FISHING IN INDIAN WATERS. 545 



these were five grey cod, but all the rest were Lutianus, Another day, 

 Friday (if you please), Sept. 9th, 1887, was as follows. This is taken from 

 the diary of one who was in the boat : — " Arrived at Perim a.m. Went 

 ashore. In the afternoon went fishing with Mac A. and S. and G. Returned 

 after having had grand sport. All a red fish species, 123 in number. One 

 weighed 19 Iba. Many of us were unfortunate in losing hooks and several 

 good fish. Left Perim at 9-15 p.m. for Zeila,— Signed E. C." 



This speaks for itself. We were four of us in a large cutter, and when we 

 left off, the centre of the boat was nothing but a heaving mass of fish. The 

 total aggregate weight I kr.ow not as it was never weighed. The fish were 

 distributed among the ship's crew, and were most welcome, but I am sure that 

 I am well within the mark when I say that there was close upon 9001bs. of 

 fish. These were taken in some four hours or so by four of us, only one of 

 which used a rod, but I will never admit that the rod was one whit behind 

 the hand lines in the long run, and at any rate it accounted for the heaviest 

 fish. It was a glorious afternoon's sport. Bait to begin with was shrimps 

 and the soft parts of hermit crabs, but long before the end came we had run 

 out of bait, and were cutting up fish to bait with. The gear used was simple 

 ledger with a snood of two hooks. On the rod I used a paternoster, also with 

 two hooks one above another. 



And now before closing I would like to refer just once again to baits. Far 

 and away before everything else is the live sardine. Put carefully on the 

 hook, he will live a long time and roam well, and as it is the natural food of 

 the larger voracious fish, no wonder that it takes so well. But it is not 

 always to be had, and next to it I like a Blue Phantom, but they seldom make 

 them large enough, and besides that the triangles with which they are mounted 

 are for the most part worse than useless, A decent sized sea fish will crunch 

 up the average triangle as easily as a girl will eat a meringue, and I have 

 long given up triangles in favour of single hooks. At one time I used a 

 " Sarcelle" arrangement with very fair success, and after all the india rubber 

 bands I could lay my hands upon .vere used up, we used to carry on with 

 small strips of white cotton tape, tied on loosely enough to enable it to 

 " wobble " in the water. Almost any bright thing will attract the fish when 

 they are about, and it does not require any great ingenuity to dress up a lure. 



For bottom fishing you can get shrimp, hermit crab, cuttle fish, or squid 

 and many other sorts of shell fish, and if you are fishing off the steamer's side 

 in the evening, for anything you can get, and can induce the Chief Engineer 

 to give you an electric light over the side, you will find it will be a great help 

 to you in making a bag. It seems to wake up and attract the fish, and often 

 in the evenings after dinner when I have been too lazy to go further afield I 

 have had it rigged up and the result has been satisfactory. It is, of course 

 impossible in the course of an article like this to tell you exactly where to go 

 aud what to do, Only the general outlines can be laid down. If ever any of 



