CH. V.] SEA-FISHING USE FINE TACKLE. 71 



the matter himself, simply tells any boatman, 

 whom chance throws in his way, to have "hooks 

 and lines and all that sort of thing" ready, an 

 order which the man executes by looking out 

 some rusty old tackle kept for summer-visitors, 

 "they don't know no better," which he tells 

 him are "all right." He, taking for granted that 

 the boatman's tackle must be "the correct thing," 

 goes out, perhaps never looks at the hooks, which 

 are baited for him by the boatman, and comes 

 back with two or three deluded flatfish and pos- 

 sibly a conger of a couple of pounds, all that he 

 has to shew for several hours' work, and ten 

 or fifteen shillings that the boat has cost him. 

 Of course he attributes his want of success to 

 wind, or tide, or absence of fish, never dreaming 

 that his own carelessness has had anything to do 

 with it. 



As a practical proof of the advantage which 

 fine tackle has over coarse at this work, the 

 following striking instance will suffice : I was out 

 with a brother of mine, and a boatman who had 

 been all his life used to the place and fishing, 

 being indeed a fisherman by trade. He used 

 his own coarse tackle, whilst my brother and I 

 fished with our own good hooks whipped on gut, 



