A GENERAL £0D. b 



Generally speaking, a long, stout, cane rod, a large winch, 100 

 yards of plaited, tanned, hemp line, a hank of medium and one 

 of very stout salmon gut, a few yards of fine Patent Gimp, 

 eyed hooks of various sizes, leads of different weights, pierced 

 swan-shot, two floats — light and heavy — artificial spinning 

 baits, and spinning traces, form an outfit with which sea fish 

 may be caught all round the shores of the United Kingdom. 

 Now and again exceptional tackle is necessary; and where 

 the necessity arises, the tackle to be used will be found 

 described in other portions of this work. In this chapter I 

 shall only deal with the tackle which is generally required. 

 When, as occasionally happens, owing to the force and depth 

 of the water, or to other reasons, there is no alternative 

 but to fish after the manner of professional fishermen, which, 

 as I have pointed out, partakes rather of the nature of business 

 than of pleasure or sport, the necessary apparatus can nearly 

 always be obtained from the local dealers. Even then some 

 modification of their tackle in the direction of fineness near 

 the hook is usually advisable. I have frequently heard 

 fishermen urge amateurs to fish from the shore, piers, and 

 in shallow water generally, with tackle that the professionals 

 use in deep-sea fishing. They doubtless do this with the best 

 intentions, but as they rarely or never fish from pier-heads 

 and the like themselves, they are usually altogether ignorant 

 of the best means of taking fish from such places. An angler 

 fishing for whiting pout, we will say, from Brighton Pier, 

 with a fine gut paternoster, will certainly catch five fish to 

 every one caught on the ordinary sea fisheraaan's hand-lines. 



Rods. — I will now describe two very useful rods, the first 

 for general fishing, the second for fly fishing, but which, with 

 a short top, may be used for any other purpose. If the 

 angler is not likely to do any fly fishing, the second rod 

 may be omitted; while if he wishes to fly -fish, and expense 

 is a consideration, he can do without the first-named rod, 

 and use his fly rod for aU purposes. It may be advisable 

 to say that anglers who have the necessary rods for fishing 

 in fresh water, need buy little or nothing specially for use 

 in the sea. The general rod should be in three joints. It is 



