SEA FISHING 



with extraordinary accuracy on the ground, else failure will result. I have, 

 when fishing down in Cornwall for these " bibs," as they are called on 

 that part of the coast, known one rod take half a hundred of good size 

 in a few minutes, while there was not a single bite among two or three 

 other rods in the same boat. The necessary precision is, of course, possible 

 only to a fisherman of the locality, since there is no sign to show the where- 

 abouts of the grounds, and even the seafowl, often valuable guides to the 

 position of bass or other surface -feeding fishes, give no help in the case 

 of those which feed on the bottom. 



Such exact bearings are not, as a rule, required in the case of the rest, 

 all of which are more commonly found on sandy ground, which covers, 

 in our seas at any rate, a much greater area of the bottom, though cod 

 and some of the flat fish are occasionally found among the rocks. The 

 dory, or " John dory," as it is more usually called, is for the most part 

 hooked accidentally. It has a habit of seizing some small fish already on 

 the hook, and this sticks crosswise in its mouth and prevents it disgorging 

 its prey before being hauled into the boat. It is an ugly animal, but it is 

 a case of handsome is as handsome tastes, for its flesh is firm and sweet. 



To those unfamiliar with the general appearance of the fishes referred 

 to in this chapter, a few words on the subject may not be out of place. 

 The cod may be recognized by its long and tapering shape, dark back 

 and white belly, and the little " beard " on its lower lip, a sensitive organ 

 that, no doubt, helps it to find its food. The codling (a young cod) and 

 whiting -pout also have this beard, but the latter is a shorter, deeper fish. 

 The whiting, or ''silver" whiting, on the other hand, which is much lighter 

 in colour, and grey rather than brown, is without it, having probably no 

 need of its help. The whitings of other days must, however, have had 

 beards, as these are found in very young individuals, soon after leaving the 

 egg; and whenever a feature, conspicuous in youth, is dropped in later life, 

 we are safe in regarding it as a survival from ancestral forms. 



The principal flatfish caught by amateurs (if we except the gigantic 

 halibut taken on the rod at Ballycotton and elsewhere) are the turbot, 

 plaice, dab, sole and flounder. The turbot, one of the broadest, is easily 

 distinguished from the somewhat similar brill by the presence of rough 

 knobs, or tubercles, all over its body. The upper surface (really the left) 

 is sand -coloured, and the lower (or right) side is white, while the head 

 has the peculiar wry expression common to this group. The plaice is 

 easily known from the rest by its red spots, and the dab, which is not 



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