90 ANGLING IN SALT WATEE. 



forwards over tlie spot where they seem to be. It is more 

 desirable to row across than with or against the tide, as by 

 so doing the line does not follow qnite in the wake of the 

 boat. A spinning bait, or the "last," rigged on a lightly, 

 leaded trace, and cast out into a shoal, after the manner 

 described in Chapter Y., answers quite as well as fly fishing. 

 The bait may be natural or artificial — a small spoon, Hearder's 

 Baby spinner, a silver Devon minnow — in fact, anything lively 

 in motion and bright in appearance. 



Next comes the question, "What is the angler to do if no 

 shoals of mackerel are visible? In that case, he must invoke 

 the assistance of an experienced local fisherman, who will take 

 him to the spots frequented by the fish, which spots, by the way, 

 vary with the season, being nearer shore in July and August 

 than in the colder months. Once on the mackerel ground, the 

 boat is sailed or rowed across the tide until the fish are met 

 with, when it is kept moving, as long as possible, through 

 the shoal. The spinning tackle used in bass fishing answers 

 admirably for mackerel, but for fishing from a rowing boat, 

 it need not be so strong. When under sail it is not usual 

 to bring the boat to to land every fish; and to haul a 21b. 

 mackerel up to the side of a boat which is going through the 

 water at three or four miles an hour requires fairly strong 

 tackle — good salmon gut is usually strong enough. Rods are 

 not much used in mackerel fishing from sailing vessels; still, 

 where the boat is travelling slowly, and the fish are near the 

 surface, they have their advantages. The constant hauling in 

 of thick, wet, sea lines with the hands is, to my mind, a thing 

 to be avoided on all possible occasions. But there are times — 

 when the fish are feeding deep down, and 21b., 31b., and 

 even 51b. leads are used — when the rod must be laid aside. 

 Hand-line tackle for railing or whiffing is illustrated in the 

 chapter on tackle, at page 32. In fishing from a rowing 

 boat, a lead of loz. (unless the line is very coarse) will 

 generally be found quite heavy enough; but if the trace is 

 made according to the principle described on page 31, other 

 leads can be added, if necessary. When the fish are not 

 found at one depth, other depths should be tried. About 



