NOVEMBER 171 



receptacle is a wooden bucket in which they are put dry 

 and kept alive by an occasional rinse through with sea 

 water; they live much better in this way than in a 

 bucket of sea water in which the oxygen is quickly 

 exhausted, and which the dead shrimps soon foul. Sea 

 water and a galvanized pail are fatal, as I found out very 

 quickly. The bucket, also, should be placed out of the 

 sun, as even a wintry sun beating down on the top layer 

 of shrimps soon kills them. 



And now, having prepared tackle and bait, the next 

 step is to go and fish. Many people who go in for 

 flounder fishing at the mouth of the Thames prefer to 

 work from their own small boats ; this is, I am inclined 

 to think, a mistake, as for delicate fishing there is but 

 little room to manipulate rod or landing net in a 14-foot 

 boat. It is much better to make friends with one of the 

 crew of a " bawley " (shrimp-trawler), and get him to 

 allow you to fish off his boat as she lies at her anchorage 

 on the flats, or in the Ray, according to whether the 

 tides are neap or spring. The best plan of any so far to 

 arrange is to time your visit to pick up a " bawley " 

 coming in to her moorings, and, if not previously 

 arranged for, see if they can let you have a pint or two 

 of live shrimps. If they have had a good catch, and are 

 not quite finished boiling, they will be pleased to do so 

 for a few pence. If you don't worry them when they 

 are packing up to get ashore, they will make no objection 

 to your fishing off the trawler, where you get a steady 

 platform and plenty of elbow room, besides which, the 

 washing-down, done by the crew before leaving, ground- 

 baits the vicinity, and certainly attracts the fish. 



Entre nous, it may be said here that, before leaving, 

 any mess made by the rodsmen should be cleaned up, 

 and the free use of the mop and pail indulged in, else the 

 privilege may not be renewed at a future date. 



It is concluded, then, that the angler has arrived on 

 board, with the rush of the tide slacking oft, and the boat 

 lying in about five feet to six feet of water. Now is the 

 ideal time for the live shrimp. The first step is to plumb 

 carefully, so that the bullet or shot may clear the bottom 



