SH 
 -157 
 
 :E EIGHTEEN PENCE. 
 
 W.B.LORD.R.A 
 
 UC-NRLF 
 
 SB SSI 
 
THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND 
 MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID 
 
LONDON : 
 BRADBURY AND EVANS, 
 
 11, BOUVERIE STREET. FLEET STRFF.T 
 
LONDON : 
 BRADBURY AND EVANS, PRINTERS, WHITEFRIARS. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 I WRITE this little book with a view to fur- 
 nishing that which numerous friends and cor- 
 respondents have been long asking for, viz., an 
 inexpensive, plain book on sea fishing and sea 
 tackle. Those of my readers who have chanced, 
 in their wanderings, to have been, like me, cast 
 into all sorts of odd nooks and corners of this 
 world of ours, will not fail to remember how 
 requisite it is to be enabled to fall back on some 
 such occupation as fishing, to pass pleasantly away 
 hours which would otherwise pass slowly or, per- 
 chance, gloomily. Few places are there visited by 
 travellers, emigrants, or military men, where fish 
 of some kind (sometimes odd enough, I admit) 
 are not to be lured from their natural element 
 into the bag or basket of their pursuer, if pro- 
 perly equipped for their capture, often furnishing 
 an excellent and abundant meal, where short 
 
 M365079 
 
IV PREFACE. 
 
 commons would, in their absence, have been the 
 order of the day. 
 
 It is my intention, in this little work, to deal 
 principally with the modes of fishing usually 
 practised on our own coast, and the description 
 of tackle and baits which will be found most 
 useful to those who visit the sea-side on health 
 and pleasure-seeking expeditions. I shall also 
 give a few hints and directions as to the best 
 description of outfit for those going abroad. 
 Many of the remarks which I shall have to make 
 will apply to the mouths of large tidal rivers, as 
 many sea-fish at times visit such localities. 
 
 Trusting that my readers may spend as many 
 agreeable hours in search of old ocean treasures 
 as I have, 
 
 I beg to subscribe myself, 
 
 W. B. L. 
 
PEEFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. 
 
 THE first edition of this volume was written 
 some few months since, with a view to the filling 
 up of a gap which had long existed, and to the 
 supply of a plain cheap Handbook for the use of 
 those who might chance to visit the sea- shore of 
 England, or embark for a voyage to distant 
 lands. 
 
 From the advice of friends, and at the request 
 of numerous correspondents, I have greatly 
 added to the original work. The present edition 
 will be found by the reader to contain numerous 
 matters of interest not before described ; to be 
 carefully revised, and more copiously illustrated. 
 
 JULY, 1863. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 PREFACE . . iii 
 
 PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION v 
 
 LINES 1 
 
 ROD 4 
 
 WINCH 4 
 
 BOLTERS 5 
 
 SALMON AND SEA TROUT 7 
 
 CASTING LINES 13 
 
 FLIES * . . 13 
 
 DESCRIPTION OF FLIES (SALMON) 16 
 
 SEA TROUT FLIES . , . ........ 19 
 
 THE CROSS LINE 26 
 
 THE OTTER 29 
 
 ALBACORE AND BONITA 29 
 
 THE MACKEREL 32 
 
 SCAD, OR HORSE MACKEREL 36 
 
 THE GREY MULLET 37 
 
 THE ATHERINE, OR SAND SMELT 39 
 
 THE HERRING 40 
 
 THE WHITE BAIT 44 
 
 THE BASSE . . 45 
 
 THE GURNARD 47 
 
 STRIPED RED OR SURMULLET 47 
 
 THE BREAM 48 
 
 THE WRASSE, OR ROCK FISH 52 
 
 THE COD 53 
 
 THE POLLACK 55 
 
 THE WHITING, POUTING, BIB, OR BLIND . . .58 
 
 THE WHITING . . 59 
 
Vlll CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 THE HADDOCK 61 
 
 THE HAKE 62 
 
 FLOUNDERS AND PLAICE 63 
 
 THE TURBOT 65 
 
 THE CONGER 66 
 
 FRESH-WATER EELS 67 
 
 EEL SPEAR 71 
 
 NIGHT LINES 72 
 
 THE LAMPREY 75 
 
 THE SAND LAUNCE 76 
 
 THE CUTTLE FISH 76 
 
 WORMS 77 
 
 THE LOACH 78 
 
 CRABS AND LOBSTERS 79 
 
 SHRIMPS AND PRAWNS 84 
 
 THE TRAWL 89 
 
 THE KEER DRAG . . 92 
 
 THE SEAN . . . 93 
 
 THE GROUND SEAN 96 
 
 THE TRAMMEL . . 98 
 
 FLIES 100 
 
 MARKS. . . 101 
 
 SINKERS 102 
 
 BASKET 105 
 
 GAFF 105 
 
 HOOKS . 105 
 
 SPOON BAITS 107 
 
 BAIT-BOARD AND KNIFE . . . . . . . 108 
 
 THE HARPOON-ARROW 108 
 
 OUTFIT TO TAKE ABROAD 110 
 
 PREPARATION OR DRESSING FOR ROUND-PLAIT LINES, 
 
 HEMP OR FLAX Ill 
 
 FINISHING VARNISH .112 
 
 KNOTS AND HITCHES . . 113 
 
 CONCLUDING REMARKS ... 115 
 
SEA FISH; 
 
 AND 
 
 HOW TO CATCH THEM. 
 
 Lines. 
 
 MUCH might be written on this subject, which, to 
 the fisherman, is an all-important one ; and very few 
 articles forming his equipment have undergone greater 
 improvements in their manufacture and preparation. 
 Those of round plait,* dressed with waterproof liquid, 
 are, for small and medium-sized fish, infinitely the 
 strongest and most durable I have ever used, and, 
 although a little more expensive in the beginning, are 
 cheapest in the end. I have one in use now, which I 
 took out to India with me, fished with it frequently, 
 and carried it some thousands of miles through the 
 interior, exposed often to the heat of the sun, and to 
 other destructive agencies, " ants included," enough 
 
 * Lines of this kind, according to the numbers referred to in 
 this book, are to be obtained at Mr; Lloyd's line manufactory, 
 Redditclx, Worcestershire. 
 
2 SEA FISH ; 
 
 to have ended the career of most ordinary fishing 
 lines. It is by no means worn out yet, but is still as 
 serviceable as when new. 
 
 It should always be borne in mind, when selecting 
 a line, that the finer it is, consistent with the requisite 
 
 I 
 
 
 
 strength to hold the fish, the greater will be the 
 chance of testing its powers. Pine tackle is always 
 more destructive than coarse in cool, deliberate hands ; 
 but to those who prefer physical strength to careful 
 management, I should recommend a good stout rope 
 at once. All such lines as are not dressed with the 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 3 
 
 waterproofing liquid, referred to under the head 
 "Dressing," should be "barked," which can be done 
 at any tan-yard for a mere trifle. 
 
 The time occupied in barking an ordinary hand line 
 is about forty-eight hours. The durability of lines is 
 much increased by their being so treated. Their sizes 
 and lengths will be given under the particular head- 
 ings relating to their use. Care should be taken that 
 tackle, particularly lines, should never be put away 
 wet, kept in a damp place, or wound on any board 
 or other winder not admitting of free ventilation. 
 The woodcut represents one of the description I 
 always use. The size must be regulated, of course, 
 by the size and length of line they are intended to 
 hold. Straight-grained oak is the best wood for the 
 purpose ; and a small-sized bung, with a hole in the 
 middle for the frame bar to go through, serves to 
 stick the hooks into, keeping* their points good, and 
 preventing endless entanglements. Lines and winches 
 used in rod fishing will be dealt with when that sub- 
 ject comes under consideration. Before mounting a 
 new line it should be stretched, and the " kinks " 
 taken out, which is best done by fastening one end to 
 any fixed object, such as a post, take a turn round a 
 smooth stick and walk back to the end. Eepeat the 
 process two or three times, when the surplus twist 
 will be taken out, and the line become far less liable 
 to entangle. For waterproofing liquid, vide that 
 heading. 
 
 B2 
 
SEA FISH; 
 
 Rod. 
 
 For general use, a strong, four-jointed, bamboo 
 rod, from seventeen to eighteen feet long, will be 
 found the most useful. It should have two tops, of 
 different degrees of flexibility, of lance-wood and 
 strong splib cane, upright rings of large size, brazed, 
 winch fittings, and a wooden ball at the end of the 
 butt, like a salmon rod. I use a small additional butt 
 of about eighteen inches long, which, by being put on 
 instead of the ordinary butt, gives the advantage of a 
 shorter rod without endangering the end of the third 
 joint, by usin'g it exposed or destroying the balance. 
 A partition bag, of stout jean, with three sets of 
 strong wide strings, should be provided. For this or 
 any other rod the reader may require, I would 
 strongly recommend his paying a visit to some fishing- 
 tackle maker of standing and repute, and never to be 
 induced to purchase any of the cheap trash but too 
 often sold to the inexperienced. Vide also article 
 " Salmon and Sea Trout." 
 
 Winch. 
 
 The winch should be of the compressed or flat 
 form, about four inches in diameter, of plain or check 
 movement, calculated to hold about sixty yards of 
 round plait prepared line. A most important point 
 to be observed in all winches is to see that the edges 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 5 
 
 of the plate bar are filed round, and to have the 
 length of line and capacity of winch so proportioned 
 that no friction can take place between the bars and 
 line, as nothing so soon cuts a line out as contact of 
 this kind. Brass is the best material of which the 
 winch can be made, as wooden ones are apt to warp 
 and split, particularly in a hot climate. Multipliers 
 are not to be recommended. 
 
 Bolters 
 
 Are long, strong lines, made of stout (deep-sea) line, 
 and mounted with from thirty to six hundred hooks, 
 which must be selected and mounted with a view to 
 the description of fish sought for, snooded on strong 
 water cord, or bundles of strands served with wire. 
 Knots should be tied in the main or head line, over 
 which the snoods should be looped securely. About 
 four feet apart will be found a convenient distance 
 for the snoods, which must be just long enough to 
 prevent the hooks from reaching each other when the 
 line is tight. A large wine cork should be lashed fast 
 to the main line at every ten feet, to make it lay clear 
 of the weeds. The bolter should be laid or shot 
 directly across the coming or receding tide, and a 
 heavy stone or grapnel secured to either end, from 
 which a buoy line, fastened to a pile of cork bungs, or 
 a painted tin canister, soldered up water-tight, should 
 be made fast. This line must be strong enough to 
 
6 SEA FISH; 
 
 raise the stone or grapnel by without fear of break- 
 ing. "When it is requisite to examine the line and 
 fresh bait the hooks, which, with a long line, will be 
 very soon after laying it all out, the stone or grapnel 
 at one end should be raised by the buoy line, passed 
 over the boat, and allowed to drop again to the 
 bottom, keeping the main line across the boat, which 
 can be now hauled from one end of the bolter to the 
 other, taking off the fish and fresh baiting the hooks, 
 bringing the line in at one side of the boat and 
 sending it out at the other. This process is called 
 underrunning a bolter. A good mode of keeping a 
 bolter when not in use is to wind it round a small- 
 sized barrel, like those used for oysters. Take out 
 one head, and saw a great number of saw cuts in the 
 staves their long way to hitch the snoods in. The 
 hooks will then be all in the barrel, and out of the 
 way, preventing the hopeless state of entanglement 
 into which bolters too often get in careless hands.* 
 Great numbers of the largest sea fish are taken by 
 this mode of fishing. The baits may be pilchard, lug, 
 garfish, sprat, cuttle, sand launce, lamperns, or small 
 pouting, and the best time for its use is at the coming 
 of the flood tide. A number of fish of various kinds 
 are to be caught by laying down a bolter at low water- 
 mark, with a heavy stone at each end, and a buoy-line 
 to find it by at the receding of the tide. Large basse 
 
 * Large tubs may be used where the lines are very long and 
 hooks numerous, coiling hooks and all in them carefully. 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 7 
 
 are often taken in the midst of the breakers by placing 
 a large flat stone, with the line attached, in the broken 
 water where the fish feed. The line should then be 
 brought to land, and the stone drawn by it towards 
 the shore, as the tide and breakers advance and the 
 fish follow, few being caught beyond the surf. 
 
 Salmon and Sea Trout. 
 
 FAM., Salmonidce. 
 
 It is not my intention here to deal at any length 
 with the history of the various members of the 
 salmon family, as found by sportsmen, travellers, and 
 naturalists, to inhabit alternately the sea and fresh 
 water rivers of this and other parts of the world, that 
 matter having already been most ably dealt with by 
 naturalists who have written on the subject. "Well 
 may the salmon be styled the king of fish, as none 
 surpass, and few equal him and the royal family to 
 which he belongs in the various kinds of sport they 
 afford the true lover of fishing. And well may the 
 salmon fisherman, who is thoroughly skilled in the art 
 as practised with the rod and line, be considered a 
 king amongst fishermen. 
 
 The differences between the spawning times in par- 
 ticular rivers, the markings of the young fry, &c., have 
 been so fully entered into of late by gentlemen into 
 whose able hands the laws for the protection of this 
 beautiful and valuable fish have been wisely placed 
 
8 SEA FISH; 
 
 for administration, that little on that head remains to 
 be said; but every thinking man and well-wisher to 
 his country should, to the utmost of his power, aid 
 the efforts of those gentlemen in the suppression of 
 illegal salmon capture : and it is, I feel sure, only by 
 the hearty co-operation of the owners of property 
 with sportsmen and the authorities, that many of our 
 rivers once so rich, now so poor, can ever be restored 
 to their former value; and it is only to be much 
 wondered at that salmon, like wolves, have not been 
 rendered extinct in this island long ago. 
 
 No fish is there perhaps which, from its appearance 
 on the stage of life as a " small fry " to adult salmon- 
 hood, has had so much mechanical skill and con- 
 trivance devoted to its destruction: nets of endless 
 variety of construction, weirs, cribs, hatches, and the 
 spear which deals out death to the wretched fish, even 
 on its spawning bed, have, it is no wonder, done much 
 to thin the race ; still "it is never too late to mend." 
 It will be well perhaps to state, for the information of 
 those of my readers who may wish to know some few of 
 their leading habits and movements, that fresh waters 
 are entered by the salmon and other fish of its kind for 
 the purpose of finding a fitting situation in which to de- 
 posit their spawn, and wonderful and unerring instinct 
 is displayed in the attainment of that end. Boldly 
 entering the crowded harbour, undismayed by the 
 plunging, seething steamer, away past pier-head and 
 bridge, up the muddy tidal stream, shooting the turbid 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 9 
 
 cataracts like a silver bolt its motto, " Excelsior," 
 until some broad clear shallow or brawling pebbly 
 brook is reached, when the pilgrims halt, and with 
 their strong sharp noses scoop and hollow out the 
 gravel, forming a furrow in which both spawn and 
 milt are deposited ; when another and another of like 
 kind are formed, spawned in, covered with gravel, and 
 passed over until all the ova has been deposited. 
 The now weakened and impoverished fish watch the 
 "bed" with jealous eye and ready tooth, lest some 
 marauding fish or other intruder should attack the 
 hidden treasure. The old fish now quickly betake 
 themselves to deep pools, in which to regain strength 
 and fit themselves for their return to the sea if spared 
 to do so. They are now what is called kelts, un- 
 sightly as they were before beautiful, unfit for food 
 or aught else, and should never be destroyed by the 
 true sportsman, claiming his pity and protection 
 rather than persecution. Speed the poor spent fish 
 on his way, and when the sea shall have once more 
 lent power to his frame and re-silvered his side, he 
 may again return as before to work out his destiny. 
 In about five months from the period of deposition 
 the small fish or fry leave the capsule in which they 
 were imprisoned, work their way up through the 
 gravel, and commence the cares and struggles of life ; 
 feeding eagerly on small flies, worms, or the larvae of 
 water insects. They are now smolts or salmon fry, 
 leading a joyous, leaping life of it in the clear stickles, 
 
10 SEA FISH; 
 
 until about the month of May, when the first flood 
 which comes drift-laden and turbid, foaming and 
 bounding down from the glens among the hills, carries 
 with it the young salmon destined in their turn, 
 guided by instinct marvellous and inscrutable, to 
 revisit, first as a grilse and then a salmon, the 
 identical stream in which it first saw light, where in 
 turn its young are brought forth link by link in 
 Nature's endless chain. 
 
 The season of the year at which salmon visit 
 estuaries and the mouths of particular rivers, of which 
 places we shall chiefly have to speak, will vary 
 considerably, being, as some writers have thought, 
 influenced by the temperature of the water; but 
 whether this alone, or the early or late appearance of 
 insect or crustaceous food, causes this irregularity of 
 their movements, it is hard to determine. 
 
 In many localities the bull and salmon trout 
 afford excellent sport to the fisherman, taking flies, 
 spinning, and other baits readily. These fish, like 
 the salmon, visit the various rivers and estuaries in 
 order that their spawn may be deposited in such 
 places as their instinct teaches them are adapted for 
 its protection and well doing. The outfit for the 
 fisherman who intends devoting his attention to the 
 capture of the fish above mentioned, at the mouths. 
 of tidal rivers and estuaries, many of which are 
 renowned for the sport they afford, will differ con- 
 siderably from that recommended .for sea-fishing, 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 11 
 
 properly so called ; and some little diversity of opinion 
 will exist as to the length, power, and mode of con- 
 struction of rods ; and as much of the comfort and 
 success of the sportsman will depend on his using 
 "tools" proportioned to his strength, some little care 
 will be needed in the selection. From sixteen to 
 eighteen feet will be found a fair length for a salmon 
 rod, and in good hands will deliver as much line as is 
 generally found needful. No implement which the 
 fisherman requires needs greater judgment and skill 
 in its manufacture than a thoroughly good salmon rod; 
 and my most earnest advice is, never be tempted to 
 invest in a cheap new one, as disappointment and vexa- 
 tion instead of sport will pretty surely be the result. 
 Some of the best and most reliable I have ever used 
 have been of the description known as spliced, and were 
 it not that a ferruled rod is rather more portable, I 
 would use no other. They are now made by many of 
 the leading fishing-tackle makers with match pieces to 
 protect the scarf, and flat slide rings to keep the ends 
 from shifting, which are great improvements, and 
 render the splice much more compact and secure. 
 
 The rod for bull and salmon trout may be of a 
 lighter description, but not less than from fourteen 
 to seventeen feet long. For both salmon and sea 
 trout rods, the butts should be of straight-grained 
 ash ; intermediate joints, well-seasoned hickory ; tops, 
 lance-wood and split cane; large rings, and plenty 
 of them, and a round ball at the end of the "butt." 
 
12 SEA FISH; 
 
 The reel should be of the flat pattern "check," and 
 large enough to hold a hundred yards of salmon line 
 easily, that is, without fretting against the plate piece 
 and bars ; and in fitting it to the rod so place it that 
 when fixed edge upwards the handle should be on the 
 right side ; this will ensure the whole strain of the fish 
 coming on the rod, and not the rings. For a left- 
 handed man, the way in which the reel is usually 
 mounted will be found "the thing." As fly fishing 
 is unquestionably the most sportsmanlike and enjoy- 
 able mode by which these fish can be captured, I 
 shall deal first with it, and endeavour to point out 
 as briefly and clearly as possible some of the leading 
 points and contrivances had recourse to. But before 
 proceeding to a description of line, flies and fly tackle, 
 I would strongly recommend those of my readers 
 who are not already experienced in the use of the fly- 
 rod, to secure the good offices of some practised friend, 
 who would teach more in one day by practical illustra- 
 tion than could be taught by all the books that were 
 ever written on the subject ; for be assured, that the 
 act of wielding the fly-rod skilfully, is no more to be 
 acquired by reading, than is that of skating or cricket 
 playing. Practice and a love of the art are the two 
 great stepping stones to preferment. 
 
 The line should be composed of a mixture of silk 
 and horse-hair tapered regularly. A loop should be 
 whipped at the end with well waxed silk, and then 
 touched over with finishing varnish. The length 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 13 
 
 should not be less than one hundred yards, and in 
 attaching it to the reel, see that the inner end is 
 securely knotted to the drum. A small leather bag 
 will be found useful to keep both reel and line in, when 
 not in use, as it preserves both from injury and dirt. 
 
 Casting Lines. 
 
 Too much care cannot be devoted to the fitting up 
 and mounting these essential parts of the equipment, 
 as a defect is almost sure to lead sooner or later to 
 the loss of both fish and flies. The casting line for 
 either salmon or sea trout fishing, should be about 
 nine feet long, and for the first two feet, that is to say 
 next the line, should be composed of twisted gut, and 
 the remainder of single selected salmon gut ; and 
 especial care should be taken in the selection, to see 
 that no curls or flat places are allowed to remain, and 
 that the strands taper gradually towards the point. 
 
 When a sufficient number are cut and prepared. 
 place them in a basin of water about blood-warm for 
 a quarter of an hour to soften. Knot them together 
 with the gut knot, (vide "Knots, and Hitches,' ') make 
 a loop at each end, cut the ends to a moderate length, 
 and then tie them down neatly with fine waxed silk. 
 Finishing off with the varnish. 
 
 . Flies. 
 bait that is used varies so much in pattern 
 
14 SEA FISH; 
 
 dependent on the locality in which it is used, as the 
 artificial fly, and even in particular localities numbers 
 of peculiar patterns will be found in use, some 
 succeeding where others utterly fail. I shall not 
 therefore enter into a description of the endless 
 varieties made and sold, but confine myself to giving 
 a few leading patterns, which, by adapting the size 
 of the hooks and " make up " to the fishing ground 
 visited, will be found generally useful ; but I strongly 
 advise my readers, on visiting a fishing station, to 
 ascertain from some old hand the description of fly 
 in general use, and if possible obtain one or more as 
 a guide. The manufacture of both trout and salmon 
 flies has become quite an ornamental art, and one in 
 which ladies often excel. Considerable practice is 
 required before the novice can expect to turn out a 
 fly which will bear close inspection ; but still, with a 
 moderate share of ingenuity, perseverance, and a 
 few lessons from an experienced maker, he will be 
 enabled in a short time to tie a fly which, when 
 well thrown, will prove as tempting and destructive 
 as more highly finished and elaborate productions. 
 Hooks of the Limerick bend are in my opinion far 
 superior to all others for either sea trout or salmon 
 fly manufacturer. Where large sized salmon flies 
 are used, as they often will be at the mouths of rivers 
 and estuaries, one in the majority of instances will be 
 found better than two, but for sea and bull trout two 
 may be used with advantage, looping the dropper 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 15 
 
 on the casting line between three feet six and four 
 feet from the tail link. Each sea trout fly should be 
 tied on two stranda of gut knotted together in the 
 middle, and looped at the end for attachment to the 
 tail link loop of the casting line, or on one of the knots 
 when used as a dropper. Salmon flies, and in fact all 
 flies of large size, should be made on pieces of double 
 gimp or stout gut, so arranged as to form a loop at the 
 head (vide cut " Salmon Plies "), which is looped on to 
 the lower link loop of the casting line, which should 
 be made large enough for the fly to pass easily through, 
 taking care that it always goes head foremost. "When 
 a salmon rises at your fly, never strike until you can 
 feel him, and then by a movement of the hands and 
 rod, difficult to describe, but when once acquired rarely 
 forgotten, bury your hook. Tour fish once fairly 
 hooked, never give him one inch of line he does not 
 take from you by force. Throw your rod well back 
 over your shoulder, let him have the whole spring of 
 it, and as you value him never allow a slack line for 
 an instant ; should he spring high in air, as he often 
 will, then you must ease off until he comes down 
 again and renews the fight; never be in a hurry 
 to gaff, and never allow an attempt to be made 
 until the fish is thoroughly exhausted and a good 
 opportunity is offered. Both upper and under gaffing 
 have their advocates, and some prefer a large landing 
 net to either. For sea and bull trout, unless very 
 large, the net will be found best; but for salmon 
 
16 
 
 SEA FISH 
 
 fishing, I decidedly prefer the gaff, and always use it 
 under rather than over, unless in very shallow water, 
 when it may be used over with advantage. 
 
 Description of Flies (Salmon). 
 
 No. 1. Wings, two Golden Pheasant top-knot 
 feathers, covered by a mixture of Turkey, Bustard, 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 
 
 17 
 
 and galena ; horns, two strips of scarlet Macaw Frill, 
 hackle, A, bright claret colour ; B, light blue hackle ; 
 c, Furze blossom, yellow do. ; D, tail chip scarlet floss 
 silk ; E, tail, Golden Pheasant top-knot and strips of 
 Bustard ; body, flat silver braid closely twisted ; tail, 
 tag silver ; head, black Ostrich herl. 
 
 No. 2. "Wings, two G-olden Pheasant top-knot 
 feathers, covered with galena ; horns, scarlet Macaw ; 
 A, two Jungle- Cock feathers ; B, ash coloured hackle ; 
 
 c, roller, Jay feathers ; D, pink floss silk tail chip ; E, 
 tail, one scarlet Ibis feather; body, pale green floss 
 silk, with a strip of broad gold tinsel ; tail, tag gold. 
 
18 
 
 SEA FISH 
 
 No. 3. Wing, Bustard or wild Turkey; A, cock 
 Partridge tail feathers, put on very full ; body, drab 
 Mohair ; tail, chip black Ostrich ; tail, two strips of 
 Turkey and two of scarlet Macaw ; tail, tag silver. 
 
 No. 4. "Wings, a mixture of Turkey, blue Macaw, 
 and Bittern, covered with wild Drake ; horns, blue 
 Macaw, A, Furze yellow hackle, B, dun hackle ; body, 
 mouse fur with a spiral of round silver twist ; tail, chip 
 yellow floss silk ; tail, two strips of blue Macaw, and 
 two of wild Drake ; tail, tag silver. 
 
 No. 5. Wings entirely of Argus Pheasant ; horns, 
 two strips of scarlet Macaw, A, a mixture of claret 
 colour and dun hackles, B, dun cock's hackles ; tail 
 rough ; body, dun Mohair, with a spiral o*f thin round 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 
 
 19 
 
 silver twist; tail, chip claret colour Mohair; tail, a 
 Golden Pheasant top-knot feather. 
 
 Sea Trout Flies. 
 
 "No. 1. "Wings, two breast feathers of Golden 
 Pheasant ; horns, strips of blue Macaw, A, bright red 
 cock's hackle, B, black do., c, a small-sized red hackle ; 
 body, brown Mohair ; tail, wild Drake ; tail, chip gold. 
 
 No. 2. Wings, a mixture of Turkey and Galena ; 
 horns, two strips of Bustard, wild Drake cover, A, 
 bright red cock's hackle ; body, bright blue Mohair, 
 rough, with a spiral of flat silver tinsel ; tail, five or 
 six strips of Golden Pheasant breast feather ; tail, tag 
 silver. 
 
 c2 
 
SEA FISH; 
 
 N91 
 
 A 
 
 N95 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 21 
 
 No. 3. Tied Buzz " with a very full pair of black 
 red cocks' hackles ; body of Peacock herl, tied very full 
 with two bands of round gold twist : a most excellent 
 fly of this description is formed by adhering to the 
 same pattern, only substituting dun hackles for the 
 black red, and hare's fur for the Peacock herl, and 
 putting bands of silver. 
 
 No. 4. Wings of Grouse feathers, A, a black cock's 
 hackle and one of claret colour worked together ; 
 body, claret colour Mohair ; tail, chip amber, yellow ; 
 tail, wild Drake slips, spiral gold tinsel ; tail, tag 
 gold. 
 
 No. 5. "Wings, a mixture of blue Macaw, red Macaw, 
 Golden Pheasant breast, and wild Drake ; A, grouse 
 hackle; body, amber floss silk ; spiral round gold twist ; 
 tail, chip black Ostrich ; tail, blue Macaw slips. 
 
 No. 6. Wings, a mixture of blue and red Macaw, 
 Turkey and summer Duck, A, blood-red hackle, B, very 
 dark claret do. ; body, Mohair of the same shade ; 
 spiral of round gold twist ; tail, chip black Ostrich ; 
 tail, four strips of Golden Pheasant breast feather; 
 tail, tag gold. 
 
 Salmon on quitting the sea for brackish or fresh 
 water, take baits of various kinds much more readily 
 than they are found to do after any lengthened sojourn 
 far from salt water, and several modes may be had re- 
 course to for their capture. Next to fly fishing, 
 perhaps spinning is the most enjoyable, if not the 
 most successful ; and as a bait for this kind of fishing, 
 
22 SEA FISH; 
 
 the Loach will be found most excellent. The annexed 
 cut will show the position of the fish when placed ou 
 the hook, and the arrangement of the tackle. 
 
 To prepare a bait as shown, hook your baiting- 
 needle to the loop above the hook (which should be 
 large Salmon size, Limerick bend) ; this may be a little 
 over half an inch long, and of strong salmon gut (vide 
 cut, A) ; enter the needle a little above the tail at the 
 side, pass it up through the bait and out at the mouth, 
 so that the loop at the head of the hook may come 
 just beyond the lips, hook your needle to the loop B 
 of the triangle, pass it through the gills and out at 
 the mouth, at the side opposite to that from which the 
 hook protrudes, place the loops together and hook on 
 your swivel, take three or four turns with strong 
 thread, round both fish, and hook as at c : pass the fish 
 down until it is bent sufficiently, stitch the lips fast 
 together with a needle and thread, taking a couple of 
 turns round the loops, run your lead down over your 
 swivel, length as at D : the trace should be of selected 
 salmon gut, about six feet long : at two feet from the 
 first or swivel length, a pair of swivels, linked together 
 as at E, should be placed, and a single one at about six 
 inches from the end, to which the line is looped. 
 
 The loop at the end of the line should be large 
 enough to allow the bait to pass through ; by spinning 
 with the Loach, or other small fish (small trout or sand 
 launce are also good for this purpose), in the brack- 
 ish water at the mouths of rivers or estuaries, basse, 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 
 
 pollock, or other fish, will frequently run, and it will 
 
24 SEA FISH; 
 
 therefore be found a good plan to have the first length 
 of fine gimp where such fish are found to be numerous. 
 A powerful rod, such as that recommended for sea 
 fishing, with the ordinary salmon line and reel, will 
 be found best for this, and the modes of fishing which 
 follow. A small-sized spoon-bait, the new spinning- 
 bait (vide article " Spoon-bait "), and the various kinds 
 of artificial minnow, may at times be used with 
 considerable success. 
 
 These and the foregoing baits may be spun with 
 either from a boat (which is best) or from the banks, 
 drawing them just sufficiently fast through the water 
 to make them revolve in a lively, tempting manner. 
 The instant you feel your fish, strike sharply, and 
 never give him an inch if you can help it. 
 
 There are certain places in most waters frequented 
 by salmon, where a short period of rest is taken before 
 commencing the journey upwards; in such places a 
 large fresh shrimp, as shown in the annexed cut, will 
 be found a most destructive bait. The trace should 
 be shotted according to the strength and depth of 
 the stream, and a cast made as with a minnow a little 
 above and as far over the supposed resting-place of 
 the salmon as possible. Allow the bait to sink nearly 
 to the bottom, and then bring it towards you across 
 the stream in short sharp jerks, repeating the cast and 
 movement until you get a run. 
 
 Two large-sized well scoured red or lob worms will 
 also be found a killing bait, particularly during a 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 25 
 
 partially flooded state of the river. It should be thus 
 prepared : enter your hook, which should be medium 
 Salmon size, Limerick bend, at the head of your first 
 
 worm, bringing it out at the middle; draw it well up, so 
 as to cover the arming of the hook, and then put on 
 the second, which should be so placed that the hook 
 may pass from the middle towards the head in which 
 the point rests. Some persons use a float for this kind 
 of fishing, but I prefer lifting and drawing, as it is 
 
26 SEA FISH ; 
 
 called, with rather a heavily shotted trace, keeping 
 rather a short line, and following down the course of 
 the stream, letting the bait drop away until it touches 
 the bottom, and then drawing it slowly up again with 
 a short tremulous movement of the rod. When a fish is 
 felt, slacken your line instantly, until a second or even 
 a third tug is felt, when you may fix your hook by a 
 smart sidelong stroke from the wrist. A species of 
 trimmer is also used in some localities for taking 
 salmon. It is thus prepared and used : A bullock's 
 bladder is inflated with air, its mouth securely 
 fastened with waxed thread, and a piece of tough stick, 
 about four inches long, made fast to it; round this the 
 line is wound until a sufficient length, say about four 
 feet, is left. A slit at the end of the stick is then 
 made, by which the line is held as by a spring, until 
 the fish takes, when the bladder runs round and allows 
 the line to be unwound from the stick, giving line to 
 the fish, which is followed in a boat and soon taken. 
 A number of these poaching contrivances, which are 
 generally baited with sand launce, are set afloat at 
 once on the coming of the tide, and are allowed to 
 drift with it up creeks and rivers. Pish of various 
 kinds can be taken in this w r ay. 
 
 The Cross Line. 
 
 Although considered a poaching contrivance, there 
 are places where its use may be to some extent con- 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 27 
 
 sidered admissible, and such of my readers as may 
 visit the large rivers and lakes of distant countries 
 should know its mode of use and construction ; there 
 are also wide open reaches of brackish water which 
 are often found between high rocky cliffs or forest 
 only accessible by the use of boats or canoes, and at 
 times there will be encountered places where no boat 
 or canoe could be used, and too wide to throw across, 
 but containing the very elite of the finny race. 
 
 Streams there are also, flowing down to meet the 
 sea, with banks so wooded that an ordinary rod could 
 not be wielded or fly delivered. Here, then, if any- 
 where, the cross line may be used, and thus it is 
 prepared : Two strong light rods, about sixteen feet 
 long, with large upright rings, are required, with reels 
 of check action and flat pattern,, each to carry at least 
 one hundred yards of prepared round plait silk line. 
 The "centre piece" is composed of a piece of line of 
 the same description, about thirty feet long; this 
 should be divided exactly in the middle, and a pair of 
 the double swivels (vide woodcut E, p. 23) securely 
 looped to the ends of the two halves, and another two 
 secured in the same way to the two extremities. 
 Mark off each half viz., the portion of line between 
 the centre swivels and each end into five equal parts; 
 at each of these points take three or four turns with 
 stout waxed silk round the line, securing the ends 
 firmly, and finishing with varnish ; these will form 
 the points of attachment for the traces, and prevent 
 
28 SEA FISH; 
 
 their shifting. "When looped on, each trace should 
 
 be about four feet long, the first eighteen inches 
 
 twisted, and the remainder single salmon gut, looped 
 
 at each end. "When about to be used, the centre 
 
 piece is stretched to its full length between sticks 
 
 planted in the ground for the purpose, the traces 
 
 looped on, and the flies attached, taking care to vary 
 
 the patterns as much as possible. If boat-fishing is 
 
 intended, the reel lines should be made fast to the 
 
 centre piece, through the swivels at the ends ; and the 
 
 line stretched from boat to boat, pulling or drifting, 
 
 as may be most expedient, keeping the rods low, and 
 
 allowing the flies to play just below the surface. If 
 
 it is intended to fish a river, the end of one of the 
 
 reel lines should be made fast to a stone of convenient 
 
 weight, a sufficient quantity of line coiled down on 
 
 the bank, and then by a strong upward cast pitch the 
 
 stone to the opposite bank, where it is detached by the 
 
 companion in waiting, who has the centre piece and 
 
 flies ready to attach and wind over to their proper 
 
 position. Each fisherman plays the fish which may 
 
 happen to take on his side of the swivels in the centre, 
 
 reeling up or giving line as the fish either approaches 
 
 or leaves him. A code of signals should always be 
 
 arranged, so that by holding up a hand or dropping it, 
 
 line may be either given or taken, as necessity may 
 
 require. Brisk windy weather is generally best for 
 
 this kind of fishing. 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 29 
 
 The Otter 
 
 Is a contrivance which answers some of the ends 
 the cross line is intended to gain, but, unlike it, one 
 person can govern and regulate its movements. It is 
 to all intents and purposes a poaching implement, 
 and should never be used unless in peculiar places and 
 during some of the straits to which travellers and 
 emigrants are at times subjected. It is thus made : 
 a thin board of some light tough wood, such as willow 
 or withey, should be prepared, and so weighted with 
 lead at its lower edge that it will just swim upright. 
 Cut both ends of the board to a sharp edge, and bore 
 two holes through it, by which a string like the belly- 
 band of a kite and for the same purposes is knotted ; 
 to this the main line is secured. A short strong rod 
 and large free running reel should be used. 
 
 "When the Otter is to be used, the flies, or baited 
 hooks, should be looped on as described in the last 
 article, the board set afloat, and by walking on and 
 towing it, the position of the belly-band will cause it 
 to run out, and keep the line at the desired distance 
 from the fisherman. It can be used from a boat or 
 canoe with much greater ease than from the shore. 
 
 Albacore and Bonita. 
 
 FAM., Scomberidce. 
 
 The above fish, although occasional visitants to the 
 coast of England, can scarcely be classed among those 
 
30 SEA FISH; 
 
 varieties which most concern the fisherman who con- 
 fines his wanderings to the British coast,, as they are 
 rarely met with, and more rarely known to take a bait, 
 under our cloudy skies ; and mention would not have 
 been made of them here, were it not for the sport they 
 afford the voyager within the tropics, where their un- 
 wearying pursuit of the unfortunate flying fish, and 
 the eagerness with which an imitation of their active 
 and glittering little victims is seized, but too often for 
 them leads to capture. The line and hooks for this 
 description of fishing will be referred to when speak- 
 ing of the outfit to take abroad. A very destructive 
 bait is prepared as follows, and is so easy to construct, 
 that fitting up two or three will be found an agreeable 
 pastime on the voyage out : * procure a piece of oak 
 or other strong grained wood, of about five inches 
 long ; cut tapering from head to tail like a small fish ; 
 cut a deep longitudinal groove both above and below it, 
 making a notch at both head and tail (vide woodcut, 
 No. 1) ; then twist a piece of stout brass or copper wire 
 into the groove, leaving a ring at each end, at the 
 notches, as in No. 2 ; bore a hole through the body 
 with a gimlet or hot wire at A, and into each side 
 secure with hot pitch a tuft of bristles from a sweep- 
 ing brush, for wings, and another shorter tuft, laid 
 flat, secured with waxed thread, for a tail ; prepare a 
 long narrow strip of sheet lead, wind it firmly and 
 
 * Sailors often use a strip of white rag as a bait. 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 
 
 31 
 
 evenly in a spiral coil from end to end, secure the ex- 
 tremities, scrape the lead bright and smooth, and the 
 body is finished. Mount it as follows : fasten two 
 
 No. 4 sea hooks back to back, as directed in 
 "Hook Fastenings," on a piece of very stout gimp, 
 or strong prepared round plait line, served with fine 
 copper wire about five inches long, including a loop, 
 which must be secured to the tail ring, as in B ; the 
 same arrangement on a three-inch piece must be 
 looped to the head ring as at c ; attach your line 
 with two of your large-sized swivels at two feet apart, 
 
o* SEA FISH J 
 
 serving the first foot of line with copper wire, as at the 
 tail, the first fourteen inches from your bait, and your 
 arrangements are complete, Let out your line, and 
 keep your bait moving through the water, and occa- 
 sionally jumping from wave to wave ; and if our active 
 friends are in the neighbourhood, the fisherman will 
 not be long in anticipation of a bite, which is generally 
 in good earnest ; when hooked, be cool, patient, and 
 deliberate, as these fish, large or small, are immensely 
 strong and active, requiring cautious handling. 
 
 The Mackerel. 
 
 FAM., Scomberidce. 
 
 Few fish are there more remarkable for beauty of 
 colour, elegance of form, and commercial value, than 
 that now under consideration, and few are there that 
 afford better sport or are more palatable when cap- 
 tured. Its range is very extensive, being met with 
 from the coasts of England to the Western Islands, 
 and most of the bays and harbours along the coast of 
 Ireland. They are exceedingly abundant along the 
 Devonshire and Cornish coasts throughout the whole 
 spring, as also on the coast of Hampshire and Sussex. 
 
 As the spring advances the shoals approach nearer 
 to land, enter bays and estuaries freely, take the bait 
 readily, and afford excellent sport to the lover of fish- 
 ing, as he can indulge in his favourite pastime in a 
 great variety of ways, some of the most successful of 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 33 
 
 which it will be my duty to describe to the reader. 
 Of all the modes adopted for the capture of our lively 
 striped little friend, perhaps the most enjoyable is that 
 known as "whiffing," which is thus practised. A 
 good staunch sailing boat should be procured, and a 
 day chosen when a light breeze of wind, known 
 amongst sailors and fishermen as a " mackerel breeze," 
 is blowing. The boat should be tacked forward and 
 back, over the best ground, at the rate of about from 
 two to three miles an hour. The line should be of round 
 plait, prepared size No. 7 ; length, twenty-five yards ; 
 mounted as shown in woodcut. Two lines of this 
 description can be easily managed by those accustomed 
 to this kind of fishing ; but for a novice, one well 
 attended to will make a far better return than two in- 
 differently handled ; the sinker, A, will vary in weight 
 according to the depth the fish are found to lie, from 
 half an ounce to five ounces, which may be doubled 
 if needed. The mode of making these, and marking 
 their sizes, will be spoken of under the head " Sinkers," 
 as will be the method of fastening them to the lines, 
 and to each other, when increase of weight is wanted 
 from tide, &c. The bait will consist of a long narrow 
 strip cut from the side of the tail of a mackerel, 
 known by fishermen as a " lask." It is cut tapering, 
 to resemble a small fish, and is secured to the hook 
 by the large end, through which the hook should pass 
 backwards and forwards twice ; the bait or baits should 
 be kept in constant motion by gently drawing the 
 
34 SEA FISH; 
 
 line forward about a yard, and then allowing it to run 
 out again ; a strip of scarlet cloth, scarlet leather, a 
 small sized spoon bait (vide " Spoon Bait "), or the new 
 spinning bait (vide Spoon), will all be found more or 
 less successful, as will strips or " sneads " of other fish, 
 mud worms (for a description of which, vide " "Worms"), 
 white flies, six of which should be looped on a twelve- 
 foot trace of gimp (for the mode of making and mount- 
 ing them, vide " Plies "), and strips of salt pork rind, 
 cuttle fish, or squid. Another method which affords 
 excellent sport is to have the boat rowed or sculled 
 into a shoal, using your rod and line as in ordinary 
 fly-fishing, mounting three of the white flies before 
 alluded to on a seven-foot trace of stout salmon gut. 
 
 Great numbers are also taken when the boat is at 
 anchor, by using any of the natural baits given above, 
 a light sinker, from six to seven feet of fine gimp, and 
 a No. 5 Limerick hook, " Trout pattern," on a foot of 
 stout round gut. Different depths should be tried to 
 find the lie of the fish, and when ascertained, the line 
 let out accordingly. Good sport may also at times be 
 had from the rocks, piers, or quay heads by using the 
 rod and line, gut trace, hook JSTo. 5 L, split duck-shot 
 for sinkers, and a float. Worms or cuttle fish are ex- 
 cellent bait for this kind of fishing. The depth will vary 
 with the locality. Mackerel in vast quantities, small 
 in size, but of excellent flavour, are caught with both 
 nets and lines in the Bosphorus, from the Sea of Mar- 
 mora to the Black Sea, and enormous shoals visit the 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 
 
 coast of the Island of St. Helena, taking a bait such 
 as a small strip of pork rind greedily. For whiffing 
 tackle, vide woodcut. A is the sinker looped to the 
 
 main line, B is a piece of whalebone about ten inches 
 long, forked at the end, as at c, fitting the main line 
 like a " boom," as shown at D (two or more of these 
 may be used at a time, mounted two feet apart), resting 
 on a knot E, and secured to the main line by twisting 
 well round the notch r with well waxed silk ; loop- on 
 the trace, which should be about from eight to ten 
 feet long, and composed of strong salmon gut, or two? 
 
36 SEA FISH; 
 
 thirds fine gimp, and the portion next the hook stout 
 salmon gut, to the main line, and secure it to the 
 whalebone boom, as shown at G and H ; loop on a 
 medium-sized brass swivel at the loop I, and the tackle 
 is finished, excepting the hook, which should be trout 
 pattern, No. 4 Limerick. 
 
 A very successful mode, known as "railing," first, 
 apparently, introduced by our Gallic neighbours, is 
 often practised on the coast of Kent and Sussex. 
 Leads of from twelve to eighteen pounds weight are 
 often used, and from seven to nine hooks mounted on 
 thread snoodings, from eighteen, to twenty feet long, 
 made use of. The best bait is the mackerel lask 
 before described. The very rapid run of tide often 
 encountered off" the above mentioned coast, renders 
 the heavy sinker described requisite when the boat is 
 proceeding at the rate of about three miles an hour. 
 
 Scad, or Horse Mackerel. 
 
 FAM., Scomberidce. 
 
 The scad, as it is commonly known, is frequently 
 taken in mackerel and pollack fishing, taking the baits 
 used for these fish with great avidity, and generally 
 causing more disappointment than pleasure when 
 brought within sight, so that it is but seldom, inten- 
 tionally fished for. As it is a coarse, bony fish, it is 
 occasionally salted in for winter use by the poor, but 
 rarely met with at the tables of the wealthy, being 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 37 
 
 more frequently cut up for bait. Their range is wide, 
 extending round the coasts of England, Scotland, 
 Norway, Denmark, and round many of the islands of 
 the Mediterranean. 
 
 The Grey Mullet. 
 
 FAM., Mugilidce. 
 
 The grey mullet is too well known to need a de- 
 scription, and is generally so well appreciated at table 
 as to render any comments on that head uncalled for. 
 Its habits are such as rarely to cause it to travel far 
 to sea ; a marked preference being shown for such 
 places as have both fresh and salt water pouring into 
 them at the rise and fall of the tide. Tidal mill-ponds, 
 floating docks, and about the wharfs at the mouths of 
 large rivers, are all favourite localities, many such 
 places being at times visited by immense numbers of 
 these fish, which can frequently be seen at such times 
 with their mouths level with the surface, sucking in 
 the soft particles of floating vegetable or animal matter 
 brought by the flowing tide. The lips of this fish are 
 particularly delicate and sensitive, enabling it to dis- 
 cover and instantly eject any small substance the least 
 distasteful. Several modes of fishing are had recourse 
 to; that practised with the rod and line is generally jbhe 
 most successful. A nine-foot trace of fine strong 
 salmon gut, No. 6 or 7 Kirby hooks, " Trout pattern," 
 tied on eight-inch pieces of stout gut, looped one foot 
 
38 SEA FISH; 
 
 apart on the trace, and retained in their places by knots 
 tied in the trace for that purpose, and a few split duck- 
 shot for sinkers, if there is any " run ;" if not, use no 
 sinker of any kind.* Bait with either a small piece 
 of mud- worm about half an inch long, covering all the 
 hook but the extreme point, or small flakes of the 
 green weed which is found attached to stones in fresh- 
 water rivulets like green silk ; twist three or four times 
 round the hook, and allow a small portion to hang free 
 like a tail. The plump white larvse from wasps' nests, 
 small pieces of soft green cabbage which has been 
 boiled with any description of meat, or artificial flies 
 of a bright gaudy description, may be used at times 
 with success. The harpoon arrow, of which a descrip- 
 tion will be found, may also be tried. 
 
 The mullet requires more than ordinary care in its 
 management when hooked, as it is exceedingly strong 
 in the water ; and the lips, which are usually found to 
 be the bed of the hook, being so easily torn, any 
 violence is pretty certainly followed by the loss of the 
 fish. A landing-net is exceedingly useful. The grey 
 mullet occurs with more or less abundance round the 
 English coast, along the southern shores of Ireland, 
 and as far north as the Baltic Sea and the coast of 
 Norway. I have also taken them in the harbour of 
 Sebastopol, and the mouth of the Tchernaya. The 
 mullet spawns about the latter end of June. 
 
 * A small cork float may be used in fishing by either of these 
 modes. 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 39 
 
 The Atherine, or Sand Smelt, 
 
 FAM., Mugilidce, 
 
 Better known as the smelt, with which fish it is 
 generally confounded, although totally distinct from 
 it, and rarely ever found where the true smelt is 
 met with, the former being mainly confined to the 
 southern coast of England, from the Hampshire coast, 
 along the whole coast line of Dorset, Devon, and 
 Cornwall. It is held in high esteem by epicures, and 
 considered an excellent fish for invalids. They, like 
 the preceding fish, the grey mullet, are extremely 
 partial to creeks and estuaries where the tide ebbs 
 and flows, and great numbers are often taken by rod 
 fishing from piers, quays, and rocks during the summer 
 months, late in the evening being generally the best 
 time ; and should any watercourse or stream discharge 
 itself into the sea in any creek or bay, there they may 
 be sought for with pretty much certainty of success. 
 When on the feed, which they generally are on the 
 coming of the young flood tide, the bait is taken 
 greedily, and very often four or five are landed at a 
 time. Use your upper three joints of rod with the 
 short butt described under " Eods ; " a seven-foot trace 
 of gut with five or six hooks, 'No. 8 or 9 Kirby, fastened 
 on five-inch pieces of stiff stout gut or hog's bristles 
 (gut is best), looped on the trace one foot apart, press 
 a split duck-shot on the trace at each looping, and 
 a very light sinker (about a quarter of an ounce) on 
 
40 SEA FISH; 
 
 the bottom end of the trace. Bait with small pieces 
 of mud-worm, and keep gently " lifting and drawing." 
 "When a bite is felt, strike lightly, and to one side. 
 Gas lamps, or other strong lights near the water side, 
 at times attract them in considerable numbers. 
 
 The Herring. 
 
 FAM., Clupeidoe. 
 
 Pew fish are so well known to the million as the 
 herring, finding its way as it does into both the 
 highest and very lowest society-, and depend on it, 
 reader mine, that not even the gifted fish of Eastern 
 romance pass through such strange weird scenes. 
 The wretched cabin of the collier, the coiner's den, 
 the burglar's cellar, and the breakfast table of the 
 peer, are all visited by him, either in the guise of 
 the humble low-priced thirst-provoking fork-tortured 
 " Soldier" or the more pretentious bloater. Great 
 numbers are also consumed fresh ; and from very early 
 ages, herrings, in the various ways in which they are 
 prepared, have been great favourites ; vide old couplet : 
 
 " Herring and ling, 
 Herring and ling ; 
 Of all the fish in the sea, 
 Herring's the king." 
 
 But the royalty of the poor herring, like that of 
 many unfortunate pieces of humanity, has only led to 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 41 
 
 its merciless destruction. Pew fish are more erratic 
 in their movements, and no certainty attends their 
 continuing to visit any particular fishing grounds. 
 Much diversity of opinion has existed and still exists 
 relative to the migrations of this fish, some supposing 
 Anderson and Pennant amongst the number that 
 their winters are passed in the Arctic Sea, and that 
 they only return to our shores as the season advances. 
 There is no ground for the support of this opinion, 
 and it appears, from the researches of some of our 
 most acute ichthyologists, that their winter journeys 
 are not extended to any very great distance from our 
 own shores, but that they remain in deep water until 
 the period of spawning arrives, when shallow water is 
 sought as being more congenial, from many causes, to 
 the vivification and well-doing of the spawn when 
 deposited. This having been done, the great majority 
 return to the deep sea from whence they came, but 
 leave certain stragglers behind, which are caught by 
 various methods at all times through the year. The 
 herring fishery has, from very early ages, been most 
 important in a commercial point of view. The great 
 bulk of herrings are taken by drift nets, which are also 
 most extensively used, with certain modifications such 
 as size of mesh, &c. for the capture of pilchards and 
 mackerel. These nets hang curtain-like in the water, 
 having no leads at the bottom, and are supported at 
 the top by a number of lengths of rope, which extend 
 from the upper edge of the submerged net to the 
 
-SEA FISH; 
 
 main line or drift rope, thus allowing the net to hang 
 perpendicularly in the water, about twenty feet below 
 the lower ends of the short lines. Buoys are used to 
 keep up the drift rope, which is allowed to run out as 
 the boat proceeds on its way, carrying the net with it, 
 when another and another net is attached in succes- 
 sion, until sometimes a mile or a mile and a half of 
 nets are out. The boat is then allowed to ride at the 
 end, as if at anchor, keeping, by the drag thus estab- 
 lished, all the nets end on and in a line. Night is the 
 time chosen for this kind of fishing, as the fish, not ap- 
 pearing to perceive the snare, as they perhaps would by 
 day, strike into the meshes, where they are entangled 
 by their heads and pectoral fins, and are thus taken 
 at times in incredible numbers. Sometimes the nets 
 are taken up once during the night to be overhauled 
 and re-shot, and at others are allowed to remain down 
 the whole night. They are wound in by the use of 
 a capstan, mounted in the boat for the purpose, round 
 which the drift rope is brought. In some localities 
 the herring aifords good sport to the rod-and-line 
 fisherman, taking a bright gaudy fly with the greatest 
 eagerness. In some of the sea lochs and estuaries 
 on the coast of Scotland, great quantities are often 
 taken with the fly. They may be fished for from the 
 bank with an ordinary fly rod and gut casting line, 
 making use of one fly, which should be tied on a 6 or 
 7 hook, Kirby Trout pattern ; body, scarlet chenille 
 or German wool ; wings, a mixture of scarlet and 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 43 
 
 white ; scarlet ibis and white gull's feathers are good 
 for the purpose. Place one duckshot about four 
 inches from the fly to take it just below the surface, 
 where the herring will take best, and troll with it, so 
 to speak. Boat fishing is by far the most successfully 
 practised where four or five rods may be easily used, 
 taking care that the lines are just a trifle shorter than 
 the rods, which may be about twelve or thirteen feet 
 long, and made of spliced hazel wands, well seasoned. 
 The butt ends should be sharpened, to admit of their 
 being thrust into a long compactly-made faggot of 
 twigs or reeds, which should be fastened under each 
 thwart of the boat ; the rods are thus always at hand, 
 and are not liable to be lost overboard, as sometimes 
 three or four fish are on at a time. No reel is required, 
 but a loop of strong line spliced to the top is used to 
 loop the line to ; two feet of strong gut casting line 
 will be sufficient, and no shot used, merely allowing 
 the flies to float with the current. 
 
 The evening is the best time for this fishing. 
 Herring are also to be taken in some places by 
 fishing with small pieces of mud- worm from rocks and 
 piers, exactly as in fishing for Atherine. Such of my 
 readers as may visit the JS"orth American coast will 
 find most excellent herring fishing, if they like to 
 pursue it. 
 
44 SEA FISH; 
 
 The White Bait. 
 FAM., Clupeidce. 
 
 This fisli was long considered fry, or the young of 
 other fish, but the researches of Mr. Yarrell and 
 other eminent ichthyologists have proved beyond all 
 question, that it occupies a position amongst fish 
 quite as distinct as that of either the herring or 
 pilchard. The capture of white bait will scarcely, I 
 apprehend, be attempted by any of my amateur 
 readers ; still, for the sake of old Greenwich and 
 Blackwall reminiscences, a short description of the 
 mode by which it is captured may not prove 
 unacceptable. The Thames furnishes the whole 
 supply required by the London market ; no fishery, 
 that I am aware of, having been established on any 
 other river. From April to September may be con- 
 sidered the white bait season, although scattering 
 detachments are frequently taken with other fish off 
 the southern coast during the winter months. The 
 coming of the young flood tide is the time chosen, 
 and a net of funnel-shape and very fine mesh used. 
 It is placed with its mouth towards the run of the tide, 
 which serves, by its passage through the meshes, to 
 keep the net distended. The fish in ascending the 
 stream keep near the surface, and about three or four 
 feet will be found a good depth to sink it to. "When 
 a sufficient quantity of fish is supposed to be taken 
 to warrant an overhaul, the tail end of the net is 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 45 
 
 brought on board like that of the Keer drag, the 
 string unfastened, and the contents suffered to run 
 out, when the sticks and other substances are re- 
 moved, and the net reset. 
 
 The Basse. 
 
 FAM., Perddce. 
 
 Although the name of sea dace has been at times 
 given it, the basse is a sea perch, resembling in many 
 of its habits the perch of our fresh-water rivers and 
 lakes. It is at times an exceedingly greedy feeder, 
 taking small fish or spinning bait very freely. These 
 fish, like the grey mullet, are fond of creeks and 
 estuaries leading to large rivers, and are particularly 
 fond of frequenting the positions occupied by old 
 hulks which have been long moored in one place, 
 feeding on the mussels and marine insects which are 
 to be found adhering to the weed which collects round 
 old timber. They are far more on the alert for food 
 late in the evening or at night, than during the day, 
 when the largest are generally taken. The neighbour- 
 hood of landing places, where pilchards or other fish 
 are cleaned, will be found often visited by basse in 
 considerable numbers, attracted by the small pieces 
 of fish offal floated off by the tide, at which times a 
 piece of pilchard or pilchard gut is a pretty sure 
 bait. Great numbers are taken with bolters (vide 
 " Bolter "), baited with pilchard, cuttle, sand launce, or 
 
46 SEA FISH; 
 
 other small fish. Excellent sport may often be had 
 by fishing with the rod (full length) from any con- 
 venient point or headland. The trace should be of 
 strong gimp, about a yard long, mounted with two 
 swivels ; hook, JN"o. 3 or 4 Limerick pattern, light 
 sinker, and large cork float. Bait: pilchard, pilchard 
 gut, launce, or mud- worms, or, in the absence of these, 
 mussels or shrimps may be at times used. They are 
 frequently taken high up large rivers emptying them- 
 selves into the sea, with the white fly spoken of under 
 the head " Mackerel," particularly the small or shoal 
 basse, as they are called by fishermen. The tackle for 
 basse fishing should be well examined and very securely 
 put together, as they are very powerful fish and fight 
 hard. Basse may be drawn together in considerable 
 numbers by sinking in a convenient spot, near where 
 they are known to frequent, a piece of old fishing net 
 containing a stone and as much fish entrails and offal 
 as can be conveniently managed ; fish about a foot 
 from the ground with either your rod or hand-line, 
 and the basse, duly assembled, will not be long in 
 paying you a visit. A gaff or landing net should be 
 kept at hand, as " weighing out " is always a risky 
 operation, and, with a basse of any size, not easy of 
 accomplishment. It is to be met with on the greater 
 part of both the southern coast of England arid 
 Ireland, depositing its spawn in the summer as near 
 fresh water as it can reach. 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 47 
 
 The Gurnard. 
 
 FAM., Triglce. 
 
 Several varieties of this fish are taken on the coasts 
 of both England and Ireland, being in the best season 
 during the autumn and winter months. Great quan- 
 tities are consumed in many of our large cities, the 
 fish being sweet-tasted and wholesome, although some- 
 what dry. The great bulk are taken with the trawl net, 
 although at times considerable numbers are caught 
 on the bolters laid down for other fish ; and in some 
 localities good sport may at times be had by using the 
 chop-stick arrangement described under that head; 
 hooks, No. 3 or 4 Portsmouth pattern, gimp or round 
 plait snooding. Pish pretty near the ground with 
 crab, whelks, and pieces of sand launce, or other bright- 
 coloured fish, as bait : gurnards are great consumers 
 of small crabs, and other crustaceous animals, their 
 hard armour-plated cheeks and heads well adapting 
 them for the pursuit of this kind of food. 
 
 Striped Bed or Surmullet. 
 FAM., PerddcB. 
 
 The surmullet has from the very earliest ages been 
 esteemed a great delicacy, and fabulous prices appear to 
 have been paid for specimens of unusual size. Martial 
 relates that one of six pounds realised 481. 9 one still 
 larger 64Z., and 2401. were paid for three of very un- 
 
48 SEA FISH ; 
 
 usual size, thus clearly showing that our much quizzed 
 London aldermen are very anchorites in the cost of 
 their indulgences compared to the magnates of by- 
 gone days. Its capture by the hook and line is 
 generally considered rare, although a great number 
 were taken last summer in certain places in and about 
 Plymouth harbour, whilst fishing for grey mullet and 
 smelts. They are taken with mud-worm on precisely 
 the same description of tackle as used for the latter 
 fish, and are found to frequent the same description 
 of localities. The months of August and September 
 appear to be the best for taking them by angling. 
 Their usual size is under thirteen inches, although 
 occasionally taken much larger. Many are taken by 
 nets far out at sea, where its range is extensive. The 
 spawn is deposited in the spring. 
 
 The Bream, 
 
 FAM., Sparidce, 
 
 When full grown, may be considered in the light 
 of a deep-sea fish, rendering a good " offing " generally 
 requisite before the ground frequented by the bream 
 is reached, the marks for which can, in most cases, 
 be ascertained, with pretty much certainty (vide 
 " Marks "), from fishermen or boatmen on the 
 coasts where it is found. " When reached, let go 
 the anchor." It is met with pretty generally both 
 on the English and Irish coasts, as well as far to 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 49 
 
 the north, and vast numbers (although I arn not 
 certain as to their exact identity of species) are to 
 be caught off the Cape de Yerde Islands, particularly 
 that of St. Nicholas, where I remember, on one occasion, 
 having excellent sport with them. The tackle for 
 bream fishing should be strong, No. 9 or 10 of the 
 round description, mounted in the same manner as 
 shown in the woodcut under the head " Mackerel," 
 only the sinker much heavier, the whalebone booms 
 stronger, and the traces shorter ; about two feet will 
 be found long enough. The hooks should be such as 
 are generally known as whiting hooks, JN"o. 3 or 4 
 Portsmouth pattern, secured to one foot of strong 
 gimp, looped to the trace, which must be of propor- 
 tionate strength; bait with pilchard, herring, sand 
 launce, or other fish bait. The sinker should be so 
 regulated as to keep the line perpendicular against 
 the run of the tide, and the baits kept at about an 
 arm's length clear of the bottom, moving them gently 
 up and down until a bite is felt. Bream are found 
 generally to bite best after sunset. A great variety 
 of fish are often taken, when fishing in this way, 
 which may be considered a convenient and good mode 
 of general fishing. "When so engaged, two or three 
 fioat lines (vide " Pollack") may be laid out to advan- 
 tage. The young of this fish, known as chads, also 
 afford excellent sport to those by whom the number of 
 slain is considered as of the first importance. To the 
 juvenile sportsman, chad fishing is a source of much 
 
50 SEA FISH; 
 
 amusement. The chad is to be found in great num- 
 bers in most of the bays and harbours, particularly of 
 the southern coast, all through the summer months, 
 greedily seizing such baits as mud-worms, or pieces of 
 their own unfortunate brethren, who have preceded 
 them in their trip to the surface. To prepare a chad 
 for bait, it should be first killed by a smart blow or 
 two over the head, cut off the fins, which are as sharp 
 as needles, very like those of the river perch, and 
 requiring exactly the same mode of handling when 
 secured, viz., a downward sweep of the hand, so as to 
 compress the spines, and turn them backwards ; hold 
 the fish overboard, and scrape the scales from tail to 
 head with the bait knife until quite clean, when small 
 narrow pieces of about an inch long should be cut 
 transversely, and hooked through one end. Fish 
 about a foot from the bottom. The line for chad 
 fishing should be round, "No. 6 or 7, mounted as 
 shown in the accompanying woodcut. Hooks, No. 2 
 Kirby trout pattern, tied on a strand of stout gut, 
 which must have a loop tied in the end, to loop with 
 the spreader A, which is made of a piece of round 
 scraped whalebone, fifteen inches long, tapered at each 
 end, to which a loop of any ordinary fine-sized fishing 
 line must be whipped with waxed thread, as at B. 
 The spreader is passed through the hole in the sinker, 
 c, until its centre is reached, when the edges of the 
 holes must be closed in tightly with a small hammer, 
 which will, if properly done, retain the spreader 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 
 
 51 
 
 securely in its place. This arrangement is generally 
 known amongst fishermen as a set of " chop sticks." 
 An additional spreader may be passed through a hole 
 at right angles with the other, if the fancy of the 
 
 fisherman should so incline. I consider one spreader 
 sufficient. Frequent reference will be made to this 
 mode of mounting under the name " chop-sticks," as 
 it is used for many other kinds of fish, and is, in fact, 
 a most useful arrangement. Chads are often attracted 
 round a boat in large shoals, by sinking at the end of 
 a line a piece of old fishing net, with as much fish 
 
 E2 
 
52 SEA FISH ; 
 
 entrails and offal as can be conveniently managed, and 
 a good-sized stone, to sink and keep it steady. Let it 
 go to the bottom, and then draw it up, about three feet, 
 when secure it by making fast the line. This attracts 
 pouting, and many other varieties of fish, to the neigh- 
 bourhood of the boat. The bream spawns late in the 
 autumn. 
 
 The Wrasse, or Rock Fish. 
 
 FAM., Labridoe. 
 
 This fish is far more remarkable for the variety and 
 beauty of its colours and markings, than for its value 
 as an article of food, as it is but, at best, a soft, watery, 
 insipid fish. It is occasionally fished expressly for, but 
 far more frequently taken when in pursuit of other 
 kinds of fish, particularly when angling for basse or 
 pollack off high rocks in deep water. It is, as its 
 name implies, an inhabitant of rocky places, and those 
 deep cavernous clefts through which the tide flows 
 are its favourite places of resort ; as the mollusks and 
 small Crustacea, on which it mainly feeds, are generally 
 abundant in such situations. The wrasse may be 
 taken with the rod and line by fishing in such places 
 as described, where, by cautious approach, the fish 
 may often be distinguished in search of food, pushing 
 their noses into clefts and bunches ' of weed in search 
 of shrimp or small crabs. A bait, such as a piece of 
 scollop, razor fish, boiled limpet, mussel, or a small 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 53 
 
 soft crab, is rarely thrown in vain. I have heard old 
 fishermen say, that a split Turkey fig was irresistible 
 to his wrasseship ; but of this I cannot speak from 
 experience, never having used it. The hook may be 
 No. 3 or 4, whiting size, with the shank shortened, 
 fastened on double gut or gimp. Hand-lines, mounted 
 with from four to six hooks, may be used, baited as 
 above, and snooded on pieces of prepared line, eight 
 inches long, making use of a stone or any other heavy 
 substance, as a sinker, only taking care that the line 
 and stone should be attached to each other by a piece 
 of small twine, which, in event of the stone getting 
 entangled between pointed rocks, may, by breaking, 
 set the line free. A long naturally-grown stick of 
 any tough wood, with a fork at the end, will be found 
 most useful, both in taking up or throwing out lines 
 of this description. The wrasse spawns in the spring 
 of the year. 
 
 The Cod. 
 
 FAM., Gadidce. 
 
 Few fish are there possessing more interest in a 
 commercial point of view than the. cod, which forms 
 such an important commodity, in its preserved state, 
 for export to foreign countries as well as for home use, 
 the daily consumption of this fish in London alone 
 being enormous. The banks of Newfoundland, the 
 Dogger Bank, &c., have long been known as places of 
 
54 SEA FISH; 
 
 resort for myriads of fish of this description, and 
 recent investigation has proved the newly discovered 
 fishing-ground near Eockall to be a perfect " El 
 Dorado " of cod-fish, swarming there in numbers never 
 before equalled, 'and of a size rarely reached by cod in 
 other localities. By the crews of two fishing smacks 
 twenty-seven tons were taken there in five days ; and 
 expeditions which started subsequently to this great 
 success appear to have been equally successful in their 
 results, so that little doubt exists that this lonely and 
 scarcely known spot on the ocean's surface is destined 
 to become a rich mine of wealth to the hardy cod 
 fishermen. 
 
 Pew of my readers, I apprehend, are likely to adopt 
 cod-fishing as an amusement, as few occupations are 
 attended with greater hardships. Still it perchance 
 may happen that they, in their wanderings, may be 
 thrown where cod are to be captured. 
 
 They are to be taken with the hand-line, fishing 
 very deep with heavy sinkers ; line of the description 
 universally known as cod-line, and hooks made ex- 
 pressly for this purpose. A good mode of mounting 
 is by passing a small iron rod about two feet long 
 with a ring at each end through a hole in the sinker, 
 exactly in the same way as that spoken of as chop- 
 sticks in the article on Bream. Bait with sand launce, 
 sprats, &c. Bolters should be set where cod are to be 
 met with, as bolter fishing is a most successful mode 
 of taking them. Tide " Bolter.' 1 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 55 
 
 Great numbers of small cod or codlings are also to 
 be taken in some places, particularly the southern 
 coast, either by the chop-stick arrangement before 
 described under that head, or by throwing a leaded 
 line mounted with three or four hooks, No. 3 or 4 
 Portsmouth pattern, baited with whelks or soldier 
 crab, as far out into the coming tide as possible: some 
 little practice is needed to ensure a long clear cast. 
 A small stiff stick about three inches long, tied to the 
 line just above the sinker, will serve to give a hold for 
 the fingers in throwing, and much increase the power 
 of the thrower over the line; pouting, basse, and 
 other fish, are frequently taken whilst fishing in this 
 way. 
 
 The Pollack. 
 
 FAM., Gadidce. 
 
 The pollack, like the mackerel, affords much sport 
 to the fisherman, as numerous modes are had recourse 
 to for its capture, each generally successful in its 
 way; and first on the list stands "whining," which 
 is practised in the same way as when mackerel fish- 
 ing ; only, when whining for pollack, I prefer one 
 hook, No. 3 or 4 Limerick trout pattern, tied on 
 strong salmon gut, with a nine-foot trace of gimp, 
 and two swivels, No. 4 ? brass. The line should be 
 prepared round plait, No. 7. The baits may be 
 mackerel, "lasks," sand launce, strips of cuttle, 
 
56 SEA FISH; 
 
 mud-worms, white flies, small-sized brook lampreys 
 (pride), or pilchard gut. Numerous spinning baits 
 are had recourse to, of which the small spoon or 
 new spinning bait is perhaps the best. Many 
 lines can be used at once by making use of the 
 contrivance explained in the woodcut, which I find 
 far more useful in every way than the short rods 
 
 used in boats by many fishermen. A is a piece of 
 elm, birch, or any other strong wood, with a square 
 notch cut in it, as at B, which should be wide and 
 deep enough to take in the gunwale of the boat, to 
 which it is fastened by the wedge o. . D is a piece 
 of rattan cane four feet long, with a small fork of 
 naturally-grown wood spliced to the end, as at E. 
 The cane is passed through a hole bored for it through 
 the block A, the long way, and allowed to project three 
 inches beyond it, as at r, where it is bound next the 
 block with waxed thread, and its extreme end split 
 for about an inch, as at G. "When put together, the 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 57 
 
 cane is prevented from shifting in the hole by a small 
 brad or fine nail being driven down through the block 
 into it, as at H. i shows the way the line passes and 
 is retained in the split. With this arrangement the 
 fish hook themselves, and the elasticity of the cane 
 preverits the line from being broken ; as on any heavy 
 strain, such as that produced by a large fish, the line 
 is allowed to run out through the split, when it can 
 be instantly seized and veered away to meet the 
 rushes of the fish, which are at times pretty hard ones. 
 Each of the little blocks above described should have 
 a coat of paint given it to preserve the wood. They 
 only cost a few pence each, cane included, and last 
 for many years. Great numbers of pollack are taken 
 when at anchor, by using hand-lines as mounted for 
 mackerel whiffing only, with a heavier sinker ; in fact, 
 of weight sufficient to contend with the run of the 
 tide. It is always well, when fishing in this way, to 
 lay out two or more float-lines over the forked canes 
 already described, with merely the trace and swivels. 
 Hook the same as in whiffing, but no sinker. Put 
 on a large-sized cork float, about eighteen or twenty 
 feet from the trace, and let it drift away with the tide. 
 " Eauning " pollack, or racers, as they are called, are 
 taken in the same way, being often found in the 
 same localities. The young of the Eauning pollack 
 abound in certain localities, and are taken in count- 
 less thousands from every rock and headland by the 
 use of tackle of the most primitive character. 
 
58 SEA FISH; 
 
 Many of the sea lochs of Scotland afford excellent 
 pollack fishing, vast numbers being taken during 
 the season (May, June, and July) by various means ; 
 fly-fishing by many rods, as described under the head 
 "Herring" in this work, is a very successful one: 
 the only difference in the arrangement is, that when 
 pollack fishing, the hooks should be larger and the 
 tackle stronger ; No. 4 Limerick trout pattern hooks, 
 strong salmon gut trace, and a stout horse-hair line, 
 will be found a good outfit. The flies the same pattern 
 as recommended for herring, only tied larger. The 
 Sound of Jura is celebrated for the number of pollack 
 to be taken in it by rod fishing. 
 
 
 
 * The Whiting, Pouting, Bib, or Blind. 
 
 FAM., Gadidce. 
 
 Much difference of opinion has existed as to whether 
 these fish are distinct varieties, according to their 
 names in the heading ; or the same fish in different 
 stages of growth. The latter opinion appears to be 
 that entertained by Mr. Yarrell, who may be consi- 
 dered one of the highest authorities on such matters, 
 and one by whom an opinion would not be formed 
 without great care and careful research. 
 
 Pouting are to be caught at most seasons, particu- 
 larly during the summer months, when they are found 
 in immense numbers about the borders of sunken 
 rocks, and where reefs run out into deep water. Tew 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 59 
 
 fish take the bait much more freely, and when once 
 on the proper marks, little fear is to be entertained 
 of sport. The same mode of mounting the tackle is 
 to be observed as in chad fishing, described as chop- 
 sticks, only the hooks should be less JN"o. 4 Kirby 
 trout pattern, tied on gut. The best bait for pouting 
 is the mud- worm, of which a piece jusfc large enough 
 to cover the hook should be used, leaving no tail hang- 
 ing. In the absence of mud-worms, whelks, soldier 
 crabs, or small pieces of fish, such as pilchard or chad, 
 may be made use of. Let your sinker run to the ground, 
 when your line should be drawn up an arm's length, 
 and kept moving up and dawn until a bite is felt, 
 when a quick upward jerk will serve to fix the hook. 
 
 The Whiting. 
 
 FAM., Gadidce. 
 
 The excellence of the whiting as an article of food 
 is a point on which little difference of opinion exists, 
 and it is a favourite at the tables of both the rich and 
 poor, both in its fresh and preserved state ; buckhorn, 
 as dried whiting is called, being considered a great 
 delicacy, and, when carefully prepared, commanding a 
 very high price in the market. "Whiting fishing affords 
 employment to a great number of fishermen on our 
 coasts, and it may be considered a fish of considerable 
 commercial importance, and is found on nearly all the 
 coast range of both England and Ireland, as well as 
 
60 SEA FISH ; 
 
 far north. It is taken all the year round by one mode 
 of fishing or another ; but for those who pursue fish- 
 ing as a pleasant pastime, a winter's night on the 
 whiting ground would not, perhaps, be particularly 
 pleasant or enjoyable. 
 
 Particular marks are known to fishermen as showing 
 the ground frequented by the whiting at particular 
 seasons, which almost any boatman you employ can 
 find out from his associates, if not himself a fisherman. 
 Night is by far the best time for whiting fishing, and 
 parties are frequently made up during the summer to 
 visit the whiting ground, which will be generally found 
 some little distance off the land. A good pea-coat 
 will be found a valuable companion on such expedi- 
 tions, and the commissariat department should be 
 placed in efficient hands. The lines should be round 
 plait, either No. 9 or 10 ; the sinkers from 2 to 4 Ib. 
 weight, and hooks No. 3 or 4, long shank, Portsmouth 
 pattern, fastened on stout pieces of gimp, looped to 
 the boom arrangement described in the woodcut 
 under the head " Mackerel." The trace for whiting 
 fishing should not be more than two feet beyond the 
 boom, and three or four booms may be used at a 
 convenient distance apart above the sinker. Bait with 
 mussels, cuttlefish, pilchard, or mackerel. 
 
 Professional fishermen on the coasts of Kent and 
 Sussex take considerable numbers of whiting during 
 the winter months by laying out a light description of 
 bolter line with between one and two hundred hooks 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 61 
 
 on it, which are generally baited with pieces of sprat ; 
 small cod and other fish are constantly taken whilst 
 fishing in this way. 
 
 The Haddock. 
 FAM., Gadidce. 
 
 The haddock is an exceedingly popular member of 
 the above family, being most extensively consumed in 
 all our large cities " Finnan haddies " being almost 
 as well known as red herrings. They are found on 
 nearly the whole coast line of England, Ireland, and 
 Scotland. Dublin Bay has long been celebrated for 
 the size and excellence of its haddocks, and the 
 Nymph Bank also furnishes an ample supply to those 
 who visit it for their capture. Many of the salt- 
 water or sea lochs of Scotland are visited by vast 
 quantities of this fish, and afford excellent sport to 
 fishermen ; they are taken with both hand-lines and 
 bolters, many of the latter being fitted with over 500 
 hooks. "Whenever haddocks are found, the same modes 
 of fishing will generally prove successful as those 
 recommended for whiting and cod (vide articles so 
 named). 
 
 The baits may be mussel, whelk, sand launce, and 
 herring, fresh or salt. They are in the best season 
 during the autumn months, spawning in February and 
 March. These fish, although generally considered 
 inferior to the whiting in flavour, are held in consi- 
 
62 SEA FISH; 
 
 derable esteem, from the great readiness with which 
 they take salt. 
 
 Haddocks, like herrings, are very erratic in their 
 habits, and no dependence can be placed on their 
 movements : roaming about in vast shoals in pursuit 
 of food, which, when found, is followed from place to 
 place until, fresh supplies being encountered, fresh 
 lines of direction are taken, thus bringing them 
 within the scope of nearly every contrivance, both net 
 and line, used for the destruction of the larger 
 varieties of fish. 
 
 The Hake, 
 
 FAM., Gadidce, 
 
 Is a most ravenous and greedy fish, following the 
 shoals of pilchards when on the coast, frequently 
 getting enclosed with them, when a scene such as 
 would be enacted were a pack of wolves to be shut 
 up in a sheepfold ensues, and the wretched pilchards 
 are swallowed wholesale. At such times the outsides 
 of the nets are watched by numbers of greedy hake, 
 only too anxious for an opportunity to dart among 
 the fish seen through the meshes of the net. Great 
 numbers may be taken at such times by using pilchards 
 for bait, and immense numbers are taken with the 
 hook and line round the coast, where the arrival of the 
 pilchards attracts them in vast quantities. The line 
 for this kind of fishing should be the kind known as 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 63 
 
 deep-sea line, "whipcord laid," a heavy sinker, and 
 hooks made expressly for hake fishing, with an extra 
 length of shank, and a ring at the top. Mount them 
 exactly as for " cod," with the small bar. Make the 
 traces of four or five strands of stout water-cord, laid 
 loosely together, and served from end to loop with fine 
 soft brass or copper wire. A small piece of jack chain 
 is sometimes used instead. Some caution is required 
 in unhooking these fish, as their teeth are of the 
 most formidable description, and inflict rather painful 
 wounds. Hakes, though not of high reputation as 
 fish for the table, are infinitely better than they are 
 generally supposed to be by those who have not eaten 
 them, and when in proper season are scarcely to be 
 surpassed in solidity and flavour by any of their more 
 costly finny brethren. According to Mr. Couch, says 
 Tarrell, the hake spawns from January to April. 
 
 Flounders and Plaice. 
 FAM., Pleuronectidce. 
 
 These fish abound in nearly all large tidal rivers, 
 even far beyond the influence of the tide, and in such 
 creeks and estuaries as have rivers discharging them- 
 selves into them. Considerable numbers are to be 
 taken with the rod and line, either with or without a 
 float, using two or three hooks No. 4, Kirby trout 
 pattern, fastened on gut, and either split duck-shot 
 or the light sinker, shown as No. 2 in the woodcut 
 
64 SEA FISH; 
 
 describing sinkers : either mud- worms, common earth- 
 worms, or small pieces of fish bait may be used suc- 
 cessfully. The bait should drag the ground. Another 
 plan by which I have taken great numbers, both at 
 home and abroad, is to mount a line of stout prepared 
 water-cord, with eight or ten hooks tied on bits of fine 
 line, gut, or twisted horsehair, each about a foot long, 
 and a split duck-shot on each, mounted two feet and 
 a half apart ; a small- sized sinker or musket-ball, with 
 a hole through it at the end ; hooks and bait as 
 above. Secure the shore end of the line, which 
 should be about five-and-twenty yards long, to a sharp 
 wooden peg thrust into the ground ; or, if too hard to 
 receive the peg, a heavy stone may be used to fasten 
 the line to. Make use of a long naturally-grown 
 stick, forked at the end, or a portion of an old fishing- 
 rod with a forked stick fitted to it, to throw out and 
 take up the line with. Three or four of these lines, 
 as well as the rod, may be made use of when the 
 "pot" is the consideration. Numbers may be taken 
 from the boat by using the chop-sticks, and just keep- 
 ing your sinker clear of the ground, so as to allow the 
 baits to drag a few inches. Considerable numbers of 
 fresh-water eels are often taken when fishing in this 
 way, as- well as numbers of other fish. As a means of 
 enriching the larder when encamped on the banks of 
 large rivers abroad, few plans answer so well. Of 
 course, when the fish run large, the hooks and other 
 gear must be of proportionate strength. 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 65 
 
 The Turbot. 
 
 FAM., Pleuronectidce. 
 
 Few fish are held in higher estimation for the table 
 than the turbot, which, by some, is preferred even to 
 the lordly salmon ; and from their remains being found, 
 as they sometimes are, associated with ancient coins 
 and utensils discovered amongst the remains of cities 
 long passed away, one is led to suppose that they were 
 in great request amongst the gourmands of past days. 
 Whilst making some researches amongst the ruins of 
 the ancient Chersonesis, particularly in that portion 
 known as the House of Lemichus, I discovered great 
 numbers of the sharp thorns found on the backs of 
 the turbots of the species which still abound in some 
 parts of the Black Sea, in the same situations and 
 deposits as those in which the bronze ornaments, 
 coins, pottery, glass, &c., were discovered ; and some 
 wild picturesque scenes have I witnessed on the 
 tideless Tartar coast, where, torch and spear in hand, 
 the turbot is still followed and struck by night whilst 
 feeding on the sandy stretches which there abound, 
 and are frequented by numerous members of the finny 
 race. 
 
 The trade with Holland for turbots has long been 
 very great, as they are taken in immense numbers near 
 the Dutch coast. They are captured at some seasons 
 by trawl nets, and at others by the use of bolters 
 or long lines (vide article "Bolters"), baited with 
 
 
 
66 SEA FISH; 
 
 sand launce, smelt, gar-fish, lamperns, or father lashers, 
 which are collected in great numbers for the purpose. 
 The same means are had recourse to for taking them 
 on our own coasts, those of Yorkshire and Durham 
 being celebrated for the number taken ; and at 
 particular seasons two sand banks, known as the 
 Yarne and the Eidge, which lie between the Kentish 
 and French coasts, are visited by numbers of French 
 and English fishermen engaged in the turbot fishery. 
 On the western coasts numbers are taken amongst 
 the heterogeneous mass of flat and other fish brought 
 to light by the trawl ; and whilst bolter fishing for 
 other fish, a turbot will often reward the fisherman. 
 The season lasts from the end of March to the middle 
 of August. 
 
 The Conger, 
 
 FAM., Murcenidce, 
 
 Or conger eel, as it is generally called, is an in- 
 habitant of such places as afford deep crevices and 
 holes under rocks, and old sunken vessels, as places of 
 shelter ; in which situations it frequently attains an 
 immense and formidable size. Strange stories have 
 been told by divers of the fierceness with which any 
 attempt at invading their fastnesses had been met. 
 This fish has by some persons been considered as 
 identical with the common fresh-water eel ; but a 
 sufficient number of marked anatomical differences 
 exist in their structure to convince the most casual 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 67 
 
 observer of their distinct identity. The conger is, as 
 a general rule, a night feeder, and is taken in great 
 numbers by both bolters and hand lines. They 
 should be of the deep-sea kind, and very strong. A 
 heavy sinker, and hook, " conger pattern," fastened 
 on snooding, made up of loose strands of strong line 
 laid together without twisting, and served from end 
 to end with soft brass or copper wire, as for hake 
 fishing, cuttle fish, pilchard, or sand launce bait, may 
 be used, and a dark, cloudy night chosen for the 
 sport, when lines for other fish may be laid out to 
 advantage. A few heavy blows across the back of the 
 neck, or abdomen, are generally required to disable 
 the conger when taken, as he possesses a very power- 
 ful pair of jaws, and well understands their use. 
 
 Fresh- Water Eels, 
 
 FAM., Murcenidce, 
 
 Are so frequently met with in brackish and even 
 salt water, at the mouths of rivers emptying them- 
 selves into the sea, that they are, I think, fairly 
 entitled to our notice and consideration. Few fish 
 are more rich and palatable, and from their abundance 
 in many of our large rivers and deep reed-fringed 
 canals, so aptly described by poor Tom Hood, as the 
 " Ely Places,' r they are justly popular at the poor 
 man's table, furnishing many a palatable stew, and 
 crisp brown fry ; and ancient records go far to show 
 
 F2 
 
68 SEA FISH; 
 
 that the monks of old were by no means ignorant of 
 their flavour, or indifferent to their culinary excellence. 
 Little is known of the infant history of eels, and until 
 found of about the size of reeds, when they are known 
 as "elvers," just as little is seen of them. At this stage 
 of growth they may be seen during the spring of the 
 year, after a "fresh," working their way in countless 
 thousands, steadily ascending the stream, keeping one 
 given line : up over weirs, amongst masses of fallen 
 rock, through shingle, up the brawling shallow, up the 
 moss at the old mill hatch, and, as the song says of the 
 grass, " comes creeping creeping everywhere." Every 
 little tributary stream thus receives its detachment of 
 youthful eels, who shelter themselves under stones, 
 amongst roots, and in holes ; and well it is for them 
 that such strongholds are to be found, as their enemies, 
 during their early days, are numerous and powerful 
 most predatory fish, its own brethren of a larger growth 
 at the head of the list ; wild and tame ducks, otters, 
 and cormorants, all seize them greedily. Their growth 
 mainly depends on the quantity and quality of food to 
 be obtained, some streams being celebrated from time 
 immemorial for the size and excellence of their eels. 
 Pew fish are so generally destructive to other breeds of 
 fish, greedily devouring the spawn, persecuting the 
 young fry, and fixing on every sickly fish they can dis- 
 cover, and the rapidity with which the presence of prey 
 of any kind is discovered by them is truly marvellous. 
 I remember, when a boy, being highly amused, and in 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 69 
 
 a piscatorial point of view considerably enriched, by 
 this peculiarity of theirs. I was fly fishing in one of 
 those charming little trout streams which, rising on 
 the Cornish moors, fed by clear bright springs flowing 
 so abundantly from amongst the old grey mist-capped 
 Tors, flashing, rippling, and brawling through a brief 
 existence, and then, like another grain of sand to the 
 desert, taken up and whirled away amongst the grand 
 white-crested waves, as they come thundering in on 
 the Cornish coast. The day was bright, the water 
 clear, and not a rise broke the surface of the pools. 
 Trout were not to be inveigled, that was quite out of 
 the question, much before evening ; so I sat myself on 
 the parapet of the bridge, and watched the movements 
 of a particularly dusty young miller, who, pocket- 
 knife in hand, was, with the dexterity peculiar to 
 Cornish men and women, cleaning a large pail of 
 pilchards, throwing the offal into the pool at his feet. 
 My attention was very rapidly transferred from the 
 active miller to the no less active eels, which were 
 flocking from all quarters in the highest possible state 
 of wriggle and eagerness. Small pieces of the offal 
 on a fly hook denuded of feathers, and dropped directly 
 before their noses at the end of my casting line, 
 proved highly destructive, and a heavy basket of eels, 
 topped up with some trout taken in the evening, was 
 the result. 
 
 Perhaps one of the most successful modes of catch- 
 ing eels in tidal rivers is by clotting, which is thug 
 
70 SEA FISH; 
 
 practised. A large number of lob and garden worms 
 are to be obtained, well scoured in wet moss, over 
 which a little milk has been poured. "With a large-sized 
 darning-needle, armed with double worsted, thread 
 your worms from end to end, entering the needle at 
 the head, and bringing it out at the tail, and arrang- 
 ing the string of worms over a short piece of double 
 whipcord about 18 inches long (stretched for the 
 purpose) in loops like a tassel, until you have enough 
 to make a ball as large as a good sized orange, which 
 must be formed by twisting your double whipcord 
 and worm-loops round your sinker, which may be one 
 of the conical pattern without the whalebone, shown 
 under the head " Chopsticks," attached to a piece of 
 any stout strong line a little shorter than the rod. A 
 light pole, or a strong bamboo cane, is well adapted 
 for this kind of fishing, and saves a better rod. The 
 clot should be moved gently up and down, just touch- 
 ing the bottom ; and when, from the sharp tugs which 
 will be felt, the eels are supposed to have a good hold, 
 the clot is raised rapidly and steadily, until the eel or 
 eels, held fast by their sharp teeth, having become en- 
 tangled amongst the worsted, drop off, either into the 
 boat, or in some convenient hollow in the bank. The 
 coming of the flood tide, or a flooded state of the river, 
 is the time generally chosen for this occupation, and 
 immense quantities of eels are often taken in this way. 
 Eel baskets or hollies are extensively used for the 
 capture of eels, being baited and sunk over-night. 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 71 
 
 This kind of basket, or one constructed on precisely 
 similar principles, appears to have a world- wide use. 
 No country I have ever visited, savage or other- 
 wise, is without its trumpet-mouthed eel basket. 
 Some I found whilst wandering through the jungles 
 of the Bheel country, were most beautifully and inge- 
 niously made from a single joint of bamboo, split up 
 into innumerable filaments, and then woven into the 
 desired shape, leaving the knot unsplit to form a ring 
 through which the bait was put. Fixed wicker baskets 
 of a large size, known as eel bucks, are also used to 
 intercept the larger eels in their autumn migration 
 towards the sea ; and of late, galvanised iron wire has 
 been rendered available for the manufacture of most 
 ingeniously contrived eel traps. 
 
 Eel Spear. 
 
 "Where the bottom is soft and free from stones 
 or large roots, an eel spear may be used at times 
 with considerable success. These spears are trident- 
 shaped, containing a number of tines, which when 
 forced down on an eel open slightly and hold fast 
 by their edges, which are roughened, until the eel is 
 secured. The spear is best used from a boat ; a long 
 light handle should be fitted to it, and when in use 
 should be plunged evenly and regularly up and down in 
 the mud at the bottom, quartering your ground, so to 
 speak, so as to leave as little space as possible untried. 
 
72 SEA FISH; 
 
 Night Lines. 
 
 The largest eels, which usually remain in their 
 lurking-places during the day and only prowl 
 abroad during the night, are generally taken with 
 night lines, which should be set in such places as 
 afford the greatest amount of shelter and conceal- 
 ment. The back or main line should be composed 
 of strong, well-prepared whip-cord, of length pro- 
 portioned to the number of hooks it is intended to 
 carry from six to twenty and if a greater number is 
 thought requisite, it will be better to lay out more than 
 one line. The hooks should be of the pattern known 
 as swivel heads (vide cut), mounted on fourteen 
 inch snoods, composed of two strands of fine copper 
 wire plaited with one strand of prepared line, No. 
 6; bearing in mind, that each snooding must be 
 sufficiently wide apart to prevent the hooks when 
 baited from touching each other. Tie a knot in the 
 head line for every snood to be firmly secured to, by a 
 loop made large enough for both hook and bait to 
 pass through, as the hooks should be all baited before 
 looping on. The best bait for large eels is small fish, 
 either loach, gudgeon, small dace, smelts, or roach, or, 
 in the absence of these, large lob- worms or fish 
 entrails. In baiting with small fish I use a baiting 
 needle, which I hook on to the loop of the snood, pass 
 it through the mouth and out at the tail, allowing the 
 hook to lie in the bait's mouth with its point turned 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 73 
 
 on one side. When so adjusted, take two or three 
 turns with a piece of strong thread round both the 
 tail of the bait and the snooding ; this prevents its 
 slipping up ; keep your baited snoods in a small box, 
 with a number of sawcuts at the ends for the loops of 
 the snoods to lie in until required for looping on. 
 
 These lines are best laid out from a boat, attaching a 
 heavy stone to each end, leaving a small cork line to 
 show its position, or, where marauders are feared, 
 bearings must be carefully taken, and the line recovered 
 with either a long hooked stick, or in very deep water 
 a drag, which is easily made from a very rough branch 
 with plenty of projecting points cut just long enough 
 
74 SEA FISH; 
 
 to catch; weight it with a stone and drag until the line 
 is recovered. Numbers of fine eels are taken in some 
 localities by sniggling, which is thus done. Procure a 
 stout needle, such as tailors use, and with waxed silk 
 firmly secure your line, made of about twelve or 
 fourteen yards of round plait line No. 5 or 6, to 
 the centre of the needle ; procure some well-scoured 
 red worms, and bait, by drawing the worms on the 
 needle from its centre so as to completely cover it ; 
 then, with a long light rod, with a fork at the end over 
 which the line is held, carefully insert your baited 
 needle into every hole, cleft, or crevice about piles 
 under large stones, or in the cracks between the 
 foundation of bridges or quays, which will be found 
 favourite lurking-places, and from which the heads of 
 eels will be frequently seen protruding. Allow the 
 worm to be seized and drawn in, wait a short time to 
 allow the bait to be well pouched, and then strike 
 smartly, which will at once fix the needle across the 
 eel's throat, when a little steady tension will seldom 
 fail to bring him to light. Eels will often be taken when 
 fishing with chop-sticks or small bolters for flounders, 
 and when rod-fishing for other fish. Immediately on 
 their being taken, the spine should be divided behind 
 the head, instantly killing them, which renders 
 unhooking easy, and prevents much loss of time and 
 temper, as the Gordian knot must have been originally 
 designed, one would imagine, by an eel in difficulties. 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 75 
 
 The Lamprey. 
 
 FAM., Petromyzidas. 
 
 The lamprey being generally spoken of as the 
 lamprey eel, I have placed it to follow eels in this 
 work. It chiefly deserves our notice from some 
 members of its family, the lampern, and sand pride 
 particularly, constituting an excellent bait for pollack, 
 turbot, cod, and many other fish. Large or sea 
 lampreys ascend many of our large rivers to spawn, 
 and are taken occasionally in nets and eel-baskets. 
 
 The lampern or fresh-water lamprey at one time 
 was eagerly purchased in immense quantities by the 
 Dutch line fishermen, thus creating an important 
 and remunerative branch of trade on the Thames and 
 some other rivers, giving employment to numbers of 
 families who devoted their attention to this occupa- 
 tion, but of late years the trade has fallen off, other 
 baits are used, and the lampern fishing is neglected. 
 The sand pride is found in many of the small brooks, 
 particularly in the west of England ; they can be easily 
 obtained by damming up a pool, dipping out the water, 
 and then collecting them from among the stones, roots, 
 &c., at the bottom. They are very tenacious of life, 
 and can be kept in a bait-kettle for many days. 
 
76 SEA FISH; 
 
 The Sand Launce, 
 FAM., Anguillida, 
 
 Is a most valuable fisli to the fisherman as a bait 
 for other fish, and a general favourite it is found. 
 Many localities along the southern coast are cele- 
 brated for the number of launce to be taken in the 
 sands of their beaches ; and several modes are adopted 
 for their capture, such as raking the sand with strong 
 iron rakes, and searching it with blunt reaping 
 hooks, with which they are hooked and dragged forth. 
 Some little address is required in taking them, as, if 
 not instantly secured, they dart again into the sand, 
 and escape by their exceeding activity, 
 
 The Cuttle Fish, 
 
 FAM., Sepiadce, 
 
 Is often taken when whiffing, or on float lines, 
 following the bait to the surface, sucking it, and 
 holding fast by its long tentacula. "When brought 
 alongside, some caution is required in securing it. 
 The gaff" should be held ready, and the instant the 
 cuttle is near enough to make the stroke secure, it 
 should be rapidly hooked up, and just as rapidly 
 pushed back again, as, should the cuttle be brought 
 above the surface, its captor is exceedingly likely to 
 have his share of the disagreeables resulting from the 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 
 
 77 
 
 transaction, as the black paint-like liquid with which 
 it is filled is instantly so ejected that the trousers 
 and waistcoat of the uninitiated are covered in such a 
 way as to make him wish his acquaintance with 
 the sepia never made. "When thrust back as above 
 directed, the black fluid is thrown out in a large 
 black cloud, extending for several yards round the 
 captured cuttle, which can then be safely hauled 
 in and put aside for bait, as it is excellent for that 
 purpose. 
 
 Worms. 
 
 The most important to the sea fisherman is that 
 known as the mud worm, of which a representation 
 is given in the woodcut annexed. It is to be found 
 
 FAM. Annelides. Syllis Monilaris. 
 
 by digging in the mud of creeks leading to the sea, at 
 low water, and under stones or old timber which have 
 been long in one position at the bottom. "When 
 
78 SEA FISH; 
 
 taken, they should be washed perfectly clean, and put 
 to keep in a flat, shallow box, with its bottom and 
 sides covered with pitch, which should be melted into 
 all the corners and joints with a hot iron. A little 
 clean sea water should be added every day, and all 
 the dirt carefully taken out with the dirty water, and 
 any dead or broken worms which may be found. Put 
 the box in a cool cellar, or other convenient place, and 
 the worms may in this way be kept for a long time. 
 It is always well to have a small- sized box, also lined 
 with pitch, with a slide cover like a puzzle-box, in 
 which to take a supply out for fishing, allowing the 
 surplus, if any, to remain at home in the larger box. 
 
 Lug worms are often used as a bait for hand lines 
 and bolters, and are obtained by digging with a spade 
 in the sand at low water, where the sand-heaps show 
 their workings. 
 
 Earth worms are too well known to require a 
 lengthened notice. They are best kept in wet moss 
 in a large flannel bag. The lob worm, found at night 
 on old land, stretching many inches from their holes, 
 are best for the larger kinds of fish ; and the red worm 
 and large brandling for the smaller. 
 
 The Loach. 
 
 FAM., Colitis barbatula. 
 
 Although strictly an inhabitant of fresh water, it 
 well merits mention and favourable consideration, as it 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 79 
 
 will be referred to as a bait for other fish ; and excellent 
 it is for this purpose. The loach is an inhabitant of 
 shallow clear brooks, on the gravelly bottom of which 
 it may be often seen, head up stream, lying perfectly 
 motionless, waiting for minute insects and worms 
 which the current may bring within its reach. It is 
 a small fish, rarely exceeding four inches in length, 
 furnished with' barbes or wattles at the lips, of a 
 yellowish mottled colour, and not unlike a gudgeon 
 in form and motion. A small meshed landing-net 
 may be used for its capture, and a long light stick 
 with which to touch the fish and cause it to dart into 
 the net will be found useful. A large sized zinc bait- 
 kettle should be provided to carry them in, and a 
 regular supply of fresh water and small red worms 
 furnished whilst they are kept. Loach of a very large 
 size are found in many of the rivers and tanks of 
 India, being in my opinion by far the most palatable 
 fresh- water fish I have taken in that country. 
 
 Crabs and Lobsters. Hermit or Soldier Crab. 
 FAM., Canceridce. Pagurus Bemliardus. 
 
 So called from its two most marked and well-known 
 habits, that of dwelling alone in a cell of its own 
 selection, and being at all times ready and willing to 
 decide by battle all disputes or difficulties in which 
 it may chance to become involved. Shells of various 
 kinds are inhabited by our pugnacious little friend 
 
80 SEA FISH; 
 
 during his growth and development, and, like the 
 soldier crab of society, nipping, hustling, and pinching 
 his way from the humble trochus cabin of early 
 youth, short claws, and obscurity, to the whelk-shell 
 mansion of prosperous well-to-do crabhood. 
 
 The hermit crab is to be found on most of our 
 coast line, but particularly on such portions as are 
 
 most thickly inhabited by whelks and other univalve 
 shells. They are generally taken in baskets baited 
 with fish offal, which are laid down for whelks, and to 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 81 
 
 fishermen who are engaged in this description of 
 fishing application had better be made for a supply of 
 crab whelks, as they are generally called. It is a very 
 good bait for codlings, poutings, &c., &c. A small 
 hammer should be used to break off the shell. The 
 claws and hard portions must be removed, and the 
 tail portion placed on the hook by entering the point 
 at the large end, bringing it up over the bend and 
 shank until the hook is covered. 
 
 Crabs and lobsters are generally found where pro- 
 jecting reefs and sunken rocks afford, amongst their 
 clefts and ledges, places of shelter into which they can 
 retreat in case of danger. Pew large crabs are taken 
 except in comparatively deep water, but small ones 
 are generally found in considerable numbers under 
 large stones, in the cracks between rocks, and in holes 
 formed by the wash of the tide. The male is to be 
 distinguished from the female by its tail being 
 broader. Like the lobster, it is exceedingly pug- 
 nacious, being constantly engaged in active warfare 
 with any antagonist bold enough to meet his attack. 
 In these engagements it very frequently happens that 
 one or two claws are either twisted or thrown off, as 
 it possesses the power of getting rid of a claw or two 
 when hard pressed or alarmed. Nature has provided 
 a curious and admirable means by which bleeding to 
 any extent from the divided vessels is prevented, as 
 by the very small surface exposed by the division of 
 the joint at its narrowest part, its substance rapidly 
 
82 SEA FISH; 
 
 contracts, closing the orifice. These losses are soon 
 restored by the formation of new claws, which shoot 
 out where the old ones are thrown off, which is always 
 at the joint above the injury. Several species of 
 crabs are to be found on our coasts, the most common 
 of which will be readily discovered by lifting loose 
 stones or masses of drift-weed. Forth darts a crab in 
 a state of great excitement and activity, with upraised 
 claws, ready to fight if needs be, but much preferring 
 retreat if practicable. These are generally found to 
 be the small green crab, uneatable, and of little use 
 except as bait for some kinds of shell-fish. There are 
 also several species of swimming crabs, which may 
 be distinguished by the hinder pair of legs being 
 flattened and oar-like at their extremities ; these are 
 of little interest to the fisherman except as a bait. 
 
 Crabs and lobsters cast their shells annually, and 
 during the process seek out some deep cranny in 
 which they may rest secure until a new coat of mail 
 renders them capable of contending with their cross- 
 grained neighbours. 
 
 Pair-sized crabs of the edible kind are often to be 
 obtained near low-water mark by searching for deep 
 crevices and clefts between the rocks and stones, in 
 which situations they will be found, and then with a 
 small iron hook at the end of a stick, mounted like a 
 gaff without the barb, extract the crab. Some little 
 dexterity is required to do this, as if not instantly 
 jsrked forth, he will so wedge himself into his hole by 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 83 
 
 raising the back, that, unless piece by piece is with- 
 drawn, it is next to impossible to bring him to light. 
 Some instances are related of persons in pursuit of 
 crabs being seized by the hand and retained, much to 
 their alarm and danger, from the rising tide, until 
 released by the efforts of their companions. The 
 large crabs and lobsters, such as are usually sold by 
 
 fishmongers, are caught either in trunk-nets or pots 
 (vide cuts), which are constructed much on the 
 principle of the eel-baskets or common wire mouse- 
 traps, and, like many positions into which frail 
 humanity but too often falls, are particularly easy to 
 get into, and just as difficult to get out of. These are 
 baited with fish offal, and sunk with heavy stones on 
 such ground as crabs and lobsters frequent, leaving a 
 buoy-line to point out their position and enable the 
 
 G2 
 
84 SEA FISH; 
 
 fisherman to draw up his trap. The crayfish, or 
 spined lobster, is caught by the same means as 
 described for the capture of the ordinary lobster and 
 
 crab, although, from the roughness of its shell, it 
 becomes occasionally entangled amongst the hooks 
 used in hand-line fishing. I have taken several in this 
 way when fishing deep on rocky ground. 
 
 Shrimps and Prawns. 
 
 Shrimps being far more numerous and generally 
 sought for than prawns, it will perhaps be well to 
 describe them, and the modes had recourse to for their 
 capture, first. But it must be borne in mind that many 
 so-called shrimps are really prawns, and it frequently 
 happens that during a few hours' shrimpiDg a fair 
 number of true prawns will be taken with the shrimps, 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 85 
 
 particularly if the ground fished over consists of bold 
 shelving rocks with plenty of overhanging slabs, 
 forming deep pools with clear sandy and shingly 
 bottoms. The true brown shrimp, or (as fishermen 
 call it) the sand-raiser, has the habit of darting 
 about on the sandy bottom and throwing up 
 clouds of fine sand, literally throwing dust in 
 the eyes of its enemies, and by so doing forms a 
 furrow in which it lies concealed, the falling sand 
 covering it and rendering discovery by its pursuer 
 exceedingly difficult. There are also red shrimps, 
 which are taken in immense numbers about the 
 mouths of many of our large tidal rivers. The shrimp 
 is exceedingly prolific, carrying its eggs about with it 
 until hatching time arrives. Several modes are had 
 recourse to for its capture ; some of the most usual 
 and successful it will be my duty to describe. 
 
 In shrimping jn pools, inlets, and hollows among 
 the rocks, a net (vide cut, fig. 1) should be provided. 
 The bag is composed of strong netting twine, of fine 
 mesh, and the upper two rows of stitches formed of 
 double twine. The ring is made of iron slightly curved 
 upwards, and proportioned in size and weight to the 
 strength of the person who has to use it ; about six- 
 teen inches long by twelve wide, for the ring, will be 
 found a fair average size. It should be made flat and 
 about one inch and a quarter wide, with a groove on 
 both its upper and under surfaces, which must be 
 deep enough to completely bury a stout copper bell 
 
SEA FISH; 
 
 wire, by which the bag or net must be secured to the 
 ring by holes punched at the bottom of the groove, 
 at equal distances from each other throughout the 
 circumference of the ring; by its being thus fitted, 
 
 the net and its lashing are protected from the sharp 
 edges of stones, which would soon cut it through if 
 unprotected. The handle should be about ten feet 
 long, and composed of well-seasoned ash. Have it 
 made with a bend as shown in the cut ; it is far more 
 easy to work with a curved handle than a straight 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 87 
 
 one. An ordinary fishing-basket will be found far 
 more convenient than either a bag or hand-basket, as 
 the former gets wet, constantly flaps against you, and 
 is inconvenient to put shrimps into, whilst the latter 
 is always in the way, requiring constant picking up, 
 and is liable to upset. The best dress for shrimping 
 I have found to consist of jacket, waistcoat, and 
 trousers of tweed the latter garment cut off just 
 below the knees ; wool shirt, long woollen stockings, 
 an old pair of shoes with any number of holes in them 
 (the more in reason the better, so long as they hold 
 together), and a wide-awake hat. Provide yourself with 
 a ball of stout twine for the repair of damages, which, 
 like the net, should be barked (see article " Lines "), 
 and a common pocket knife a good one would be 
 ruined in a few days. Never, if you can by any 
 possibility do without them, take either watch or keyg 
 with you, as salt water is by no means congenial to 
 either steel or watch-works. A small tough stick 
 about two or three feet long, with a fork at the end, 
 should be carried through the button-hole. This 
 will be found useful for stirring up and dislodging 
 such refractory shrimps or prawns as take refuge 
 between ledges and in holes into which the net will 
 not penetrate. The lowest spring tides when, as 
 fishermen say, a " great out " is made will be found 
 the best time, and the summer months the best 
 season. 
 
 Before entering a pool net in hand, it will be well 
 
88 SEA FISH; 
 
 to cast a sharp eye into every corner of it, as the 
 largest shrimps and prawns will be often seen crawl- 
 ing or swimming about, and can then be generally 
 brought to net; but, on the slightest alarm, away they 
 shoot to their places of strength, when some little 
 management will be required to get them out again. 
 All the hanging tufts of weed should be fished, and 
 every flat overhanging rock carefully examined, as 
 shrimps and prawns almost invariably get as high and 
 near the surface as possible on being alarmed. 
 
 The sand-raisers will have to be sought on different 
 ground: open stretches of smooth even sand are 
 favourite resorts, as are the mouths of estuaries and 
 tidal rivers. The net shown in cut No. 2 is frequently 
 used for taking them : this is pushed on before the 
 shrimper, just skimming off the surface of the sand. 
 Great varieties of curious and interesting marine 
 productions are brought to light from time to time by 
 both kinds of nets, and the aquarium may be often 
 enriched from their multifarious contents. 
 
 Prawns are taken in considerable numbers in 
 some localities by lift-nets. A bag-net is attached 
 to an iron ring baited with fish heads or other offal, 
 weighted with a stone, and suspended by three strings 
 like those of a scale-pan, which are attached to a line 
 with a bung float at the end. These nets are either 
 lowered from a boat on ground frequented by prawns, 
 or laid down and taken up by a long forked stick. 
 Some little care is required in lifting the net, as, if 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 89 
 
 not evenly and quietly done, the prawns are apt to 
 leave their banquet unfinished and take an abrupt 
 departure. Both shrimps and prawns are in some 
 localities found excellent as baits for salmon and sea 
 trout (vide article "Salmon"). 
 
 The Trawl, 
 
 The form and arrangement of which will be best under- 
 stood by reference to the annexed cut, is most ex- 
 tensively used on our coasts for the capture of fish of all 
 kinds, it being, in fact, a sort of " omnium gatherum," 
 into which all sorts of things curious and interesting are 
 swept; and for all ground fish, as they are called, it is 
 the most destructive net in use. The size and length 
 of the beam, capacity of net, &c., will vary with the 
 particular description of vessel used with it, but the 
 form and general arrangement are pretty much the 
 same in all. The large cutter-rigged trawlers carry 
 nets of as much as thirty-six feet beam. They are 
 composed of very strong twisted twine prepared for 
 the purpose; each end of the beam is shod with a 
 peculiarly formed iron, which aids in sinking the beam, 
 and keeping it in an upright and regular direction : 
 these are called the trawl-heads. Two ropes passing 
 right and left to the ends of the beam are called the 
 bridle, and by means of a block at their meeting are 
 connected with the trawl warps, or rope connecting it 
 with the vessel. In fishing with this description of 
 
90 
 
 SEA FISH; 
 
 net, advantage is taken of the habit which all fish have 
 of lying head to stream. The vessel is sailed with 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 91 
 
 the tide at the rate of about two or three miles an 
 hour. As will be seen in the illustration, the beam 
 to which the whole width of net is fastened is always 
 in advance of and above the foot rope, which being 
 heavy drags along the ground, disturbing and driving 
 the fish before it in their efforts to escape. A dart 
 forward and upwards is generally made, when, the net 
 from above keeping them down, the drift sends them 
 deeper into the bag. 
 
 "When it is wished to overhaul the trawl, it is hauled 
 up, its tail end opened, and the contents taken out. 
 
 Trawling is practised both by day and night. Many 
 of the fish treated on in this work, and great numbers 
 not usually fished for with the hook and line, and 
 hence not described, are the produce of the trawl ; and 
 to all those interested in the varied and beautiful 
 marine productions brought to light by its agency, I 
 would strongly recommend a trip or two in one of these 
 craft, the crews of which will be generally found 
 honest, obliging fellows, who may perchance wonder 
 at the anxiety manifested by the voyager touching 
 trumpery rubbish and trashy things, as they will call 
 them, but will nevertheless lend a hand to secure 
 what is wanted. Some strong wide-mouthed bottles, 
 wooden boxes coated inside with pitch, a pair of 
 forceps, and a fine hair sieve, should be taken on 
 an expedition of this kind, when much to enrich the 
 aquarium, drying-book, and museum, may; be con- 
 fidently expected. 
 
92 SEA FISH; 
 
 The Keer Drag, 
 
 Of which an illustration is given, will be found a 
 very useful net to those who are desirous of procuring 
 marine curiosities, and are not enabled to take advan- 
 tage of the facilities afforded by the trawl. It may be 
 made exceedingly portable, and can be taken easily 
 from one place of residence to another. Its cost of 
 
 construction will be very inconsiderable, and it is thus 
 made : A is an iron rod long enough when bent, as at 
 B, to leave eight feet for the mouth lengthways, and 
 sixteen inches in height for the side pieces ; the rings, 
 c, should be welded on in making, as should those 
 shown at E, through which a pole of any light tough 
 wood is thrust, and retained in its place by pins 
 through the ends ; this must be buoyant enough to 
 keep the frame always upright ; the bridle should be 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 93 
 
 adjusted as shown in the cut; the net must be made 
 of strong netting twine, and of fine mesh, particularly 
 towards the small end. The first three rows should 
 be of double twine. Secure the net to the iron (which 
 must be flattened, turned up slightly, and holed at 
 equal distances for the purpose) with copper bell- wire ; 
 that portion of it which comes above the bridle rings 
 and is attached to the pole may be secured with stout 
 twine. To use the " keer drag " comfortably, a stiff 
 roomy boat should be chosen; a strong tow-rope 
 should be fastened to the bridle, the net lowered 
 over the stern and towed steadily with the tide, until 
 supposed to have taken a sufficient quantity to be 
 worthy of examination, when the frame is hauled 
 up to the stern, the tail brought on board by a 
 string left for the purpose, untied, and the contents 
 shaken out, when another drag may be made in the 
 same way. About ten feet will be found a good length 
 for the net, which must not be, for the last three 
 feet, much larger than a fair-sized coat-sleeve. 
 This, like all other nets, should be well barked before 
 use, and occasionally during the season. Vide article 
 "Lines." 
 
 The Sean, 
 
 Although a description of net far too formidable 
 and costly to be owned or managed by any but 
 professional fishermen, may, from the vast amount of 
 
94 SEA FISH ; 
 
 wealth annually drawn from ocean's great treasury by 
 its means, prove a matter of interest to some of my 
 readers ; and few scenes are more stirring and 
 picturesque than seaning by moonlight in some wild 
 rock-bound bay or cove on the rugged coast of Corn- 
 wall. The pilchard fishery has, from very remote 
 history, been one of the principal sources of wealth to 
 the inhabitants of that county, the arms of which 
 are, a bar of copper, an ingot of tin, and, in a con- 
 spicuous place, the pilchard. "Tin, fish, and copper 
 for ever ! " say the Cornishmen. 
 
 The pilchard, from some inexplicable cause, has of 
 late years become far less abundant than it used to be. 
 Incredible numbers were taken, even admitting of the 
 " take " being calculated by the thousand hogsheads, 
 where comparatively few are now captured ; and in 
 many of the old fishing villages large ranges of cellars, 
 which were used for bulking, salting, and expressing 
 the oil from the fish, are now either vacant, or 
 appropriated to other purposes. Three boats are 
 requisite to work a sean with, viz., the sean boat, 
 which should be built with long flat floors to accom- 
 modate the net, and a good entrance forward, length 
 about forty feet, beam in proportion; the "volyer," 
 of the same dimensions as the first ; and the lurker. 
 The first of these boats takes the stop sean, of about 
 222 fathoms long by 12 deep, well corked at the 
 head, and leaded at the foot ; the second takes the 
 tuck sean, as it is called, which is about 100 or 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 95 
 
 120 fathoms long, and from 18 to 20 fathoms deep, 
 being so made that the centre may form a full 
 bunt; the third boat, or lurker, should be a sharp fast 
 boat, much less than the others, as it carries no sean. 
 About two or three and twenty men are required 
 to form a good crew for seans of this description ; 
 mechanics and workmen frequently engage during the 
 season, and receive, in addition to their wages, a share 
 of the proceeds. These boats, with their crews and 
 nets, betake themselves to some convenient spot, come 
 to an anchor, and look out for fish, being frequently 
 aided by some sharp-eyed comrade, who may be 
 seen perched like some watchful crow on a high point 
 of land commanding the offing. On the signal being 
 given thab a " schull " is in sight, all becomes bustle 
 and activity. The lurker is at once pulled off to the 
 supposed position of the fish, and ascertains whether 
 all is secure for shooting, and which way the fish are 
 heading. "When the signal to advance is given, on 
 comes the sean boat, as fast as strong arms and tough 
 oars can force her. Having hauled out the end of the 
 sean warp to the volyer, by which it is held fast, away 
 darts the lurker, bearing the master seiner, whose 
 sharp eye and experience in the movements of the fish 
 are both called into play when directing the move- 
 ments of the sean boat's crew, whose sinewy arms are 
 sending twine, rope, corks, and lead overboard at a 
 rate which would not fail to astonish the inexperienced 
 in the art : five or six minutes being often sufficient 
 
96 SEA FISH; 
 
 to discharge the whole net across and somewhat round 
 the fish. The net is now warped together by the two 
 larger boats, whilst the energetic lurker is engaged in 
 frightening the fish out of the few wits they have left, 
 by dashing the water and making all the disturbance 
 possible, thus keeping them from making a rush out 
 whilst the ends are being brought together and sewed 
 up ; and if a large haul has been enclosed, anchors and 
 mooring ropes are carried out, until it is convenient, 
 from the state of the tide, which should be low, to 
 tuck. The volyer is now called into action, passes in 
 over the corks of the stop sean, and shoots within; 
 when, if a large schull has been enclosed, a scene 
 follows which, when once witnessed, will not be 
 readily forgotten. Men furnished with flaskets are 
 stationed on the gunwale of the boat, and dip up the 
 fish, which are now brought to the surface in flaskets 
 full, glittering in their phosphorescent light like 
 molten metal: their plunging, fluttering thousands 
 causing a peculiar rushing sound differing from all 
 else I have ever heard, and, like " the jungle sound " 
 which comes stealing up as the sun goes down from 
 the great primeval forests of the tropics, leaves an 
 impression on the memory not easily effaced. 
 
 The Ground Sean 
 
 Should be possessed by every resident on the sea- 
 coast who keeps a boat and can command the services 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM; 97 
 
 of a man or two. It is a net constructed somewhat 
 on the principle of the tuck sean just described, but 
 very much shorter, and not so deep ; in fact, it may- 
 be made of length and depth to suit any particular 
 locality, as it will often happen that the mouth of a 
 brook or river emptying itself into the sea will require a 
 net just long enough to form a wide semicircular sweep 
 round it. Wide open stretches of sandy beach will 
 also be found particularly favourable for its use. The 
 warp at the pole end of the net should be left on 
 shore, and the boat containing the net rowed round 
 the space to be enclosed, it being rapidly handed out 
 by one man (taking care that the leads go first, and 
 that it is well stowed for shooting), whilst another 
 pulls. When the enclosure is complete, the other 
 warp is brought on shore, and the net with its 
 contents brought carefully to hand. A pole with a 
 heavy weight at one end is often used with an arrange- 
 ment of this kind to keep it upright ; splashing, as it 
 is called, may be practised with a net of this descrip- 
 tion, and can be had recourse to where the net could 
 not be landed. 
 
 It is thus done : Low water and a still calm night 
 should be chosen, and the nature of the ground 
 accurately ascertained. The " twine " should be first 
 wetted, and then carefully arranged at the after part of 
 the boat on a little oval stage placed for the purpose. 
 The desired space should now be enclosed as quickly 
 and silently as possible. Having dropped a heavy stone 
 
08 SEA FISH; 
 
 attached to the foot or lead rope as close to the bank 
 as possible, the other point of the enclosure being 
 reached, another stone is in like manner let go, 
 attached as the other was to the foot rope, taking care 
 that it is dropped as much shoreward as possible. The 
 boat should now be rowed backwards and forwards, 
 and as much splashing and disturbance as possible 
 made to drive the fish into the net ; when this object 
 is supposed to be attained, the net should be taken 
 up. This operation requires some little care : one man 
 takes the cork line, and another the leads, and by 
 keeping the latter well up, the net will be well 
 bunted, and all the small fish, particularly the ground 
 ones, will be taken. Great varieties of fish are some- 
 times taken in this way. These nets should be 
 occasionally barked, and frequently thoroughly dried 
 on a grass field, or line erected for the purpose ; and 
 before closing my remarks on nets, I would strongly 
 advise my readers to look on mice and rats as the 
 worst living enemies to nets when stowed away, as 
 with their sharp teeth the twine is cut through as 
 with shears, and converted into warm, comfortable 
 nests for their sharp-nosed progeny. 
 
 The Trammel, 
 
 For the use of a family residing near the sea, a 
 yacht's crew, or ship's company, is perhaps the most 
 profitable net which can be kept. It is easily handled, 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 99 
 
 requires no great art to lay out, and will last, with 
 care, for a considerable time. The finer the twine, 
 consistent with strength, the more readily the fish 
 will strike into and become entangled in the net. 
 Trammels vary somewhat in length and depth with 
 the localities in which they are used, but from 70 to 
 80 yards long, and from 25 to 30 feet deep, will be 
 found a convenient net to manage. These nets are 
 usually laid down in the evening, and taken up in the 
 morning. To shoot or lay it down, two persons are 
 needed, one to scull the boat slowly ahead, whilst the 
 other, first having thrown over a heavy stone and rope 
 to act as an anchor, proceeds to heave over the twine, 
 taking advantage of any run of current or peculiar 
 set of tide caused by the formation of the coast or 
 discharge of a river, so as to drop his net across the 
 most probable run of the fish. These, in their wander- 
 ings in search of food during the night, run their 
 heads through the mesh, and become entangled either 
 by their gills or pectoral fins. The trammel, like the 
 drift-net, hangs curtain-like in the water, and is best 
 use.d by night ; but, unlike it, is leaded at the bottom 
 sometimes sufficiently to considerably submerge the 
 corks. This arrangement is had recourse to in order 
 to stop the ground fish in water of considerable depth. 
 Buoy ropes are used to show the position of the net, 
 and a heavy anchor stone at each end to keep the 
 foot line extended. The best description of trammels 
 are those with a second or duplicate net, so to speak, 
 
 H2 
 
100 SEA FISH; 
 
 of very large meshes and a little stouter twine, over 
 the other net. By this arrangement large fish, in 
 striking against the meshes, drive the smaller through 
 
 O O * O 
 
 the larger, forming a pocket, out of which it is next 
 to impossible for them to get. Excellent nets of this 
 sort are made in France and Holland, and sold at 
 a very reasonable rate. After use it should be always 
 brought on shore and spread out in a grass field to dry, 
 all sticks and other substances carefully picked out, 
 and damages repaired. "When forming a part of a 
 ship's or yacht's equipment, it may be hung to dry in 
 the rigging. Immense varieties of fish are at times 
 to be taken in this way. 
 
 Flies. 
 
 The term fly is applied by sea fishermen to a 
 certain arrangement of feathers, wax, &c,, which I arn 
 about to describe the manufacture of, and which may 
 be used with considerable success in mackerel, basse, 
 and pollack fishing. I am not disposed to think, 
 however, that such baits are ever mistaken by the 
 fish which they are intended to capture for flies ; 
 but the number used, the way in which they are 
 mounted, viz., several on one trace, and the method 
 of their progress through the water, rather leads me 
 to the belief that they are mistaken for a number of 
 small fry, and treated accordingly. Hooks ]N"o. 5, 
 Limerick trout pattern, should be tied on strands of 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 101 
 
 stout gut with well-waxed silk. Finish off as shown 
 in the woodcut describing the modes of fastening on 
 hooks. Have your waxed silk long enough to work 
 back over the body. After securing the end of a 
 strand of red German wool at the tail, wind this 
 evenly round the shank of the tied hook. When 
 within a short distance of the head, secure the wool 
 and nip off its loose end. Cut a long pair of wings 
 from a white goose feather, lay them side by side, and 
 whip them fast at the head, fasten off, cover the silk 
 whipping at the head with melted red sealing-wax, 
 covering all the space 'between the wings and the 
 head of the hook, and the fly is complete. 
 
 Feathers dyed red are sometimes used with white, 
 mounted alternately. 
 
 Marks. 
 
 Too much importance cannot be attached to this 
 subject, as much of the fisherman's success or other- 
 wise depends on his practising his art where a suffi- 
 cient number of fish are to be found to be deluded by 
 it. Some particular spots are kept profoundly secret by 
 their fortunate discoverers, and much art and cunning 
 are made use of to deceive as to the whereabouts of such 
 places. Fishing grounds, as they are called, are formed 
 by carefully noting on the shore such conspicuous 
 objects as points of land, high rocks, buildings, or trees. 
 Bringing them exactly in a line by a third object, and 
 
102 SEA FISH; 
 
 then finding the offing by getting particular headlands 
 on the coast "just peeping " as it is called, or " wide 
 abroad." Great numbers of these combinations are 
 handed down from generation to generation, and are 
 known to every man, woman, and child in a fishing 
 village. "What are the marks for Hobbs' Hole you 
 may, for example, ask any urchin within the range of 
 the discoverer Hobbs, long gathered to his fathers ? 
 " Gull rock, and flag-staff over public-house chimney, 
 eastern land peeping, to be sure ; pretty fellow you 
 must be not to know that. Where did you come from ?" 
 This, or some answer very like it, would in all pro- 
 bability be given. A plan I strongly advise all my 
 brother fishermen to adopt is, whenever a good set of 
 marks can be discovered, follow the advice of honest 
 Captain Cuttle, and <f make a note of it" at once, as 
 of the particular day of the month and state of the 
 tide when unusually good catches are made. All these 
 things are worth logging down, depend on it, as fish 
 are very apt to change their places of resort with the 
 season and tide. 
 
 Sinkers. 
 
 These are very necessary appliances, usually com- 
 posed of lead, and vary both in size, shape, and weight, 
 according to the purposes for which they are required, 
 ranging from over sixteen pounds to ordinary-sized 
 duck-shot, known as split shot. The woodcut will show 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 
 
 103 
 
104 SEA FISH; 
 
 several of the most useful forms, which can be made 
 light or heavy by increasing their individual bulk, or 
 by fastening two together by methods explained by 
 the cut, the arrow giving the direction of the holes. 
 No. 1 is the lead usually used for chop-sticks, weight 
 from six to eight ounces ; No. 3 is the same descrip- 
 tion of weight placed face to face, when one is not 
 sufficient ; No. 2 is a light plummet sinker for light 
 fishing, weight from quarter of an ounce upwards ; No. 
 4 is a cross section of No. 5, to show its keel-like 
 edge and flat surface its form, when complete, is not 
 unlike a Brazil nut. These are made of all weights. 
 No. 6 shows two of these placed face to face, and the 
 way they are tied. A strong horsehair loop should 
 be passed through the hole at each end, and secured 
 by knotting and hammering in the lead. To these the 
 line is fastened by a couple of hitches at each end of 
 the sinker. Horsehair is the best material for this pur- 
 pose, as it is not liable to twist. A convenient method 
 of making most of these sinkers is as follows : For all 
 the small sizes procure a perfectly dry, sound Bath 
 scouring brick, and with your knife scoop and carve out 
 the shape of your sinker, fix small pieces of the taper 
 ends of tobacco pipes where the holes come by making 
 little holes for them to rest in. Take a ladleful of 
 molten lead and fill the moulds up. All the largo 
 sinkers are made with equal ease by placing two bricks 
 face to face, with one-half the mould on each side. 
 Fasten them together with twine, cut a small inlet, 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 105 
 
 and fill up with hot lead as before. Mark the weight 
 on them with any sharp-pointed instrument. 
 
 Basket. 
 
 The basket for boat-fishing should be of oblong 
 square form, divided one-third from the end by a 
 basket-work partition. Place the lines and other 
 gear in the small compartment, and the fish in the 
 large. Let your basket have a couple of coats of 
 paint when new, and it will be found exceedingly 
 convenient to stow away a rough suit of tweed, strong 
 shoes without nails, and a stock of woollen stockings 
 in, when you move from place to place. 
 
 Gaff. 
 
 Never start without your gaft, which for boat-work 
 should be made of a cod or hake hook, lashed fast 
 with waxed twine to a handle about two feet six inches 
 long, which is best made of ash or hickory. 
 
 Hooks. 
 
 Great disappointment and inconvenience is often 
 experienced in consequence of the different numbers 
 made use of to distinguish hooks of particular makes 
 being confused. Therefore it will be well, in ordering, 
 to observe the plan followed out in this work, and 
 
106 SEA FISH; 
 
 always state the kind and make. As, for example, 
 No. , Limerick, trout pattern ; No. , Whiting, 
 Portsmouth pattern ; No. , Kendal, trout pattern ; 
 No. , Erby, trout pattern ; No. , Sea. Most of 
 
 these hooks are to be obtained tinned by so ordering 
 them. They are preferred by some on account of their 
 not rusting so freely as the ordinary kind. Swivel- 
 headed hooks can be obtained by ordering them of 
 that form (vide cut). 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 
 
 107 
 
 Spoon Baits, 
 
 ingenious cousins 
 
 Whether invented by our very 
 on the other side of the Atlantic, or by the aborigines 
 of the Polynesian Islands, which has been rather an 
 open question, are exceedingly destructive baits for 
 
 u// 
 
 predatory fish of most kinds, whether inhabiting rivers, 
 lakes, or the sea. They are easily made by cutting 
 off the handles of albata-plate spoons of the size re- 
 quired. Drill a hole at each end, mount one end with 
 a strong loop and swivel, and the other with a double 
 
108 SEA FISH; 
 
 or triple hook, and your bait is prepared for fixing to 
 the trace (vide cut). The new spinning bait* is repre- 
 sented in the woodcut with the spoon, and is mounted 
 exactly in the same way. 
 
 Bait-Board and Knife. 
 
 A small piece of board should always be kept in 
 the boat to cut bait on, to prevent the thwarts and 
 seats from being made dirty, as they certainly will be 
 where no board is kept ; and a knife, such as shoe- 
 makers use for cutting leather, should be placed in a 
 little leather sheath nailed to the board, where it is 
 always at hand when wanted. 
 
 The Harpoon Arrow 
 
 Affords sport in the summer months, when mullet 
 or basse are at the surface, or immediately under 
 it. The woodcut shows the arrangement. The bow 
 should be short and strong ; and the arrow, which is 
 tipped with about four and a half inches of large sea 
 lish hook, heated in the fire, and bent straight, about 
 two feet four inches long. The shaft should be neatty 
 and securely fitted to the iron with waxed silk ; after 
 having bored a hole to receive its blunt end, at the 
 point marked A, a small loop of fine line is to be 
 
 * The new spinning baits arc to be obtained from Mr. Hear- 
 der, Buckwell-street, Plymouth, at 6d. each. 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM, 
 
 109 
 
 whipped on, to which the harpoon line, composed of 
 about thirty yards of very fine prepared line, such as 
 No. 2 or 3, should be attached. This may be coiled 
 
 up in a small bowl, with a ring in the bottom, to 
 which the inner end must be fastened. The arrow is 
 discharged in the usual way, the line being placed 
 outside the back of the bow, so as to hang down in 
 front. A little practice at apples or corks set float- 
 ing, will soon enable a moderately good shot with the 
 common bow and arrow to make pretty sure of trans- 
 fixing a moderate-sized fish. The point of the arrow 
 
110 SEA FISH; 
 
 should be filed exceedingly sharp, to prevent its 
 glancing off the scales. 
 
 Outfit to take Abroad. 
 
 Much will, of course, depend on the destination of 
 the emigrant or traveller. If he intends fishing in the 
 lakes and rivers of the countries to which he is about 
 to proceed, a variety of matters not within the sphere 
 of this little book would have to be obtained. Still, 
 with moderate ingenuity the matters I shall enumerate 
 will go far to enable him to follow his sport in most 
 places. The rod and winch I have described under 
 those heads will be found very useful for general pur- 
 poses, but if fly fishing is intended, other rods must be 
 procured (vide "Salmon"). One or two very strong 
 deep-sea lines, which can be used at sea for albacore 
 and bonita, and afterwards converted into head lines 
 for bolters. A few lines, round plait, from No. 5 
 to 9 ; a few large sea hooks, and as large a stock of 
 Limerick and Kirby trout pattern, all sizes, and Nos. 
 5, G, and 7 sea, Nos. 4, 5, and 6 whiting, Portsmouth 
 pattern, as can be conveniently stowed away, as any 
 not wanted for personal use are eagerly traded for by 
 the natives of most distant countries. A few dozen 
 swivels, No. 4, brass, and a few No. 5 " O," brass. 
 A coil of soft brass wire ; a tin box of cobbler's wax, 
 a good stock of carpet thread, and a few skeins of 
 strong silk. If not going vid Gibraltar or Malta, 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. Ill 
 
 some banks of clear round silkworm gut ; but if going 
 to either of tbe places above mentioned, a stock can 
 be laid in at a quarter the borne cost. A small fine 
 tennon-saw file, to sharpen hooks with. A well-made, 
 strong pocket-knife, netting needles, and meshes. A 
 few hanks of twine ; a stout pair of scissors, and a 
 stock of gimp of sizes. "Spoon-baits" can be made 
 and fitted up on the voyage out. 
 
 The manufacture of salmon and sea trout flies will 
 of course render necessary a number of matters in 
 addition to the above. Silks of different degrees of 
 fineness, colour, and quality both floss and twisted ; 
 Limerick hooks of various sizes ; cocks' and hens' 
 hackles, both dyed and of natural colours ; mohair dyed 
 of all colours, hare and mouse fur, gold and silver 
 tinsel, cord and braid (flat and round); feathers of 
 the ' turkey, blue and scarlet macaw, ibis, bustard, 
 golden and argus pheasant, grouse, galeno, and wild 
 drake, summer duck, and any others obtainable ; 
 German wools of all colours ; a pair of fine-pointed 
 scissors, a dubbing needle, and a pair of self-acting fly 
 pliers, will be required. 
 
 Preparation or Dressing for Round-Plait Lines, 
 Hemp or Flax. 
 
 Make a coil of your line, which should be bound 
 round in three or four places with thread ; take of best 
 glue half a pound, water a little more than half a pint, 
 
112 SEA FISH; 
 
 placed in a large pipkin or other convenient vessel ; 
 warm gradually until the glue is thoroughly dissolved 
 and quite clear, when your coil of line should be put 
 in and boiled for twenty minutes. Take out your 
 line, cut the bands, and lay it on the grass, a dry 
 day, of course, being chosen for the operation, ar- 
 ranging it up and down like the teeth of a large saw, 
 so that the strands shall not come in contact. In 
 about four hours it will be dry, when it must be 
 recoiled round the hand, and placed in a boiling solu- 
 tion of catechu ; half a pound of catechu to one pint of 
 water; keep boiling for three-quarters of an hour, 
 remove it from the solution, and hang it up to cool 
 for a quarter of an hour. "When cool, wash it well in 
 clear cold water, and dry for use. For this very ex- 
 cellent method of preparing the round-plaited hemp 
 or flax line, I am indebted to " "W". W.," a correspon- 
 dent to the Field newspaper, and I beg to congra- 
 tulate him and his brother fishermen on the discovery 
 he has made, as it is excellent of its kind, and far 
 superior to anything which has hitherto been made use 
 of for the purpose. 
 
 Finishing Varnish. 
 
 The durability and strength of fishing tackle is 
 materially increased by using the varnish, directions 
 for which I am about to give, to such portions as 
 are fastened with thread or silk, the fastenings of 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 113 
 
 hooks, loops, chop-stick ends, &c. Take of shell lac 
 half an ounce, naphtha two ounces, mix, and allow the 
 gum to thoroughly dissolve in the spirit ; keep tightly 
 corked for use, and apply when required with a small 
 camel-hair pencil, which should be secured with a 
 small stick to the bottom of the cork, when it will 
 remain soft, and be always at hand when wanted. 
 
 Knots and Hitches. 
 
 Some of the most useful will be found described in 
 the accompanying woodcuts, and some little time should 
 be devoted to learning them, as they are at all times 
 important to the fisherman. 
 
 The " clove" hitch is the most secure knot for fasten- 
 ing anything to a round stick, such as a mast or tent 
 pole. 
 
 The " bowline " knot is one in universal use among 
 sailors and fishermen, as it forms a loop which never 
 draws, and is the most convenient loop to tie when 
 a slip-knot is wanted, which is at once formed by 
 passing the free end through the loop. 
 
 The " timber " hitch is by far the most convenient 
 mode of securing stones to the ends of lines, or making 
 fast anything for lowering where an easy means of 
 casting off again is desirable. 
 
 The " gut " knot * is the one usually had recourse to 
 
 * The gut should "be always freed from flat or curled ends by 
 cutting them off, and soaked in warm water, or held in the 
 
114 
 
 SEA FISH; 
 
 CLOVE HITCH. 
 
 BOWLINE KNOT. 
 
 
 LOOP SLIP. 
 
 GUT KNOT. 
 
 TIMBER HITCH. 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 115 
 
 for fastening strands of silkworm gut together, or 
 making fast the ends of lines or strings to .each 
 other. 
 
 The "loop" slip is formed by two loops being run into 
 each other, and forms a most convenient and safe mode 
 of attaching traces to main lines and hooks to traces or 
 " booms." 
 
 A little practice on a couple of pieces of stout 
 cord would soon make the reader familiar with the 
 mode of tying all these knots, and when once ac- 
 quired is rarely forgotten. 
 
 Concluding Remarks. 
 
 Amongst the varied, interesting, and immensely 
 valuable stores drawn from the sea's treasury and 
 brought to light by the various modes described in 
 this work, as well as by others which, from their use 
 being almost exclusively confined to the professional 
 fisherman, have not been minutely described, there 
 are fish, mollusks, &c., &c., of kinds so varied, and 
 whose capture is so common to nearly all the general 
 modes laid down, that it would be difficult, if not 
 impossible, to separately deal with them, many, the 
 blue shark and various descriptions of dog-fish, often 
 proving infinitely more free than welcome: the 
 latter mangling the fish in the nets, entangling the 
 
 mouth for a short time, to soften it before being tied together, 
 by this or any other knot. 
 
116 SEA FISH; 
 
 lines, eating off the bait, getting hooked, and causing 
 endless trouble and vexation ; whilst the former, like 
 an insane tailor "running amuck" with his shears, 
 nips off the lines, for the mere fun of the thing, and 
 cuts the fish as easily out of the net by one snap, as a 
 fashionable milliner cuts a hole in a lace cap. 
 
 Then there are members of the family to which the 
 turbot belongs, viz., the halibut, brill, and sole, the 
 torsk, ling, and some others of the family Gadidse ; 
 with the thornback, the various skates, and others of 
 the family Raiidae. 
 
 The stingray, or trigon, a gentleman with a barbed 
 spike in his tail like a Sandwich Islander's spear, and 
 the electric ray, or cramp fish, are all taken by trawls 
 and bolters, as well as by other plans. The latter fish 
 has the power and, according to Humboldt, the will to 
 communicate electric shocks to surrounding objects. 
 This peculiarity appears to have been known to 
 physicians of very early ages, and it is not to be 
 wondered at that Pliny and others should have 
 greatly exaggerated its attributes. Like the gym- 
 notus, or electric eel of tropical America, its electric 
 power is no doubt highly important in procuring and 
 rendering its prey insensible, and more readily digested. 
 Representatives of the family Esocidaa there are, in- 
 cluding the garfish or gorebill (most truly "a long- 
 nibbed thing"), valuable as a bait; and the bright, 
 glancing, silvery flying-fish, so abundant in the tropical 
 seas, and well worthy of notice by the voyager. 
 
AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 117 
 
 An angler or fishing-frog there is also, of strange 
 unsightly form, but, like many such forms, marvellously 
 organised and strangely adapted to the sphere in 
 which it dwells, burying itself in the sand much after 
 the manner of the " sand-raiser." The long rod-like 
 spine with which its nose is furnished, and the 
 tempting bait-like appendage at its tip, being alone 
 visible to the prowling fish, who, allured by its 
 fluttering play, venture within the fatal grip of a 
 pair of jaws of no ordinary size and power. The 
 voracity of this fish is immense, swallowing incredible 
 quantities of flounders, plaice, soles, and other fish ; 
 your trammels and trawls will in some places become 
 encumbered by numbers of them. They are perfectly 
 useless, except as crab-pot bait or manure. 
 
 Oysters, scollops, mussels and cockles, periwinkles, 
 whelks, and limpets, are all by one mode or another 
 brought under the notice of the fisherman. On the 
 commercial importance of some of these shell-fish, as 
 they are popularly called, it is needless to dwell here, 
 the London market alone consuming them by ship- 
 loads, and paying annually for their obtainment sums 
 which seem all but incredible. To the naturalist 
 or collector of the beautiful and curious, few fields are 
 more wide and productive than that offered by the 
 study and examination of the denizens of ocean's 
 depths. 
 
 BRADBURY AND EVANS, PRINTERS, WHITEFRIARS, LONDON. 
 
WORKS ILLUSTRATED BY MR, JOHN LEECH. 
 
 In Three handsome Folio Volumes, price lls. each, 
 
 PICTURES OF LIFE AND CHARACTER, 
 
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 A LITTLE TOUR IN IRELAND. 
 
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 KlLLARNEY, GLENGARIFF, CORK, &C., &C., &C. 
 
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 Svo, price 14s., 
 
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