JULY 113 



got more than the three fish out of any one shoal, and 

 those almost simultaneously took the baits. 



One is amused to notice the opinions held by people 

 who have not had practical experience of what they 

 condemn. Thus a well-known writer on sea angling, 

 speaking of railing from a sailing boat, says : " When 

 you get over the water four or five knots to the hour, 

 and draw the bait across a stiff tide eight or ten (in 

 clear water, even twelve) fathoms of line streaming out 

 behind the boat, where would the rod be then ? " Of 

 course, the general opinion is that under such circum- 

 stances lib. to 31bs. of lead are necessary to sink the 

 tackle. And so such weights are if the average hand- 

 line is used. But with us the heaviest lead did not go 

 3oz., as the lines used were of very fine gauge, one a 

 fine wire line, another a barbel-size silk line, and the 

 third a fine Irish watercord, cable laid, about the 

 thickness of an F. or G. dressed silk line. (See Fig. 3). 

 These lines were also used for the ground fishing 

 throughout the night. I may say, in parenthesis, that 

 I should never dream of using anything but the rod 

 when railing, and have done so for years without 

 accident. 



We arrived at our anchorage about half-past eight, 

 and baiting paternoster (twisted gut, three hooks), at 

 once commenced to take pouting of good size up to 

 about lilb. As darkness came on the pouting stopped 

 feeding and we put on single hook wire-mounted tackle, 

 and small congers commenced to take hold, while 

 occasionally a larger one would worry the bait, and even 

 allow itself to be lifted some distance from the bottom 

 before letting go. 



About four or five small ones were taken from 21bs. to 

 5Ibs. in weight, and then my partner on the port side of 

 the thwart got into something heavy, but did not 

 succeed in getting it off the bottom, and finally, after a 

 struggle, the hook gave at the barb. Meanwhile the 

 author had a steady pull, and, striking, found himself 

 fast in a good fish, which, after a fair bit of sport, was 

 gaffed aboard, and proved to be a conger of 91bs. Then 



