172 AN ANGLER'S YEAR 



by about nine inches or even ten inches, the length of 

 the hook link. This plumbing is to be frequently done, 

 as the tide is constantly altering. A medium-sized live 

 shrimp is then taken and the roach hook is slipped 

 through the second joint from the tail, literally from side 

 to side. (Fig. 35 A.) This is important, as many recom- 

 mend the end joint. It is found, however, from practical 

 experience that the tug of the fish often, in the latter 

 method of baiting, results in the loss of the shrimp, 

 minus the tail, while the hook has never been inside the 

 mouth. 



If, on the other hand, the shrimp be hooked higher up, 

 or more deeply through the body, the power of free 

 movement is impaired and the bait is not nearly so 

 attractive ; in fact, a brown boiled shrimp is a much 

 better bait than a half-dead fresh one, and a wholly-dead 

 unboiled shrimp is, as has been said, useless. 



In this fishing the float is dropped gently over the 

 side, and the heavy bullet sinks the bait, which streams 

 out downstream if the current is slight, darting from side 

 to side ; thus it is carried over the flounder, which rises 

 at the bait and drops again, frequently just checking 

 the float. Occasionally, but very occasionally, the fish 

 follows the bait and grabs it, pulling the float right 

 under, like a perch would do. In either case, unless the 

 tide is dead slack, strike, or the bait will be abandoned 

 or pulled off the hook. In most instances, if these direc- 

 tions have been followed, the flounder will be hooked 

 just inside the lip, or in the soft palate, and give splendid 

 sport, darting hither and thither uptide, and giving the light 

 rod and tackle all they can stand. The largest fish the 

 writer has landed this winter by this method weighed 

 lib. 13oz. It afforded ten minutes' good sport, and 

 certainly played harder than a 121b. cod taken this 

 autumn. 



A great advantage of this fishing is that the crab 

 nuisance is practically done away with, although some 

 months ago, at the slack water, I took a crab with live 

 shrimp. HP pulled down the float slowly and steadily, 

 but responded to the strike with a feeble shuffle. 



