98 FISHING OFF THE BRAMBLES. [PART I. 



Besides Herrings however we were plentifully 

 supplied with other bait, in the shape of small 

 Herring-fry about the size of White Bait, with 

 which many (most I may say) of the Whiting 

 were perfectly gorged. The number of fish we 

 brought home was (exclusive of those used as bait) 

 three hundred and seven, weighing a hundred and 

 sixty-one pounds, chiefly Whiting, but comprising, 

 amongst a few other varieties, a Cod of sixteen, 

 and a Skate of about seven or eight pounds. The 

 Cod was caught on a Whiting which had taken 

 the bait, and came up alive in his mouth. The 

 feeling of relief, when we found we might dispense 

 with our first unsavoury lot of Herrings, to which 

 we had resigned ourselves as our only chance of 

 success, and got them well overboard, was, it may 

 be conceived, not inconsiderable. 



The best day's sea-fishing that I ever had in the 

 South of England was towards the end of August, 

 near the West buoy of the Brambles, not far from 

 the mouth of the Southampton river, when, in one 

 tide, or, (to speak more correctly, part of two tides), 

 two other lines and my own, assisted occasionally 

 by those of a couple of boatmen, caught twenty- 

 five dozen and eight Whiting (singularly enough, 

 the same number within one as that mentioned 



