SURFACE-FEEDING SEA FISH 385 



such heavy leads as are commonly used are really required I 

 very much doubt. One summer, at Tenby, I fished persistently 

 with a lead of about three ounces, while the fishermen kept 

 to their two-pounders. I caught about twenty-five per cent, 

 more fish than they did and with considerably less labour. 

 It can hardly be doubted that the very large leads towed 

 through the water tend to scare the fish. 



The two remaining methods of fishing are from a boat at 

 anchor. Off Scarborough and other places a fair number of 

 mackerel are caught by means of an unleaded line terminated 

 with a single gut snooding and a hook baited with the laske. 

 The bait simply drifts out with the tide, and the bites of the 

 fish are easily felt. The boat is usually moored on the edge of 

 a big eddy just off the run of the tide. This is one of those 

 methods which have been carried on successfully with the rod, 

 and very pretty fishing it is when the mackerel are biting freely. 

 I rather improved on this plan by adding a float and a half- 

 ounce lead to the tackle and letting it out with the tide, and 

 have caught a good many mackerel in this way. The float 

 enables one to see exactly where the bait is. To search the 

 water thoroughly the pipe lead should be placed three feet 

 from the hook, and the float, which is such a one as we 

 should use in jack fishing (see p. 200), two feet above the 

 pipe lead. For the running tackle there is nothing better 

 than an undressed Nottingham silk pike line, such as I have 

 recommended for fishing on the bottom. 



About the end of summer mackerel begin to feed a good 

 deal inshore, on the bottom, where they are caught on ordinary 

 hand lines or with the paternoster tackle described on p. 238. 

 A very good tackle for the purpose consists of the arrangement 

 just described, minus the float, but the lead must be of sufficient 

 weight to nearly hold the bottom. There may be two hooks, 

 one at the end of the snood below the lead, the other attached 



