SEA FISHING 



be practised in other years, was not unlike a small edition of tarpon fishing 

 in the Florida Passes, only, with the ample room for all and sundry, the 

 society of others was amusing, whereas, in the congested fairway of the 

 Teign, it was the reverse. Matters were aggravated by the fact of the 

 boatmen either not knowing the game, or not playing it. So long as the 

 boats fish in regular rotation, with thirty or forty yards between each, 

 there would be room for a double file, one on each side of the buoys, and 

 that would cover as many as I have ever seen out at one time. Un- 

 fortunately the spirit of rivalry, a plague-spot of our modern life, urged 

 the men to race for first place, rowing across the lines of others, and 

 generally disregarding all interests, their own included. With the present 

 fancy for anchoring close to the bridge, the sport is practically ruined, 

 and something will have to be done in the way of a local association to 

 regulate the procedure. 



The best of the fishing is at the spring tides, with low water at about 

 4 a.m. or 4 p.m., and on fine afternoons the scene is about as peaceful 

 as Piccadilly Circus at the same hour. This is one reason for giving the 

 preference to the morning tide. It may need a little courage to rise soon 

 after 3 a.m., but immunity from such a crowd is cheaply bought at the 

 price of two or three hours of sleep. There are two other reasons why the 

 early fishing is better than the late. The first is that the bass feed better, 

 owing partly to that freshness which miost fish display at daybreak, 

 partly also to the absence of clay barges and motor launches that throng 

 the river on summer afternoons. The other reason is that this particular 

 estuary lies east and west, as a result of which anyone fishing upstream 

 faces the setting sun. The sun sets over Dartmoor in July with a fiery 

 fierceness which sends artists into transports of delight, but which evokes 

 very different expressions of opinion from anglers dazzled by its brilliance 

 and unable, in consequence, to keep their eyes on the rod top. Now, the 

 rod top is a very reliable witness as to what is going on below, and it is 

 possible, with a little practice, to learn from its movements whether the 

 hook is fast in a fish or in weed. The morning tide, on the other hand, 

 enables the fisherman to sit with the rising sun behind him, when all 

 he needs is a pugaree to protect the back of his neck. 



2. Fishing from a Boat at Anchor. — There are many spots, notably in 

 Cornwall (e.g., Chapel Point, just west of Mevagissey) where, attracted, 

 no doubt, by the pilchards or other offal from some neighbouring harbour, 

 '' cobbler " bass are to be found, as a rule, in the calm which follows days 



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