On reaching the water there was a pause.

One or two of the gang climbed the banks to discover if any bailiffs were on the watch; while the others sat down, and with the help of the turnip lantern "busked" their spears; in other words, fastened on the steel--or, it might be, merely pieces of rusty iron sharpened into a point at home--to the staves.

Some had them busked before they set out, but that was not considered prudent; for of course there was always a risk of meeting spoil-sports on the way, to whom the spears would tell a tale that could not be learned from ordinary staves.
Nevertheless little time was lost.

Five or six of the gang waded into the water, torch in one hand and spear in the other; and the object now was to catch some salmon with the least possible delay, and hurry away.
Windy nights were good for the sport, and I can still see the river lit up with the lumps of light that a torch makes in a high wind.

The torches, of course, were used to attract the fish, which came swimming to the sheen, and were then speared.