SEA FISHING TACKLE. 455 



as is necessary. While it is of course very desirable 

 to have strong lines, it is better not to have them 

 unnecessarily thick, as they are then so much acted 

 upon by the water, in a tideway, that heavier leads 

 are required to keep them down than if they were thin- 

 ner. All lines should be tanned to prevent their rot- 

 ting ; take " half a pound of catechu and a handful of 

 oak bark to three pints of water, and boil until the 

 catechu is dissolved the lines to be tanned are to be 

 soaked in this for twenty -four hours." * 



As regards hooks all hooks should of course be 

 tinned to preserve them from the action of the salt water, 

 and hooks with eyes are far superior to the old plan 

 with the shanks flattened out at the ends. 



The material to which sea hooks are attached is 

 termed snooding, and forms a very important part of 

 the gear. It may consist of various materials according 

 to the purposes for which it is intended, such as 

 twisted hair, single or twisted gut, silk, hemp, flax, 

 gimp, or wire. Copper bell wire makes a capital and 

 cheap snood or trace for fish with sharp teeth and 

 all swivels used should be of brass. 



Chopsticks are required for hand-line fishing. As sea. 

 lines mostly carry more than one hook, these chopsticks 

 are required to prevent them from fouling. They 

 should be made from tinned iron or brass, though 

 whalebone and wood are sometimes used. They should 

 always be detachable from the leads for convenience 

 of carriage; admirable " improved detachable chopsticks" 

 of this kind are made by J. N. Hearder of Plymouth, 

 an extensive fishing tackle manufacturer, and others. 



Leads for fishing are made of various shapes and 



* The Sea Fisherman, by J. C. Wilcocks, 1868, p. 46. 



