THE WRASSE 277 



entangled in the crevices of the rocks, and becoming firmly fixed 

 there, the line can only be cleared by your pulling away till you 

 break the stone strap : on this account therefore you must take 

 care to provide yourself with a sufficient supply of stones and 

 stone straps, though the former may generally be broken from the 

 rocks by means of a hammer, which, like a practical geologist, a 

 wrasse angler should never enter on his labours without providing 

 himself with. The best form for the stones is an oblong or oval, 

 as being less likely to catch in the crevices, and each end should 

 be notched with your hammer, to prevent the stone strap from slip- 

 ping off, and to which it may be easily attached by a simple loop. 

 The proper time to commence fishing, is the first rise of flood, 

 from which time you may pursue your sport till high water, after 

 which time, as I before remarked, it is useless to attempt to try 

 for these fish. They may be angled for either from a boat or 

 casting from the cliffs, and great sport may be often met with. I 

 have in the course of two or three hours, not only taken more of 

 these fish than I could carry away, but actually more when collected 

 together, than I could lift from off the ground. 



