138 AN ANGLER'S YEAR 



afternoon. At two o'clock we embarked, and, after row- 

 ing out of the harbour, we hoisted sail and stood out to 

 the eastward to the Two-mile Rough, dropping anchor 

 on a very favourite mark there. We were well provided 

 with bait (lug worm and mussel), and decided to put in 

 the afternoon dab-catching. The sand-dab, the most 

 unjustly despised of flat fish, is perhaps the sweetest 

 and best flavoured of that division of flat fishes which 

 has the sole as its chief. Many persons are of opinion 

 that any small and worthless flat fish is a kind of dab, 

 and that every crown-piece-sized Pleuronectid which 

 they capture inshore should be dignified by that title. 

 This is far from being the case, although, perhaps, the 

 much useless trash that is taken from many of our 

 Southern piers has done much to confirm this idea. 



Along this shore, whatever it may be elsewhere, the 

 sand-dab runs to a good size, many being from lOinches 

 to 12 inches in length, and weighing as much as l^lb. 

 Talking to an old epicure the other day, who has 

 resided most of his life on the sea coast, he told me that 

 he was of opinion that the dab eaten fresh was, if any- 

 thing, a better flavoured fish than the sole itself; and 

 that, if he had to eat either continuously, he would more 

 quickly get tired of the sole than the dab. However this 

 may be, as a sporting fish the dab is excellent value if 

 fished for with appropriate tackle. 



Of course, the rough hand-line of the professional 

 fisherman hauls these fish up sans ceremonie ; but at this 

 time of the year such gear does but little execution. 

 When the first frosts come the dabs will feed greedily, 

 but at present they only play with the bait, especially 

 the fathers of the flock, the only fish the true sportsman 

 goes to capture. When sea fish are biting lightly, and 

 inclined to play with the bait, single gut only should be 

 used, and the hook should be placed as far from the 

 main line as possible. The writer and his friend were 

 each using one short boom, placed about six inches 

 above the lead, with a six-foot trace, made of single gut, 

 carrying four hooks each. v 



When we first let go the tide was running hard, and 



