262 MODERN SEA FISHING 



to use fine tackle, he will be well advised to begin by using 

 something very strong and trustworthy. 



With pollack, on the other hand, very strong, sound tackle 

 is absolutely necessary ; for these fish are enormously strong, 

 and their first rush, which must be checked, is, as I have 

 pointed out, always downwards towards their haven of refuge 

 among rocks and seaweed. Once they reach a point of vantage, 

 there is no dislodging them, and the tackle has to be broken. 

 Only once in my life have I ever succeeded in catching a 

 pollack which had reached the bottom. It was a large fish of 

 six or seven pounds, if I remember rightly, and having some 

 doubt about the strength of my trace, I did not hold him very 

 firmly, and so he weeded me. There he stuck, and, though 

 with a long sweep we were able to reach the bottom and poke 

 about among the rocks and seaweed, there seemed no chance 

 of moving him. The old plan of checking a runaway salmon 

 by suddenly giving him a slack line occurred to me. The 

 theory, of course, is that the fish, imagining he is free, stops in 

 his course, and may even head in the other direction. I deter- 

 mined to try this delusion on my pollack. Holding a few yards 

 of slack ready in my right hand, I pulled as heavily on the line 

 with my left as it would bear, then suddenly released it and 

 threw the slack overboard. Then I sat still, and patiently waited 

 developments. Presently I saw the line going away from me 

 at an angle with the boat, and just as it was about to tighten I 

 seized it and hauled up the fish. I have been careful since to 

 let a pollack break me rather than allow him to reach the sea- 

 weed, so have never had occasion to repeat the experiment. 

 The incident happened during one capital day's lythe fishing I 

 had on the north-west coast of Scotland, a few miles south of 

 Scourie. I should add in this connection that there are pollack 

 grounds where piscine havens of refuge are wanting, and the 

 fish can be played in the ordinary way. 



