THE FISHERMAN'S TOOLS 



the fisher-girls in Brittany, or the ground-seine commonly 

 found in the Channel sprat-fishing. In a general way the 

 seine is shot from a rowing-boat, and is dragged ashore in 

 a semicircle by ropes fastened to its two ends. Moored 

 nets are those, no matter of what shape, which are fixed in 

 certain spots by means of anchors. They may be seen in 

 great numbers across the mouths of Scotch, French, and 

 Scandinavian rivers, where the tide, whether ebbing or 

 flowing, soon drives the fish against them. The dredge, 

 used principally for oysters, is a very small bag-like net, 

 the under part of which is composed of wire rings and 

 the upper of small string meshes. It is supported by a 

 triangular heavy iron frame, to which a stout rope long 

 . enough to reach to the bottom is attached. The dredge 

 is thrown overboard, allowed to scrape along the sand for 

 a few minutes, hauled up, emptied, and thrown over again. 



The third class of contrivance, pots, are used for the 

 snaring of crabs, lobsters, etc. They are made of wicker, 

 or of network stretched on an iron frame ; are baited with 

 fish or meat, and are sunk singly or in rows by means of 

 heavy stones, their position being marked by cork buoys. 



To this list of fishermen's requisites must be added 

 another item experience. Every amateur angler, whether 

 it be the small boy who fishes for minnows with cotton 

 and a bent pin, or the stalwart sportsman who whips the 

 Scandinavian streams for salmon, is aware that, without a 

 knowledge both of the habits and whereabouts of his fish, 

 and also of the proper manipulation of his tackle, he will 

 never catch anything except by sheer chance. And such 

 knowledge, important as it is, constitutes only a portion 



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