80 ANGLING IN SALT WATER. 



these are placed on a line, like a cast of flies, and trailed 

 after the boat, a cut rubber band being placed on tbe hook 

 of the end grub. 



The most deadly way of taking pollack and coalfish is 

 with the living sand-eel, baited and used according to the 

 methods described in the last chapter. In shallow water, float 

 tackle, heavily leaded, can be used; but in deep water, the 

 same tackle, less the float, and with the addition of a yard 

 of gut below the leads, is better. The bait and line are carried 

 out by the force of the tide, and so much line should be let 

 out that the bait is a fourth of the way from the bottom. 

 A knowledge of the depth must first be obtained by sounding. 

 A good deal of judgment is necessary in letting out the line, 

 and practice alone will teach the angler the proper quantity to 

 let out. Where the water is under 20ft. deep, I prefer float 

 tackle, for the float can be put about as far from the lead as 

 the water is deep. This would seem to bring a foot or so of line 

 on the bottom; but, as a matter of fact, directly the float is 

 checked the tide carries out the line below the float, and 

 the bait is lifted several feet. Float tackle can sometimes 

 be very successfully used from the shore, especially if cast 

 out in the Nottingham fashion. Off an ordinary beach or 

 sandy shore no one should dream of casting out tackle for 

 pollack ; but where there is an inlet of the sea, with steep hills 

 coming down to the water's edge, and deep water within a 

 few feet of the shore — there, and in such-like places, pollack 

 may often be taken with float tackle. If sand-eels cannot be 

 obtained, two ragworms, hooked through the head, or live 

 shrimps, may be tried, but they are not nearly so good. To 

 keep the shrimps alive, it is necessary to float them in a, small 

 wooden box with holes bored in it. They are hooked through 

 the tail. In fishing from pier-heads, when the tide is very slack, 

 it is sometimes a good plan to let out a gut line and hook, 

 without leads of any description, baited with ragworms or 

 sand-eels. The slight tide carries out the bait, and pollack are 

 often taken after this manner. I have already described the 

 drift-lines which are used by professional fishermen for taking 

 bass, pollack, &c. They have no advantage over the tackle 



