THE FLOUNDER. 107 



gulper of baits ; you must allow just a little time 

 for the hook to be taken well in the mouth, but 

 not enough for it to get down into the gullet, or 

 there will be trouble in extracting it. A deeply 

 swallowed hook is best extracted by slitting the 

 side of the mouth and gill with scissors till the 

 shank can be reached. During the time wasted, 

 you would probably have taken another brace of 

 fish, for they frequently lie so closely together in a 

 hole that I have actually seen a brace follow a hooked 

 one to the surface, trying to pluck the protruding 

 shrimp out of the other's mouth ; this is a true 

 angling yarn, which the " scoffer " is welcome to 

 disbelieve. 



To ensure sport, damage your shrimp as little as 

 possible ; pass the hook right through the 

 side" of the shrimp's tail, at about the 

 second joint. Let the shrimp hang quite loosely, 

 and do not pass the hook through any other part. 

 The depth must be plumbed most carefully, as the 

 shrimp must be allowed to touch the bottom 

 and no more. The flounder grabs the shrimp, and, 

 if necessary, turns him, so that the shrimp goes 

 down tail first ; this is only natural, as the legs and 

 antennae of a shrimp prevent it being swallowed 

 comfortably head first. The head, and not the 

 tail, of the shrimp is, in almost every case, found 

 sticking out of the fish's mouth, that is, if the fish 

 has been struck properly, and the bait has not 

 been gorged ; even then the head of the shrimp 

 is nearest the mouth. By the way, the hooks 

 must be carefully selected : a thick-wired hook 

 kills the shrimp very quickly, a weak hook 

 breaks in the fish ; so choose a medium, about 

 No. 9. 



