INTRO D UCTOR Y 29 



than can ever be safely or comfortably placed upon any rod or 

 winch of a si/e which a man could handle. I have no doubt 

 that in the future both these useful items of tackle will be 

 varied to suit this special purpose. At the same time be it 

 understood that even from large steamers a rod may have its 

 advantages, as will be found exemplified in the chapter on the 

 Ocean-Fishing Rod. A modified form of the gear there de- 

 scribed might certainly be used on yachts and large fishing 

 boats for saithe, bass, &c. 



Improvements in gear introduced by amateurs are even 

 making headway among the professional fishermen, who in 

 some few places are beginning to recognise the advantages of 

 silkworm gut over their hempen snooding. At Tenby and 

 Plymouth, for instance, nearly all the men use at least half 

 a fathom of gut next the hook on their mackerel lines, and it 

 is a common thing to see gut hook links on the hand lines 

 used by whiting and pout fishermen on the south coast of 

 England. 



Some twenty years ago Mr. Cholmondeley Pennell and the 

 late Frank Buckland were fishing off Plymouth. Mr. Pennell, 

 as might be expected, was using a pike rod and a gut pater- 

 noster. With this tackle he not only had better sport than 

 Frank Buckland and the boatman, who were using hand lines, 

 but exceeded the combined takes of his companion and 

 some persons who were in a boat not far distant. On my 

 first attempt at sea fishing in Scotch waters a very similar 

 incident occurred. The place was Loch Inchard. A friend 

 and I strolled down from Rhiconich Hotel, carrying pike 

 rods. Arriving at the water's edge we met our gillie, who 

 looked at us with astonishment and asked what the rods 

 were for. 



' To fish with,' I ventured to remark. 



' Ye'll no catch fish with rods in the sea loch,' said the 



