FISHING AT HOME AND ABROAD 

 pike line. The tackle was completed by two yards of twisted gut and two 

 more of single salmon gut, and a small pipe lead or two could be added 

 if necessary. The use of leads made a swivel necessary above the gut. 

 Otherwise, the swivel was dispensed with. 



When bass are chasing their food hear the surface, they take the bait 

 with a rush. There is no preliminary investigation as in the case of bait 

 lying on the ground, no timid hesitation, no experimental nibble, but a 

 sudden burst of speed, and the angler can only combat this by keeping 

 hold of the rod and throwing the point well up at the first indication of 

 a fish. If much line is out, he will do well to strike hard at the first tremor. 

 The habit of laying the rod down in the boat is a lazy one and is sure, 

 sooner or later, to end in trouble. It is suited to fishing at anchor, but not 

 when the boat is moving. Equally unsportsmanlike is the practice of 

 using more than one rod. It is no uncommon sight to see a single angler 

 with a rod out on either quarter, but such pothunting is more appropriate 

 to those who fish for the market, and it often brings its own punishment 

 by leading to the loss of both fish when two of a shoal are hooked simul- 

 taneously. For such misadventure the fisherman has only his own greed 

 to blame. Whatever may be said for or against the principle of one man, 

 one vote, that of one man, one rod is sound policy for all. 



Railing for bass is most likely to be successful off rocky headlands 

 along the South Coast. From the Ness, at Margate, to the Rame Head, 

 Plymouth, it is a favourite method on any suitable ground. Its popularity 

 is, no doubt, due to the fact that it enables the fisherman to be on the 

 move all the time, which is cooler on hot summer days than fishing at 

 anchor, besides being less conducive to sea sickness, the penalty which 

 deters so many from boat -fishing. 



4. Fishing from Piers, Breakwaters and Rocks. — With the exception of a 

 passing reference to rock-fishing in Cornwall, the capture of bass 

 has, so far, been considered from boats only. There are, however, 

 numerous piers, from Felixstowe, in Suffolk, to Tenby, in Pembroke- 

 shire, from which bass of large size are caught in the summer 

 months, either by casting artificial baits or flies (as at Heme Bay), or 

 with natural bait (as at Felixstowe, Walton, Clacton, Hastings, etc.), 

 according to local practice. At some of these places (e.g., Ramsgate, 

 Newhaven, Worthing, Poole, Weymouth and Lynmouth) bass are caught 

 from harbour works, or even from the parade, and in such cases a longer 

 and more powerful rod is needed for the casting. The Passage Bridge, 

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