6 SEA FISH; 



raise the stone or grapnel by without fear of break- 

 ing. "When it is requisite to examine the line and 

 fresh bait the hooks, which, with a long line, will be 

 very soon after laying it all out, the stone or grapnel 

 at one end should be raised by the buoy line, passed 

 over the boat, and allowed to drop again to the 

 bottom, keeping the main line across the boat, which 

 can be now hauled from one end of the bolter to the 

 other, taking off the fish and fresh baiting the hooks, 

 bringing the line in at one side of the boat and 

 sending it out at the other. This process is called 

 underrunning a bolter. A good mode of keeping a 

 bolter when not in use is to wind it round a small- 

 sized barrel, like those used for oysters. Take out 

 one head, and saw a great number of saw cuts in the 

 staves their long way to hitch the snoods in. The 

 hooks will then be all in the barrel, and out of the 

 way, preventing the hopeless state of entanglement 

 into which bolters too often get in careless hands.* 

 Great numbers of the largest sea fish are taken by 

 this mode of fishing. The baits may be pilchard, lug, 

 garfish, sprat, cuttle, sand launce, lamperns, or small 

 pouting, and the best time for its use is at the coming 

 of the flood tide. A number of fish of various kinds 

 are to be caught by laying down a bolter at low water- 

 mark, with a heavy stone at each end, and a buoy-line 

 to find it by at the receding of the tide. Large basse 



* Large tubs may be used where the lines are very long and 

 hooks numerous, coiling hooks and all in them carefully. 



