FISHING AT HOME AND ABROAD 



sand, but, as the shingle usually ends in sand somewhere above low -water 

 mark, the fish to be caught (mostly bass in summer, and cod and whiting 

 in winter), are the same, though a much greater variety of game fish is, 

 as described in a later chapter, caught from beaches in America and 

 Australia. 



Here and there, even where he has access to a pier, the bass fisherman 

 who chooses the beach is liable to be rewarded, and a new bait, as a change 

 from that in local use, may still further improve his chances of sport. 

 I remember, as a case in point, an angler, who fished from the beach at 

 Littlehampton, baiting his hooks with lugworm, and who caught a score 

 of good bass, while those who used the conventional ragworm and green 

 crab from the piers and quays met with no success at all. Bass are caught 

 in the same fashion, but with herring or mackerel for bait, on summer 

 evenings on the shingle beaches of Folkestone and Hastings and, farther 

 west, at Sidmouth, Seaton and Budleigh Salterton. The three Devon 

 watering-places in fact do not offer the alternative of piers. 



East Coast beach fishing, in the fall of the year, is all for cod and whiting. 

 The bait is lugworm or mussel, or even sprat. Mussel bait, at any rate, 

 is best tied to the hook with a little wool, as it is apt to be flung off when 

 throwing out the line. This is accomplished with the aid of a button 

 near the end of it, which just catches in a cleft ash stick, and with this 

 contrivance an expert can make astonishing casts. 



The beach -fisherman has one advantage at least over those who fish 

 from rocks or piers, and that is the ease with which even the largest fish 

 can be landed. This will be appreciated by those who, in the absence 

 of gaff or landing net, have hauled salmon, pike, or large trout high and 

 dry in grassy bays. 



In concluding this introductory chapter, a few remarks may perhaps 

 be offered on the unwritten code which, jealous for the reputation of their 

 sport, sea anglers should in some measure honour. It is a good thing to 

 be a good fisherman, but it is a better to be a good sportsman, and the 

 best sportsman does not always catch the most fish. The best sportsman, 

 in fact, does not always want to. 



The fisherman should always behave to his fellows with courtesy and 

 consideration. He should impart information freely; give a lead or a hook, 

 or a little bait, if he can spare it. If he cannot, he should not be blamed 

 for refusing, but he can at least do so apologetically. He should not be 

 jealous. He must know himself a mighty poor fisherman if he is afraid 

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