Teignmouth
live sand-eel; Dartmouth, ragworm; Plymouth, artificial flies or pilchard; Looe and Mevagissey, pilchard; Padstow, sand-eel or green crab; Ilfracombe, rubber baits; Lynmouth, squid or herring roe; Barmouth, spinning bait; Tenby, ray's liver; Pwllheli, live sand-eel.
The method of fishing also differs remarkably in even adjacent localities. Thus, all the large bass are caught at Teignmouth from a boat drifting up the estuary on the rising tide, whereas at Exmouth, the next estuary up the coast, the boats are anchored in the tideway and the baits only allowed to drift. [For the black and white sea-bass of California, see article on TUNA.] Bream (Pagrus, &c.). - This is the collective name given to a large family of spiny, rock-haunting fishes distributed over the temperate and tropical seas of the globe.
With something of the same depressed flatness of the river bream, they are far more vigorous and less slimy, and the larger kinds give good sport. They are for the most part caught close to the bottom, on rocky ground, and with almost any bait, such as herring, mussel, or hermit-crab, but now and [SEA-FISHING then one is taken on the drift-line when fishing for pollack. The very small red bream are called chad, and are a nuisance in taking the baits meant for better fish.
Cornish fishermen give the name ballard to a red bream of a pound or so. The deepwater grounds off Brighton afford rare sport with bream in spring and early summer. [Very large red bream are the chief sporting fish of the sea-angler in the Sea of Marmora (see later) and in Australia, where they are called schnapper, or snapper. A tugboat is usually hired for a visit to grounds that lie twenty or thirty miles from Sydney Harbour, and large specimens are taken, but all on the handline. The black bream of Australian creeks is another favourite, and is caught on very fine tackle, the bait being shrimp, and the ground-bait cheese and other ingredients made into a compound known as "berley."] Cod (Morrhua).This fish is caught on rod and line in autumn and winter, either from the beach, mostly on the east coast, or from pier or boat. Deal pier has always been noted for its cod, and Felixstowe and Great Yarmouth also yield large fish each season. Sprat, herring, or lugworm is the most successful bait, and the tackle must of course, be strong. Though admirable food for those who like it, a cod gives very little sport compared with a bass or grey mullet of the same weight, though allowance must in fairness be made for the heavier tackle on which it is generally caught.
Conger (Conger). -The largest conger are, as a rule, taken on summer nights, anchoring the boat over rocky ground, and baiting with squid, pilchard, or herring.
The bait must be soft and fresh, and must lie quite still on the bottom. A little tide is an advantage, and moonlight is to be avoided. Some enthusiasts use a rod, but night fishing for such heavy fish is best done with the hand-line. The Cornish coast and the Channel Islands are both famous for conger, but there are also good spots on the coast of Cork, and Beechy Head gives large fish. There are a few deep-water grounds on which large conger may also be caught in the day-time, and the rod would be manageable under such conditions.
Dory (Zeus). - The John Dory, an ugly but delicious fish, is not, as a rule, specially fished for, but more often gorges a pout or other small fish that is being hauled on a small line, and then gives an anxious moment before it is got to the landing-net.
I caught one of 5 lb. one morning off Mevagissey on a large pilchard bait, while fishing for bream. That was the only dory I ever took on dead bait.
Gurnards (Trigla, &c.). These brilliant SEA-FISHING] coloured fishes, easily recognised by the large head and feelers, are caught on the sand, and take any bait of fish, mussel, or lugworm allowed to lie still on the bottom.
They give very little sport, and are only moderately appreciated as food.
Mackerel (Scomber). This is one of the most dashing fish in our seas, fighting for its life with marvellous strength and resource. The only consideration against it is its small size, as a mackerel of three or four pounds is rare. It may, like the bass, be caught by a great variety of methods, such as trailing a bait at the surface, on a drift-line some distance below the surface, and on leaded tackle at the bottom. It takes all manner of flies and artificial baits; it may be caught from piers with float tackle; and perhaps the best bait of all, either moving or at rest, is a piece of mackerel. This, when cut from the side of the tail for trailing behind a boat, is known variously as a "laske," "float," or "snade." The heavy "plummet" lines used by Cornish fishermen in catching mackerel for the market give little sport.
Half a dozen are used from a boat sailing quickly, and a fish is hauled inboard every moment. The amateur will get far more enjoyment in a rowing boat, fishing with an old trout rod and plenty of single gut. Very fine mackerel are caught from Filey Brigg by casting with salmon flies. A special method of catching these fish off Funchal, Madeira, is described later.
Mullet, Grey (Mugil). - Three kinds of grey mullet are recognised in British seas.
The grey mullet-for purposes of sport, they may be treated as one is a much coveted fish, for it is difficult to tempt, and no less difficult to play to the landing-net. Generally speaking, fine float tackle may be used, with some soft bait such as soft roe of herring, paste, macaroni, or ragworm. The method of fishing at Margate is described on a later page. Paste is used there, whereas at Littlehampton these fish are caught on a paternoster baited with ragworms. At Portland, where fine mullet have long been caught on rod and line, macaroni is preferred, and at Lynmouth anglers succeed best with soft roe.
Mullet, Red (Mullus). - This is an uncommon fish in the amateur's basket. I have caught only two in thirty years of sea fishing, and those on the same morning, and in the same half hour, in Tangier Bay. A number have, however, been caught on the English coast on rod and line. A small hook, with some soft bait, lying on the bottom on muddy ground near rocks, would have the best chance of success, but this is not a fish that the angler would deliberately try to catch.
Plaice, Dabs, and other Flatfish (Pleuronectes, &c.). These small-mouthed fishes, which live on the sand, may not afford great sport, but are excellent for table purposes.
They may be caught, on suitable ground, with small hooks baited with lugworm, mussel, or herring. Soles are taken chiefly at night, and not very often by amateurs.
Flounders may be fished for with float tackle and shrimp bait, and are also, of course, met with in rivers. Turbot (Rhombus) take a larger bait of herring or sprat, and are sometimes caught from piers. Very large halibut give sport to amateurs at Ballycotton and elsewhere in the south of Ireland. Pollack and Coalfish (Gadus pollachius and G. Virens). The coalfish practically replaces the southern pollack in Scotch waters, though their range overlaps considerably. They are, however, taken by the same methods, and may be regarded from the sporting standpoint as one. As these predatory relatives of the cod hunt their prey near the surface, they may be caught, particularly off rocky headlands, by railing or whiffing with live bait (sand-eel for choice), flies or artificial baits of rubber.
They may also be caught on the bottom, or on drift-lines, the best bait being herring or pilchard. The Cornish coast has famous pollack fishing. This is the saithe of the Scotch fishermen, and some of the finest coalfish I ever saw were specimens of between 15 and 20 lb., caught on hand-lines by the crews of the Whitby herring boats. some [Large pollack are caught in June and July in St. Ann's Bay and elsewhere on the coast of Cape Breton Island. There is in St. Ann's a lighthouse at the end of a long spit of sand, round which the tide races fiercely. The fish are hooked by whiffing along the beach, after which the angler may land and play a fish of 15 lb. or more from the shore, where it will give far better sport than if killed from a boat.] It Pout, or Whiting-Pout (Gadus luscus). -This is one of the commonest fish in our seas, the one to which most sea-anglers were entered in their schooldays. It runs to a weight of 5 lb. or more, but is more often taken weighing as many ounces. lives among the rocks and also frequents piers, and will take mussel, lugworm, or, indeed, any bait. When fishing for large pout in summer off the Cornish coast, the fishermen are careful to anchor the boat over their "splats" (or gullies in the rocks) with great accuracy, and the importance of such caution is soon realised by the fact that one line may be hauling them three at a time, while another, on the opposite side of the boat, is untouched. They feed best just after low water, and when they are biting furiously in twenty or thirty fathoms of I2 water, hand-lines should be used, as a rod not only wastes a great deal of time, but the endless reeling every minute is exhausting.
Scad, or Horse Mackerel (Caranx).- Amateurs sometimes catch, usually in company with mackerel, a grey fish, not unlike a mackerel in shape, but without its beautiful colouring, and further distinguished by the presence of a row of rough scales along the sides. It is useless for food.
Sharks.-(See separate article.) Smelt (Osmerus). This small relative of the salmon is caught in some estuaries on the east coast and elsewhere, but the little fish commonly so-called on many of our south coast piers is in reality the atherine (Atherina), which may easily be caught on a small hook baited with shrimp, mussel, or a fragment of atherine.
Whiting (Gadus merlangus). - This cousin of the cod is a great source of amusement for amateurs, who catch thousands in autumn and winter from piers and beaches on the east coast, or in boats all round these islands. Occasionally, ،، a specimen" of five or six pounds is authentically recorded, but the majority do not exceed a pound. When, however, whiting are on the feed, an hour's fishing is good sport. The best fishing of the kind I ever had was with some Basques off Biarritz. We baited with fresh herring, and the whiting were in incredible numbers.
Summer whiting fishing is best off the south west coast anywhere between the Eddystone Lighthouse and the Land's End, and the largest fish must be sought some miles from the land. In autumn and winter they come inshore with the cod and sprats, and are freely caught from piers and even in the estuaries of Essex rivers like the Crouch and Blackwater.
Methods of Fishing. - Reference has already been made to the growing tendency of sea-anglers to specialise. Speaking generally, and eliminating for the moment the arts of fly-fishing in salt water, which are practised only from Filey Brigg, and from one or two other headlands equally favourable, sea-fish are caught from the shore, from piers and harbours, or from boats, and the last-named may either lie at anchor on known fishing-grounds, or they may move, drifting with the tide, or propelled against or across it with oars, or sail, or even motor-power. The method to select depends on the kind of fish sought, as well as on the time of year and conditions of weather, wind, and temperature, all of which determine for the expert the exact manner in which that particular fish should be seeking its food. Bass, pollack and mackerel, for example, notoriously chase the [SEA-FISHING small fry close to the surface in fine, hot weather, whereas on colder, duller days they should be fished for closer to the bottom.
Some fishes, such as conger, never take a moving bait, save in very exceptional cases, but bass vary almost from day to day, and it would be quite useless to offer them artificial baits or live sand-eels at the top of the water, when, on the other hand, they might readily take a dead pilchard or a piece of squid lying on the bottom.
Hand-line or Rod? - A great deal of discussion, much of it unprofitable, has raged round the respective merits of the rod and hand-line in salt water, and, although the rod is the badge of the modern angler, the older hand-line continues to hold its own, even among a few experts of the highest order. My most recent experience of really artistic use of the hand-line was when bassfishing in Asia Minor, where two friends, who taught me all I know of those waters, use the hand-line, not, indeed, the coarse rope of English fishermen, but fine salmon line, with thirty feet of single salmon gut.
To play, as they do, bass of 15 and 20 lb. to the landing-net on such tackle is a far harder feat than to kill them on the rod, and the skill with which they humour these large bass is wonderful. The black bream fishermen of Australia use even finer hand-lines, actually rubbing the inside edge of their thumb and finger with pumice so as to make them more sensitive to the very gentle bite of those fish. My friend, Mr. Walter Shaw, of Salcombe, in Devon, used to catch very large pollack in this way, the advantage of the hand-line, which he worked on a large winch, being that he was thus able to row and fish single-handed, a combination difficult, if not impossible, to contrive with a rod.
The conditions under which the hand-line appears to me legitimate are: (I) when fishing at night, when the rod is very likely to be broken; (2) when fishing in deep water, when the constant reeling in of twenty or thirty fathoms of wet line is a very tiring job; (3) when catching mackerel from a sailing boat, when heavy leads are necessary that throw too great a strain on the rod; (4) when fishing for sharks.
As regards the respective killing powers of rod and hand-line, it may be pointed out that, used with fine gut tackle, the line kills many more fish than the rod, as it can be hauled and paid out far more rapidly than line on a reel. In fact, a competition, which was held not long ago under the auspices of the British Sea Anglers' Society, proved beyond all doubt the superiority of the hand-line so far as quantity was concerned, though the rod would unquestionably give the better sport.
SEA-FISHING] Size of Hooks. -A word may be said as to the best size of hook, an important matter in any kind of fishing. Too large a hook is apt to frighten the fish, though conger, pollack, bass, and sharks have large mouths and are not easily alarmed. Too small a I. 2.
SIZES OF Hooks. 3. 4. 1. Smelt. 2. Flat Fish and Pout. 3. Whiting and Mackerel. 4. Pollack and Bream. hook, on the other hand, is liable to be swallowed by the fish, and flatfish especially give trouble when the hook is buried in their throats. The actual sizes figured will be found ordinarily suitable, though the use of a particular bait may necessitate a larger or smaller hook. 66 Rod, Reel, and Line. It is not to be denied that, in spite of much discussion of the subject, the majority of sea-anglers in this country use far too heavy a rod and also too stout a line, though the use of an unbending rod renders it necessary to choose a line in keeping. It might have been thought that the light tackle enthusiasm of Santa Catalina (see TUNA) would have found its way into sea-fishing circles all over the world, but such, with a few notable exceptions, is unfortunately not the case.
The orthodox sea rod" gives no more play than a billiard cue. If only new recruits to the sport would hold themselves bound by no such traditions, but would boldly adopt trout and salmon rods for their sport in salt water, a real progress would be made. In Californian waters it is usual to kill fish of 40 or 50 lb. on gear no stronger than that which we use at home for seatrout, and if the sea-fisherman asks himself how often fish exceeding that weight are caught on our coasts, he will find it hard to understand the vogue of clumsy tackle.
It is, of course, possible to go to the other extreme and employ tackle so flimsy that the majority of the fish break away, probably taking with them a hook and enough line to handicap them seriously in the immediate future, and this is equally reprehensible. A few interesting special methods of fishing, which I have learnt in the course of my travels, will now be described, and those who fish only in their own district may find it possible to adapt these to local conditions with great advantage over older styles of fishing.
I. Drifting in Devonshire Estuaries for Bass. The sea-trout rod and line, with nine or ten feet of salmon gut, will be found to answer admirably for bass-fishing. Telarana, by the way, is less expensive and equally serviceable, and the tackle is completed by a swivel (to be attached between the reel-line and gut), a small pipe lead of + oz., which may be used above the swivel, and a single hook of the size figured. The one and only bait for this method of catching bass is a live sand-eel, and the accompanying photographs illustrate three stages in the process of baiting, which should make it clear. The hook is passed through the lower lip and hitched in the skin of the throat. Handled carefully by an expert, this manner of baiting, which should take. about five seconds, injures the fish so little that, unless seized by a fish, it will remain lively for twenty minutes even in a strong tideway. The sand-eels should be obtained from one of the shore seines which work all the summer along the Devonshire coast, furnishing a spectacle of great interest to seaside visitors. Where there is no seine, the sand-eels must be raked out of the wet sand near low-water mark, but this method of taking them not only calls for some skill, but also results in such injury that they are rarely of any use for bait. They are best kept either in a wicker courge, as used in the Channel Islands, or, better still, in a Sandeel Box BAIT BOX. triangular wooden box, which is perforated with holes and can be towed astern. The fishing is all on the rising tide, and these rivers run back to Dartmoor and Exmoor very swiftly. At Teignmouth the boat is allowed to drift as far as the bridge past the mud bank and alongside the vessels which load with China clay, but at Exmouth the boat is anchored just below the pier, and the line only is allowed to drift. A large bass-I was once so lucky as to catch two of 11 lb. and 94 lb. on two successive July mornings-takes fully half an hour to tire out in that run of water, and as soon as one is hooked, the boat should be worked [SEA-FISHING moored fore and aft across the tide, the angler facing Broadstairs or Reculvers, according as the tide is coming in or going out, always so that the float may swim away at right-angles to the boat. The groundbait is of bread and bran, and balls of it are dropped over the side before starting to fish. The hook is baited with a small piece of clean white bread paste. Some prefer to sweeten this with honey, or to flavour it with aniseed, but I never found this an advantage. Mullet bite very tenderly, and many a fish is lost in striking, which must be done the moment the float goes under. This, however, is not a matter for regret, as the paste is knocked off the hook and adds to the ground-bait, keeping the mullet on the spot. Every summer these fish, some of them 8 and 9 lb. in weight, foregather under the Jetty for the sake of the potato peels and other waste food thrown over daily from the refreshment rooms on the upper deck, but it is not more than ten years since they were regularly fished for in this manner, and the catches have been enormous. As soon as a fish is hooked, it must at all costs be kept away from the piles, and this necessitates keeping the butt of the rod well up and BAITING WITH LIVING SAND-EEL (i). into the shallows, not only to hamper the fish, which is at its best only in the deep, swift water, but to be out of the way of other boats that are fishing over the same ground. 2. Float-fishing for Mullet at Margate. -Another very specialised sport is Mr.
Gomm's method of catching grey mullet from a boat moored under Margate Jetty, and in his company I have taken several good fish. With slider float, careful plumbing of the depth, and generous use of ground-bait, this is, in fact, more like fishing in the Thames or Trent than any other sport in salt water. The principle of the slider float will be realised by a glance at the accompanying diagram. It is, in fact, the only float that can be used in water that is much deeper than the length of the rod, for the fixed float would be arrested at the top ring in reeling in, and the fish could not be brought to the landing-net. A stiff bristle or a piece of rubber band, which moves up the line, determines the exact depth at which the hook shall present the bait. It will not pass through the ring of the float, but it goes through that of the rod, when the reel is wound in, while the float runs down to the hook. In this mulletfishing under Margate Jetty, the boat is BAITING WITH LIVING SAND-EEL (ii). putting the utmost strain on the tackle that the single gut will stand. It is exciting sport, and the best fisherman gets the most prizes, which is not always the case in sea- SEA-FISHING] fishing, or, indeed, in any other. At the same time, it is most enjoyable when the tides serve for fishing between daybreak and breakfast, as later in the day the Jetty is apt to be patronised by a crowd that is not at all times respectful to fishermen.
Rock-fishing at Filey Brigg.-In Australia, where, within easy distance of Sydney and some other cities, there is deep water close up to the cliffs, rock-fishing takes the place of our pier-fishing at home, and is very popular, particularly as there is no fresh-water fishing of any kind in the neighbourhood. There are, moreover, a number of much-esteemed Australian sea-fish, among them the grouper and teraglin, which are rarely caught elsewhere than from the rocks. In Great Britain the opportunities of rock-fishing are few and far between.
There are spots in Cornwall and near Aberdeen, but the headquarters of this fishing may be found on the coast of Yorkshire and particularly round Scarborough, where many fishermen assemble on Sundays at Cloughton Wyke and Scalby Ness and fish for cod and coalfish (locally called billet), using short rods, immense reels, and scallops (or "Queen Oysters," as they call them) for bait. These Scarborough rockfishers throw out some distance, and a small bell at the top of the rod announces when a fish is biting. They have to use very strong tackle, with peculiar leads, as the fish must then be dragged in over perhaps thirty or forty yards of rocks. It is, however, at Filey Brigg, a curious natural pier or breakwater, that this rock-fishing assumes its most artistic form, for cod, mackerel, and billet are caught here by casting with salmon flies, and the fish may be seen dashing at the baits in the clear water close to the rocks.
Drift-line Fishing for Pollack in Cornwall. Cornwall is the county for big pollack, and many of these fish are caught each season weighing 15 lb. and over, though the 24-lb. fish caught many years ago by Lord St. Levan still, I believe, holds the record. The favourite method of summer fishing is the drift-line, and it can without difficulty be adapted to the rod, all that is necessary being to use the peculiar Cornish lead here figured. The method of attaching it to the line and of throwing it out so that the hook does not foul it is peculiar. It may be learnt in a few minutes from one of the local fishermen, but is difficult to explain. As a matter of fact, the secret lies in first letting the hook drift clear, and then throwing the lead against the tide with a curious twist. The boat is anchored over the rocks in from ten to thirty fathoms of water, and on the outer grounds, where the pollack run largest, fishing will be found possible only at slack low water, and for at most an hour after. The drift-line proper carries no lead at all, and is simply paid over the side, and the baited hook allowed to drift with the tide, but as the effect is virtually the same when a small lead is used in a strong tide, I have included both methods under the one head. Large bream are often taken on this tackle, as BAITING WITH LIVING SAND-EEL (iii). they live on the same ground as the pollack.
The precise whereabouts of the grounds for pollack or other stationary fish is found by taking its bearings with marks on land. A solitary tree in line with the edge of a coastguard station; then, perhaps, elsewhere on the shore, a lighthouse in line with a church steeple; these and similar fixtures are invaluable to our fishermen all round the coast.
Mackerel-fishing at Madeira. - Mackerel and scad swarm all the summer in the clear water off Funchal and Cama de Lobos, and they are caught in a peculiar and interesting fashion. The boats, each with three or four Portuguese fishermen, anchor in close order on one of two grounds, and then comes the process of chopping up the ground-bait, which is tunny. This is done on boards, and makes a noise that can be heard a mile away. It could be chopped ashore, but the natives insist that it attracts the fish each evening to the spot. Short cane rods are used, with a line fastened to the top, and a single hook baited with a cube of tunny. A handful of the chopped ground-bait is thrown into the water every few minutes, and all hands begin fishing at sunset. As the mackerel do not come right to the surface until after dark, but feed six or eight feet beneath it, the rods are first held vertically under water, and it requires practice to hook such quick biters with the rod in that unaccustomed position. Later on in the evening, however, the fish come boldly to the top, and the rods can then be held in the ordinary way. As each fish [SEA-FISHING a curious background for sea-fishing. The bait is a bunch, or tassel, of live shrimps, which can be netted close to the fishinggrounds, and it is necessary to use twenty or thirty feet of single salmon gut, as the water is very clear, and the sun very bright, ev even at that early hour. Moreover, the native fishermen have accustomed the fish to fine tackle, and the gut is kept carefully polished by rubbing it in a cigarette paper between the thumb and finger. Every yard of it is treated in this way each morning a b C ACTION OF THE SLIDER FLOAT.
A. Showing difficulty with ordinary float in deep water. B. Slider float in action.
C. Slider float in action when a fish is being reeled in. is hooked it is flung over the fisherman's shoulder and drops into the boat.
Bass- and Bream-fishing in Asia Minor. -The bass, though held of slight account as a table fish in this country, is esteemed in Constantinople (where it is known as levrak) second only to the red mullet, and fetches a shilling the pound. It grows to a greater weight on that coast than in British seas, and I caught several of 17 lb. and many more of between 12 and 15 lb., all on an old trout-rod in the Gulf of Ismidt.
The best fishing is in May and June and soon after daybreak, and the method is trolling from a rowing-boat, in shallow water close to the reeds in which black buffalo are wallowing and frogs croaking, before fishing. The only two Englishmen who catch bass on those shores for sport, Messrs. E. and K. Whittall, use hand-lines with forty feet of single gut. These bass are also caught at night with live bait. The shrimp bait must be jerked every few moments so as to make the shrimps kick, and it sometimes happens that a bass is hooked in this way.
The large bream (known as merjan, or coral-fish) are caught in quite different fashion on the petra, a rock about three miles off Pendik, the exact whereabouts of which is known to only a single fisherman named Yanni, who baits it regularly with dead crabs three or four times a week, beginning a fortnight before the fishing, which starts with the last moon in June. The fishing, which is all done on moonlight nights, between the hours of IO p.m. and 2 a.m., is with horsehair lines and a zokka hook, a local pattern soldered in a kidneyshaped lead kept bright by continuing polishing with quicksilver and chamois leather. The bait is three or four crabs SEA-FISHING] strung on the hook, and the bream, which grow to a weight of over 20 lb., fight hard.
CORNISH LEAD. [For the substance of these notes, as well as for the photographs, I am indebted to the kindness of Messrs. Vernon Hooper, Romer Robinson, H. E. B. Brooking, and D. Sloan, of Durban, Natal.] In South Africa. - The conditions for boat fishing in the open sea are not favourable on a coast which receives the full force of the Indian Ocean, as all manner of craft are compelled to give the land a wide berth, so that the open boats that provide fish for the market have to fish in depths up to forty fathoms, and can rarely anchor.
Hand-lines are therefore used, and the only fish to give sport at such depths are "mussel crackers" and an occasional barracouta, which fights at the surface. The best boat fishing, however, is in the estuaries and lagoons, where lighter tackle, with even fly-rods for the smaller kinds of fish, can be used with advantage. Among the fish caught in lagoons are the KABEL- JAAUW up to 100 lb., bony-fish up to 15 lb., and rock-cod and grey mullet up to to 1b.
The baits used in these localities are mudprawns, razor-fish (locally, "pen-knife bait"), small fishes, smoked herring, and even, on spots where the refuse thrown overboard from ships has created a taste "MERJAN"-FISHING IN THE SEA OF MARMORA. for such fare, boiled mutton or beef. For the grey mullet, which are apparently as uncertain here as elsewhere, paste is, on the whole, the most successful bait, but these fish also take fish liver, shrimps, and small pieces of fresh fish boned.
More characteristic, however, of Cape waters is fishing from the beaches, either on sandy shores in the surf, or in deeper water from the rocks. As the shore-hunting fishes run (including sandsharks) up to several hundred pounds in weight, the most powerful tackle is necessary, including a "KABELJAAUW'' (90 LBS.), CAUGHT AT EAST LONDON, CAPE COLONY. native bamboo, which is all but unbreakable, Nottingham winch with two or three hundred yards of line, a hook on steel wire (or, for the smaller kinds, on single gut), and a sinker of from four to eight ounces to keep the bait out in the surf. The baits preferred for this surf-fishing are shad or mulled, cuttle, octopus, or crayfish, though in the winter months (June-August), when the sardines come inshore, nothing will beat a fresh sardine. Local anglers cast the bait fifty yards or more, and when a heavy fish is hooked, a couple of hundred yards may be pulled off the reel without more ado, and the fight is likely to last for several hours, with burns, blisters, and torn clothing into the bargain. Among the notable fish caught by beach fishermen of late years, mention may be made of the following:- Shark, 459 lb.; skate, 134 lb.; "salmon," 78 lb., "mussel-cracker," 67 lb.; and sawfish (on single gut), 41 lb. The following brief list of some valued Cape fishes, with the scientific names, will facilitate identification of those mentioned [SEA-FISHING above, and also indicates the weight to "jacks," are also a favourite bait for codwhich they grow :- BARRACOUTA (Sphyrana) up to 70 lb.
GARRICK (Lichia) up to 50 lb.
BRUSHER (Sargus) up to 15 lb.
GRUNTER (Pristipoma) up to 15 lb.
KINGFISH (Caranx) up to 120 lb.
MOONFISH (Trachynotus) up to 3 lb.
POMPANO (Trachynotus) up to IO lb.
PRODIGAL SON (Elacate) up to 30 lb.
SALMON or KABELJAAUW (Sciana) up to 100 lb.
SAND-SHARK (Rhynchobatus) up to 500 lb.
SHAD (Temnodon) up to 12 lb.
SNOEK (Thyrsites).
SPRINGER (Elops) up to 15 lb.
STEENBRAS (Pagellus) up to 60 lb.
STOMPNENS (Chrysophrys).
Notes on Baits. - A great variety of baits, both natural and artificial, may be used in the sea, and the following brief remarks refer to those chiefly employed on our coasts.
Crab.-Shore crabs, particularly the green crab that has cast its shell, are excellent bait for bass, bream, and other fish. They are, as has been said, the only bait used for the big bream of the Sea of Mar- MUSSELCRACKERS (32-49 LBS.) CAUGHT OFF THE ROCKS AT DURBAN. mora, and they are the most killing bait for bass at Littlehampton, Weymouth, and Padstow. Hermit-crabs, known at Ramsgate as farmers," and at Sheringham as ،، ling and flat-fish.
Cuttlefish and Squid. - Washed clean of their ink, and beaten until soft, these are perhaps the best bait for conger, and are also used at Seaton, Lynmouth, and elsewhere for bass. (MUSSELCRACKERS (36-54 LBS.) CAUGHT ON LIGHT TACKLE IN THE SURF FROM A BOAT.
Herring, Mackerel, and Pilchard. All these are admirable baits for bass, pollack, and conger, as well as for whiting and other small fish. In Cornwall, the fishermen use a deadly combination of a strip of pilchard with another of mackerel, as the soft pilchard is first pulled off the hook, and the fish returns for the tougher mackerel, and is caught. In railing or whiffing for mackerel, the best bait is that cut from the side of a mackerel's tail with a very sharp knife, and known as a "laske," "float," or 66 snade." It is pear-shaped, and should hang from the bend of the hook as shown in the drawing. The other drawing shows the two styles of baiting with a whole pilchard for bass and pollack, as used in Cornwall. For the bass, the head and tail are removed, and the soft parts left inside: for pollack, a cut is made in one side, and the bone and internal organs taken out.
Lugworm and Ragworm. The lugworm, which must be dug out of the sand at low water (by no means an easy performance, as it burrows with great rapidity on being disturbed), may be used whole or broken, and is a deadly, if unpleasant, bait for codling, pout, whiting, and flatfish.
Ragworms, including the immense "king ragworm," and the smaller kinds found in the mud of estuaries and harbours, together with the nereid worm, which hides in the shell of the hermit-crab, are among the best baits for pollack and grey mullet. An allied nereid worm is found round Dover in the soft rocks. All these worms are best kept alive in shallow trays of wet sand or SEA-FISHING] green weed, and they should always be kept in the shade.
Macaroni and Paste. These are used for grey mullet at Margate, Weymouth, and a few other places. The macaroni is boiled until soft, and the paste is made of bread. Some flavour or sweeten it, but this is unnecessary.
Mussel. With the possible exception of the lugworm, this is the best all-round seabait, and there are few fish, great or small, that will not take it. Opening mussels is a knack, not, however, difficult to acquire, and there is even more art in putting them properly on the hook. Scalding makes them tougher, and, therefore, easier to bait with, but it also lessens their attractiveness. ،، it largely, call the process "chumming," the origin of which no American seems to know. The Portuguese of Madeira chew a live crab and spit pieces of it round the float with wonderful accuracy. The berley" used in Australia to attract black bream is a disgusting mixture of tinned salmon and common cheese, and an equally offensive compound, in more liquid form, is used by the Levantine fishermen of Asia Minor when fishing at night for sargos, a large black bream externally not unlike the Australian fish.
Artificial Baits are made in a variety of patterns, rubber entering largely into their construction. They are often used with success in whiffing for bass, pollack, and SURF-FISHING ON THE COAST OF NATAL.
Sand-eel. These are best obtained from the shore-seines. Where these nets are not used, the sand-eels may sometimes be raked out of the wet sand just above low-water mark with an implement like a hoe. The method of baiting with them for bass in a tideway has been figured and described, and they may also be used (for whiting) cut in pieces. The coarser green launce are inferior as bait.
Shrimp and Prawn. -These, used alive, as at Selsey and elsewhere, are killing baits for bass and pollack. Except in Turkey, where a bunch of live shrimps are used for bass, the hook is usually baited with a single shrimp or prawn, which may be hooked through the tail.
Of Groundbait something has incidentally been said. It should often more properly be called surface bait, as it is merely thrown in the water and must be devoured, by the fish long before it reaches the ground. The American fishermen, who use mackerel, and are, for obvious reasons, far better than natural bait, being cheaper, cleaner, and time-saving. As much of their attractiveness depends on their spinning freely in the water, they are generally used with a brass swivel (steel swivels rust and clog after exposure to salt water), either on the bait itself or at the juncture of the reelline and gut. Two of the commonest kinds, the baby spinner and rubber eel, are figured, and there are many other patterns of rubber bands, soleskin baits, and spoons in use as well.
BRIEF NOTES ON FISHING RESORTS ROUND THE ENGLISH COAST FROM TWEED TO SOLWAY.
I have, since the first edition of this encyclopædia was published, fished at all of the following places on the coasts of England and Wales, and the information may be relied on as acquired at first hand.
NORTHUMBERLAND.
Berwick-on-Tweed.-Ground-fishing for codling, whiting, and small haddock. Bait, herring. The ferryman knows the best grounds, but cannot always get away from his duties.
Alnmouth. Ground-fishing at the mouth of the river. Bait, herring or lugworm.
Very fine fishing near the Farne Islands, hiring boat at Seahouses, between Alnmouth and Berwick. The local fishermen use jiggers without bait of any kind. a Cullercoats. Rock-fishing with float tackle for whiting and codling. Bait, mussel. An eye should be kept on the rising tide, which is apt to cut people off from the shore unless watched. Boats on the rough ground use a sandbag for anchor.
YORKSHIRE.
Whitby.-Large coalfish out with the herring-boats. Whiting round the Bell Buoy. Boats do not anchor, but drift over the ground. Bait, mussel. Boats anchor off Sandsend for codling. Bait, green crab.
Robin Hood's Bay. - Codling and whiting.
Baits, lugworm and herring.
Scarborough.-Codling and coalfish from the rocks at Cloughton Wyke and Scalby Ness. Bait, scallop or mussel.
Redcar. Coalfish and codling in boats.
Bait, lugworm or herring.
Saltburn - by - the - Sea. - Mackerel and whiting from the pier, codling and coalfish in boats. Bait, green crab.
Filey. Fly-fishing or bait-fishing from the Brigg for coalfish, cod, and mackerel.
Boats anchor for large dogfish.
Bridlington. Boats anchor off Dane's Dyke for flatfish and codling. Baits, mussel for codling, or lugworm for flatfish. The bay is usually smooth, and local boatmen take out parties in their cobles at a small charge per head.
NORFOLK.
Sheringham.-Bass from boats. Bait, hermit-crab.
Cromer. Pout and flatfish from boats.
Bait, mussel or lugworm.
Great Yarmouth. - Whiting and codling in autumn from both piers, where a charge is made. Bait, lugworm. Also from the beach and from boats.
SUFFOLK.
Lowestoft. Whiting and cod from the piers in autumn (a charge is made), also from the beach. Bait, lugworm, and herring.
Southwold. Whiting and cod in autumn from pier or boats. Bait, lugworm.
Aldeburgh.-Bass in summer, railing out [SEA-FISHING on the bar with artificial bait or live sandeel. Also bass from the beach, baiting with lugworm. Whiting and codling from boats.
Felixstowe. Bass from the pier or from boats. Bait, ragworm. Also by railing with artificial baits. Codling and whiting from the pier in autumn at the mouth of the harbour. Bait, herring.
ESSEX.
Walton-on-Naze. --Bass in summer. Bait, herring or mackerel. Codling and whiting in autumn.
Clacton-on-Sea. - Bass from the pier at night in July and August. Bait, shrimp or fresh herring. In autumn, whiting and codling from boats.
Maldon-on-Blackwater and Burnham-on- Crouch.-Whiting and codling in autumn from boats. Bait, lugworm. The tides run very strong in these Essex rivers, and should be studied beforehand to avoid disappointment on a short visit. KENT.
Herne Bay. Bass by casting from the pier with artificial baits. Large dogfish (up to 50 lb.) from boats.
Margate. Grey mullet from boats under the jetty (see above). Bass by railing off the Ness, with sand-eel or artificial flies. "BABY SPINNER."
INDIA-RUBBER BAIT.
Ramsgate.-Bass from the sea front, just below the Granville. Bait, sand-eel or herring. Boat fishing for whiting, codling, &c. Bait, lugworm. There is good ground by the South Fairway Buoy, where the whiting and codling run large in autumn and spring.
Bait, hermit crab.
Deal.-Pier fishing for pollack, whiting, and cod. Bait, ragworm, lugworm, or sprat. Boat-fishing in autumn for cod and whiting.
SEA-FISHING Dover.-Pollack and codling. Bait, lugworm or sprats. Pollack from the piers. Bait, rockworm.
Folkestone. Bass at night in July and August from the beach. Bait, herring.
Pollack, codling, &c., from the railway pier; bait, lugworm or herring. An angler-fish has been caught from the pier on rod and line. Boat-fishing for whiting and flatfish.
Bait, lugworm.
Dungeness. Fishing from the rocks for whiting, codling, and conger. Bait, lugworm, mackerel, or herring. SUSSEX.
Hastings. Bass in July and August from the beach opposite the Castle Hill. Bait, Littlehampton.-Grey mullet and bass from the piers, or from boats moored alongside. Baits, ragworm for mullet, and green crab for bass. Also bass up the river at Arundel. Bait, a live roach. Good fishing outside for whiting and conger, several miles from the land.
Selsey. Bass and pollack in boats and from the beach. Bait, live prawn.
Chichester Harbour. -Bass. Bait, sandeel or live prawn. Grey mullet, Bait, ragworm. HAMPSHIRE.
Southampton.-Bass and mullet, mostly small, from the quays. Bait, ragworm.
Whiting near the buoys. Bait, lugworm.
HAULING IN THE SAND-EEL SEINE, TEIGNMOUTH. the tail of a herring or mackerel. From the harbour works fishing for conger, codling, whiting, &c. Bait, herring. Also from the other piers. Boat-fishing on various grounds for cod, whiting, flatfish, &c. Bait, lugworm, mussel, herring. Eastbourne. Bass by railing off Beachy Head with artificial baits. Also large conger at anchor. Bait, squid or herring.
Newhaven. - Bass from the breakwater. Bait, live prawn.
Also by railing with artificial bait. Large conger.
Brighton.-Bass from the piers and beach. Bait, squid or herring. Bream in deep water "LASKE" FOR in spring and summer. Bait, herring or mackerel.
MACKEREL.
Shoreham. Bass in the harbour. Bait, live sand-eel.
Worthing. Bass opposite the parade.
Bait, wrasse.
Isle of Wight: Ventnor.-Bass off St.
Catherine's Lighthouse, railing with artificial baits. Grey mullet from the pier. Bait, paste or ragworm. Cowes. Small bass from the slip. Small whiting and codling round the buoys. Christchurch. - At Mudeford, in boats, bass, pollack, &c. During the floods of December, 1910, the estuary altered its course for the first time in thirty years.
The grey mullet fishing is now no longer available.
Bournemouth. - Bass from the pier after rough weather. Bait, fresh herring. Boatfishing on various grounds for whiting, flatfish, &c. Bait, mussel. DORSET.
Poole. Bass at night from Hamworthy Bridge. Bait, live shrimps.
Lulworth Cove. - Pollack, railing alongshore. Bait, ragworms from Weymouth. Weymouth.-Bass and grey mullet from the Passage Bridge. Baits, squid, shrimp, and green crab for bass; paste or macaroni for mullet.
Lyme Regis.- Bass and pollack, from boats, in the evening. Baits, live prawn and ragworm.
DEVONSHIRE (SOUTH).
Seaton.-Bass from the bridge. Bait, green crab or squid. Also by railing with flies or artificial baits. Large pollack, bream, and conger on the rough ground outside.
Sidmouth.-Bass from the beach. Bait, fresh herring.
Budleigh Salterton. - Bass from the beach; bait, herring. Boat-fishing for pollack off Straight Point.
Exmouth. Bass in the estuary. Bait, live sand-eel. Boat anchored below the pier.
Teignmouth.-Bass in the estuary. Bait, live sand-eel. The boat drifts up with the tide. Float-fishing for mackerel from the pier in autumn. Bait, mackerel.
Brixham. Bass from Berry Head. Bait, mackerel.
Dartmouth.- Bass from the rocks. Bait, ragworm. Conger. Bait, squid.
Salcombe. Pollack off Bolt Head.
Plymouth. Bass and pollack from the rocks at Penlee Point, casting with flies or spinner, or baiting with pilchard. Pollack and grey mullet from the Hoe Pier. Bait, ragworm. Fishing mostly at night. Whiting out by the Eddystone. Baits, lugworm and herring.
CORNWALL.
Looe.-Bass in the mouth of the river.
Bait, pilchard. Pollack on the Binnen Ground, railing with a lamprey, or at anchor with pilchard bait.
Fowey. Bass in the river. Bait, green crab. Pollack, shark and large bream on the Tom Ash ground, eight miles from land.
Bait, pilchard or mackerel.
Mevagissey. - Boat-fishing on various grounds for pollack, bream, pout, conger, &c. Baits, pilchard and mackerel. Bass inshore near the Gwingeas Rocks and Chapel Point. Bait, pilchard. Large mackerel on the drift-line, with pilchard bait, or on the plummets.
Falmouth.-Bass from the rocks on the Castle side. Bait, pilchard.
Penzance. Pollack on the Coath Ground and elsewhere. Bait, pilchard. Large whiting on a ground near Mousehole. Large cod in autumn, and many sharks. worms, Scilly Islands. Pollack. Bait, rockor whiffing with rubber baits. Large skate, conger, &c., on the Pole Ground. Bait, squid and pilchard.
St. Ives. Bass from boats, railing with artificial baits, or at anchor with pilchard bait. [SEA-FISHING Newquay. Conger and skate on the Pells Ground. Bait, pilchard. Bass from the rocks. Bait, live sand-eel.
Padstow. Bass at the mouth of the river.
Bait, green crab or live sand-eel.
DEVONSHIRE (NORTH).
Clovelly.-Bass, railing with flies and spinners.
Ilfracombe. Bass, railing with rubber baits. Conger and pollack. Baits, lugworm and mussel. Boat hire is dear at this resort. a b CORNISH PILCHARD BAITS. a. For pollack. b. For bass.
Lynmouth. - Bass off the esplanade.
Bait, squid. Bass and grey mullet in the river with float tackle. Baits, soft roe of herring, live prawn, and green crab. Large skate and conger out on the West Weir Ground.
WALES.
GLAMORGAN.