes. There be three manner of plummets and plumbings, which is for a groundline lying, and another for a groundline running: and the third line is the (*)ote line let upon the groundline lying, with ten plummets joyning altogether….(this got a bit thick and I skipped a sentence or two)…that the least plucke of any fish may plucke it downe, and make the leads or plummets (**)cke: for them, make them round and smooth, small and close to the line at both ends, that they fassen not on weeds in the water, which will be a let to your angling…” He then refers the reader to the following figures of leaded lines:

To which I must ask...what the heck are the things on the left hand end of the lines?  Floats?

Anyway, there is also information on using your 'rodde':

“…hookes are to put in a hole in the banke, or betwixt two bordes at a bridge or water, or betwixt two stones where they lie open, for there commonly beth the great Yeles, and there put in your (**)och hooke a little way, and if there bee any yeeles, the will take it anon: which (**)och, as wier whipt on a packetmeedes ende, and covered with a great worme, and therewith (**)och into the saide holes…”

 

*Anyone want to take a guess at “(**)och”?* It also appears in the title of the figure below.



Perhaps this is a 'style of rodde'?

 

In any case, the author goes on to discuss this technique further:

 

“As soone as ye feele she hath the baite, plucke away your rodde, for it doth nothing but guide your (**)och into holes, and then (*)aw softly your packthseed line, and hold a while and he will yeelde, if you do plucke hastely, he will holde to triffle, ye shall breake your line, or teare his mouth: therefore holde hard still, and at length; he will yield, and come forth.”

 

He follows this section with the following figure ‘as example’:

 That seems to be about it for ‘fyshing angles’ in this book. I don’t know about the overall shape or the exact application of use in this version, but it bears out a few other things I have seen that seem to imply that the rod is mostly a line delivery system, and is ‘removed from the equation’ once the fishing actually starts.
 

Comments

[jillwheezul.livejournal.com]

I read that as proch -

The obsolete verb "to proche" may hold some clues. Congrats, I think you have come up with an entry for the OED ;)

Also, did you know that Maximilian commissioned a fishing book? Have you seen the color plate from it?

From OED

PROCHE

[Apparently a variant of PROKE v.1, perhaps by association with BROACH v.1, or perhaps the reflex of an earlier parallel form with palatalized consonant (perhaps compare PRITCH v. beside PRICK v.).]

trans. To prick, pierce; to spur. Also intr.
Quot. c1450 may belong at PROACH v.

a1425 (?a1300) King Alexander (Linc. Inn) 2444 Mark of Rome and Antioche Heore gode stedis gonne proche [c1400 Laud broche]. c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) 1926 Now he [sc. Alexander] proches [a1500 Trin. Dub. prokes] for pride, & propurly he wedis; For-i him bose to be bett as a barne fallis. 1488 HARY Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace V. 962 The burly blaide..Throwch bayne and brawne it prochyt euirilkdeill. 1515 Scottish Field 325 in Percy Folio I. 228 They proched vs with speares & put many over that they blood out brast at there broken harnish. 1523 LD. BERNERS tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. ccclxiii. 591 The englysshe~men and gascoyns proched their horses with their spurres.

[hsifeng.livejournal.com]

God bless the OED! Do you actually think I should send a note to them somehow about the use of the word in this context? I never really considered that they might get examples from folks not somehow associated with their staff.

However, it appears that they are aware of it's use as a term for fishing eel from your second comment below...

*chuckle*

Either way, it is fun rediscovering language!

[rectangularcat]

Glad that the book has some cool stuff!

[hsifeng.livejournal.com]

You are a dear for getting these to me, thank you!

[jillwheezul.livejournal.com]

Oh, the proch is used for catching eels "great Yeles" as hinted by this entry for the verb to proke:

b. intr. To make a thrust (at something); to make a poking movement; to root about; (also) to pry.
N.E.D. (1908) included here a sense ‘to fish for eels by thrusting bait into their lurking-places’, app. on the basis of quot. 1688 at PROKING n., but evidence for the verb is lacking.

[hsifeng.livejournal.com]

I got the impression this might be about 'eels' toward the end of the section: But it seemed to be the only reference rods that this source offered. I certainly don't think they are necessary for successful fishing, but they are another tool to demonstrate....