The Mumbles
- Bass, pollack, plaice, and occasional grey mullet from the pier.
Baits, ragworm, lugworm, or herring.
Good boat-fishing off the lighthouse.
PEMBROKE.
Tenby. Bass, pollack, plaice, &c., from the pier. Bait, mussel. Large bass from boats in the tideway off Caldy Island, railing with a bait of bass skin, or at anchor with bait of ray's liver.
MERIONETH.
Barmouth. Bass by railing in the estuary with a bait of plaice skin. A few are caught from the viaduct.
CARNARVON.
Pwllheli. Bass in the lagoon. Bait, live sand-eel. Also railing off the island with artificial baits.
SEA-FISHING] MISCELLANEOUS HINTS.
Playing Heavy Fish. - The precise amount of "law" which should be given to a big fish is largely a matter of taste and circumstances. In the matter of taste, there is a wide range between the man who likes as much as possible of the cat-andmouse play with each fish, not using the gaff or landing-net until he has the fish absolutely dead beat, and the man who, using the stoutest of tackle, prefers, as soon as he has a salmon or other fish on the hook, to put the rod over his shoulder and walk inland till the fish is on the bank. The opportunities for this kind of butchery are obviously limited in sea-fishing, but the extremes of principle may always be adopted. It is chiefly a matter of what the tackle will stand. The correct thing is to gaff or net the fish as quickly as possible. A tarpon of 100 lb. should take about as long to kill on tarpon tackle as a bass of 17 lb. on a sea-trout rod. Writing from actual experience of both, I should fix half an hour as a fair time to allow in either case. Heavy pollack should, if possible, be kept off the bottom at all costs, as they are liable to get the line foul of the rocks or to take refuge in the weed. When, however, a big pollack or conger manages to sulk on the bottom, the angler may sometimes dislodge it by a simple ruse which apparently depends for its success on making the fish believe that it has broken the line. The plan is to jerk the rod or line, then throw over a fathom or two of slack line, and leave the fish alone for a few moments. In nine cases out of ten it will come out of its cave, and then it should be kept out.
On Sundries to Take in the Boat._ Many a day's sport has been spoilt, and many a needless risk run, through forgetting a few simple articles for the boat. To such obvious necessaries as food and tobacco, it is superfluous to draw the angler's attention, as he never forgets them. But of equal, if not greater, importance are a spare anchor and spare pair of oars in case of accident, a flask of brandy, a supply of court plaster, a compass, and some means of signalling (pistol with blank cartridge or police whistle) in case of sudden fog.
When Caught in a Fog. -The sudden fogs of our coast, indeed, are a worse enemy to the sea-fisherman than any wind, for, except a squall of short duration, which any seaworthy boat can, as a rule, ride out in perfect safety, gales do not get up in these latitudes (as I have too often seen them in the tropics) without ample warning. But fog gives no warning, creeping on the fisherman unawares when his attention is absorbed in his sport. What, then, should he do? If quite close to port, a matter, say, of a few hundred yards, it might be worth running in. But the better plan in ninetynine cases out of every hundred is to anchor until the fog lifts, and, if he knows himself to be in the track of larger craft than his own, he should at short intervals sound a warning by one or other of the methods referred to in the preceding paragraph.
Watch the Sea Birds. - When in pursuit of surface-feeding fishes, from tuna to mackerel, an eye should be kept on the movements of the gulls, terns, and gannets.
A solitary bird flying uncertainly over the sea is no clue to the whereabouts of the shoals, but a number, particularly if they are screaming and dashing at the surface, are always worth following, and a pair of Goerz binoculars will be found most useful in keeping account of their movements at a distance.
Weevers and Other Spinous Fishes.— The greater and lesser weevers, two dangerous little fish that live in the sand, are capable of inflicting a poisoned wound with the sharp spines behind the head. On no account should either be handled. They are more commonly caught on piers than in boats, and I have frequently advocated, always ineffectually, that those pier companies at any rate which derive income from charging for the privilege of fishing should be compelled by law to exhibit a coloured poster of these fish, with a suitable caution that would warn everyone unacquainted with their habits and appearance. Olive oil is said to alleviate the pain of a sting, but prevention is better than cure, and may be achieved by putting the boot on a weever as soon as it is caught and cutting out the hook with a knife. There are fishes in our seas, which, though not venomous like the weever, should be handled only with extreme care. Among these mention should be made of the spur dog, a dogfish with sharp spines in front of its back fins; and the bass and breams are also prickly fish.
Most of the sharks and dogfish also have a skin like sand-paper, and, as they also have a habit of curling round their captor's wrist, like eels, they are apt to abrade his skin and leave a raw place. This may be avoided by placing the foot on them while removing the hook.