SEA FISHING IN THE BOCAS ISLANDS 23 



all the sardine tribe as well, good sized anchois cut up into 

 pieces to suit the ntimber of hook used taking the first place. 

 I have on an emergency used shark flesh successfully, as 

 well as other kinds, but that was only when fish were biting 

 ravenously. In the months of October, November and 

 December, it is often extremely difficult to procure fresh fish 

 bait, especially at Huevos and Chacachacare. In this case 

 it is advisable for the fisherman to dig in the sand a few inches 

 below the surface for a kind of cockle locally called " palude." 

 They can be found at Grand Fond at Monos, and below the 

 church at Chacachacare. When taken out of the shell and 

 placed carefully on the hook, they make a most tempting 

 bait for fishing with "en ligne voyante," the only objection 

 to them being, that they are easily washed off the hook, as 

 the flesh is soft. At this season the native fishermen often 

 use "zagaya," a small crab found on the rocks; these are 

 broken up, some thrown in the water for ground-bait, and 

 other pieces put on the hooks, either sinker-fishing or h la 

 ' ' ligne voyante . " I have omitted to mention the shrimp and 

 prawn, which are capital bait for all kinds of fish and fishing, 

 and I have been very successful with a large prawn put whole 

 on the hook for trolling, when mackerel were beating. The 

 "cheche"or small squid, which is occasionally taken in the 

 seine, when hauling for bait, is also very telling, especially 

 for sorb and grouper, and if the angler is keen on shark- 

 fishing, there is no bait more sure than a piece of ray, wack- 

 awa, or devil-fish (they are all of the same family), to entrap 

 the tiger of the sea. I shall now proceed to the game-fishes 

 of Trinidad, in (what I consider) their order of merit, the 

 mode generally pursued by the angler to catch them and 

 their principal habitat. 



GAME-FISH 



The Cavalli or Carangue. To this fish I honestly think 

 must be given the pride of place, as being the pluckiest and 

 most straightforward fighter to be found in these seas. 

 There are five well-known varieties here, called locally the 

 "carangue camard," "carangue gros-yeu:x," "carangue h 



