114 AN" ANGLER'S YEAR 



the boatman had a small one, and my neighbour another 

 conger, a good one, which weighed 18lbs. Hardly was 

 he down again than another took him and got down 

 amongst the rocks at the bottom, thus necessitating 

 another break away. 



While I was rummaging him out a new hook to re-fit 

 (eyed Minchin cod hook on braided phosphor-bronze 

 wire), I laid down my rod; and after he again was ready 

 for the fray, I lifted my rod and struck as a precaution, 

 when to my astonishment the line slowly moved off; 

 and, tightening, I found I was in a good fish, which 

 hardly gave one the impression of a conger. After a 

 fair fight I got him up, and the boatman stuck the gaff 

 in him and hauled him aboard, when he proved to be an 

 old cod, weighing 201bs., a somewhat extraordinary 

 capture for the season and time of the year. 



Shortly after my neighbour felt a drag, and struck 

 and pulled up a large brown crab of the edible variety, 

 hooked through the leathery hinge of the big claw. 



After this, things quieted down for an hour, only a few 

 congers being taken. About one o'clock, however, I 

 hooked something good which gave my old rod plenty of 

 work. For some time I could not succeed in getting it 

 off the bottom, but eventually it rose well aft, and we 

 could hear it splashing on the water, After several 

 tremendous struggles it was brought alongside, but was 

 missed by the boatman ; on the second attempt he got 

 the gaff in, and succeeded in getting the fish partly into 

 the boat, but the gaff twisted and the conger tumbled 

 back, breaking the snooding as he fell. 



He was a grand fish, and weighed anything over 251b. 

 His departure was a signal for peace and quiet, and so 

 for an hour or two we sat and dozed over our rods till 

 daylight did appear. As soon as the ebb drew through, 

 about half an hour later, our fun re-commenced. So 

 changing to light tackle, we commenced to haul away 

 at first big pouting, and then a 21b. pollack and a 2|lb., 

 sea bream. Fishing with one of the improved Kentish 

 rig rod-booms, the writer got hold of something heavy 

 a big sea bream or a pollack and lost it eventually, 



