474 MODERN SEA FISHING 



baits often rudely cut out of a sheet of tin, or a piece of scarlet 

 or white bunting wrapped round the hook, are taken by the 

 locally called ' snook,' a large fish of a copper colour, with fierce 

 jaws and a formidable array of teeth, closely resembling the 

 barracouta of the West Indies. Sometimes the thick lines are 

 snapped like packthread by bonito or albicore. The Agulhas 

 Bank extends from the Cape of Good Hope along the eastern 

 coast of Africa, a distance of some hundreds of miles, and being 

 formed by the ocean current, is the haunt of every variety of 

 sea fish. It was here that Sir Edward Belcher caught forty-two 

 fish, ranging from 6 Ibs. to 32 Ibs. in weight, in six hours ; and 

 the almost incredible story is told of the lead being actually 

 stopped in its descent by the packed shoal below. This, however, 

 would mean deep-sea fishing, and, indeed, the best of the fish 

 are found at a depth of seventy-six fathoms. 



On the eastern coast of Africa, those who make the attempt 

 generally find abundant sport with sea fish. A few years ago a 

 native employed on board H.M.S. Agamemnon, lying in Zanzibar 

 Harbour, caught a monster which outdoes even the American 

 tarpon. The man was fishing with gut tackle on an ordinary 

 hand line, and, hooking a fish which was obviously something 

 out of the common, he jumped into a punt to see the incident 

 out. The fish sulked for the first half-hour, and then, at no 

 great speed, made down the harbour, easily towing the punt 

 after it. Some of the officers of the ship went off to assist the 

 fisherman, and eventually contrived to run a line through the 

 monster's gills. By this time, however, decisive action had been 

 forced by the tactics of the enemy a good half-mile away, 

 and the punt with the fish astern was towed back. Hoisted 

 in, the latter measured 6 ft. 2 in. long, 4 ft. 4 in. in girth, and 

 weighed 360 Ibs. Lieutenant Harston Eagles, who is an enthu- 

 siastic sea fisherman, states that his lines have been frequently 

 broken at Zanzibar, where large tunny, and the fish known as 



