SEA FLY-FISHING. 17 



on the same hook. I am not sure that I could not 

 have killed more fish had I used fewer flies, as a 

 great deal of time was lost in taking the fish off the 

 hooks ; but it certainly was good sport pulling in so 

 many together. 



I one day went to the Skyard Rocks, twelve miles 

 out at sea. One of the men in the boat, with one of 

 my large flies, soon caught a pollack weighing nine 

 and a half pounds ; and before he could take the fly 

 out of the mouth of the fish, the boatman saw a mon- 

 ster close to the stern of the boat take my fly, but 

 after holding him for a few minutes only, the hook 

 broke just below the barb. The water here was shal- 

 low, with a sharp rocky bottom, and I consequently 

 did not dare to give him much line ; but it was very 

 annoying to lose so large a fish. The men in the 

 boat declared that he was the largest pollack they had 

 ever seen. I found it quite necessary to use six -link 

 twisted gut. Soon after this, I caught one of seven 

 and three quarter pounds ; and one of the boatmen, 

 \tiith a hand-line and heavy lead, and a fly that I had 

 given him, caught eighteen fish, the largest of which 

 weighed four pounds. The weather now looked as if 

 it were coming on to blow, and the Skyards not being 



