48 FISHING GOSSIP. 



thus prolonging their lives and improving their qua- 

 lity as bait. In the absence of worms, strips of cuttle- 

 fish, or small portions of any other fish, may be used 

 When fishing at anchor, it is well at all times to lay 

 out one or more float-lines (i. e. without any sinker) ; 

 these should be composed of fine prepared line 

 mounted with yard traces of strong salmon-gut and 

 one No. 5 Limerick trout-pattern hook each. This, 

 baited with a " lask" or strip, cut from the tail of a 

 mackerel, should be allowed to drift away with the 

 stream to some considerable distance from the boat. 

 The inner end may be conveniently held by one of 

 the cane "gunwale blocks," described in my little 

 work, Sea-Fish, and how to catch them. In fitting 

 all my sea-lines, large or small, a brass swivel at the 

 union of the trace and line is never omitted ; an ar- 

 rangement which I can strongly recommend. To the 

 allurements of ground-bait sea-fish are by no means 

 indifferent ; and to its enticements many a scaly 

 victim owes his fall, or rather rise. It is to be pre- 

 pared thus : A piece of old worn-out fishing-net 

 must be procured say of about three feet square. 

 Into this put all the fresh fish offal, refuse bait, etc., 

 you can get, provided that the net will hold it ; mix 

 this with about a gallon of bran, and beat them well 

 together with a stout stick ; put a heavy stone in the 

 middle, tie it up after the fashion of a dumpling 

 compounded with a view to tickling the gustatory 



