HARBOUE FISHING. 51 



conger, wHcli latter fish are in the habit of coming into the 

 shallows at night in search of food. Sea bream also feed well 

 at night ; and, as a general rule, early dawn and sunset are far 

 better times to fish than during the day; and the best sport 

 is nearly always obtained during the two hours previous to 

 high water. 



When angling from pier-heads, it is always a good plan to 

 throw out a gimp leger, made according to the directions on 

 page 24, and baited with squid, herring, pilchard, mackerel, or 

 some other large bait, on good- sized hooks. This need not 

 necessarily be attached to a rod; but where the angler has a 

 stiff fly rod with the stout top, as described on page 7, he can 

 use it for this purpose. This line will take conger, bass, big 

 pollack, and (but rarely) red mullet or a wandering cod. 



In harbour fishing, the methods employed are similar to those 

 described for pier-head fishing ; but finer tackle may generally 

 be used, for, as a rule, the fish do not run to any great size. 

 Here, again, it is important to know what is to be caught, and to 

 obtain all the information possible. The most common harbour 

 fish are dabs, flounders, and small pollack. If a river runs into 

 the harbour, fresh-water eels may also be expected, and bass in 

 the early autumn. Sea trout are also taken occasionally. As a 

 rule, the best baits to use are ragworms, soft crab, or peeled, 

 unboiled shrimps, on either paternoster, leger, or float tackle. 

 I imagine the beard of an oyster would also be a good bait. 

 If the leger is used, and bass are known to be in the harbour, 

 the bottom hook may be rather large, and baited with a piece 

 of squid (sand-eels, alive or dead, are better, if they can be 

 obtained) ; and, on a smaller hook, above the lead, either rag- 

 worms, soft crab, or unboiled, peeled shrimp. "When it is desirable 

 to fish some distance out, this is the best tackle to use, for it 

 can easily be thrown out thirty or forty yards. The weight 

 of the lead must depend on the force of the current — an ounce 

 being often quite enough, three ounces not always sufficient. 

 Bass are mostly caught after August, and during spring tides. 

 If the angler is fishing just under the point of the rod, and 

 the water is deep and the current strong, the paternoster 

 should be used; but float tackle is preferable for water 18ft. or 



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