76 



ANGLING IN SALT WATER. 



larmce. Sea worms of various kinds they take, but their 

 staple diet is probably small fish. 



A word or two now as to the coalfish, called saithe in 

 Scotland, which resembles the pollack in so many respects 

 that I have placed the two in one chapter. They may be 

 distinguished from each other by slight differences of shape 

 and colour. The coalfish is the rounder of the two; the 

 colour of its back varies from dark green to blue; its lateral 

 line and belly are white. Placed side by side, the points in 

 which they differ are easily discernible; but apart, especially 

 when small, the two fish are often mistaken for one another. 

 As will be seen from the heading to this chapter, the coal- 

 fish has a large variety of local names. In habits it closely 

 resembles the pollack, and may be angled for in the same 

 fashion. As a matter of fact, people who go out fishing for 

 the one look upon catching some of both as a matter of 



course. This last remark does 

 not apply to the English Chan- 

 nel, where coalfish are not plen- 

 tiful. In the North and North- 

 east they abound, and the angler 

 who fly -fishes in Scotch sea 

 lochs for pollack often finds the 

 number of cuddies, as youthful 

 coalfish are termed locally, so 

 great as to be quite a nuisance. 

 From three to five dozen are 

 sometimes taken in an evening, 

 not one of them over three-quarters of a pound. In Fig. 52 

 is shown a good cuddy fly. The wings are grey or white; 

 body, white wool, ribbed with gold tinsel; and the tail, red 

 wool. In Yorkshire cuddies are called pan's. The adult coal- 

 fish, however, is not to be despised, for it grows to a great size, 

 being sometimes taken as heavy as 301b. It is about as good to 

 eat as the pollack, which, when in good condition, fresh, and 

 carefully boiled, is rather better than second-rate cod. It 

 should be skinned or well scraped before being cooked. 



Among the various methods of angling for pollack and 



Fig. 52. Cuddy Fly. 



