SURFACE-FEEDING SEA FISH 351 



bait for conger, one night off the Welsh coast. I was hand- 

 lining, and thinking I had an eel on, which would have to be 

 hauled by main force away from the rocks, I brought this fish 

 up to the surface in double quick time. There he rolled and 

 splashed in a bath of incandescent silver as it were, for the 

 water which he lashed with his tail was full of phosphorescence. 

 He brought such consternation to the heart of the little Welsh 

 lad who was with me, that the youth of many consonants to his 

 unpronounceable name was too unnerved to use the gaff, and 

 while I was abjuring him to do his duty the hook came away, 

 the great fish disappeared, and nothing was left but flecks of 

 phosphorescence on the surface of the dark water. He was 

 every ounce of fifteen pounds. Indeed I might add another five 

 pounds to his weight, and who can contradict me ? There is 

 the one redeeming point about a lost fish. It is the proud 

 privilege of the lamenting angler to fix the weight of the dear 

 departed without the least fear of contradiction. 



But to return to the bait question. Among the shoals 

 which are feeding in some tidal race during the best of the 

 flood tide, the bait should certainly be somewhat similar to the 

 fry on which they are feeding. A strip of fish skin, the Sarcelle 

 bait, a sand-eel, or a very small mackerel, all these may be 

 tried. 



Sometimes the fly fisher meets with great success. Among 

 the many flies which may be used, 1 doubt if any are better 

 than the Whitebait fly (see p. 148), the Shaldon Shiner, and 

 the Goldfinch. The dressing of the Shaldon Shiner has 

 already been given (p. 163). The Goldfinch is a well-known 

 salmon fly, which is dressed as follows : Tag, gold tinsel 

 and black floss ; tail, a golden pheasant topping ; body, gold- 

 coloured floss ; pale yellow hackle ; blue jay at shoulder ; gold 

 tinsel ; wing composed entirely of toppings ; red macaw ribs 

 and black head. But bass fishers generally tell you that a 



