THE SOUTHAMPTON DIP. 



35 



the gear. The hook-links must always be of such a length that 

 the two hooks when brought towards, will not touch each other, 

 and the line having been securely fastened to the loop in the 

 top, the tackle, with the addition of the bait, is complete. As 

 soon as the boat is anchored, the lead being dropped overboard, 

 is allowed to find the bottom, and then raised a few inches 

 until a bite is felt, when the fish is to be hooked with a slight 

 jerk, and to be drawn on board as speedily as your tackle will 

 permit, without endangering its breaking. 



This kind of tackle will answer best where the depth is not 

 more than 10 or 15 fathoms ; the cross piece of brass wire or 



FIG. 2. 



whalebone, however, offers a very great resistance to the passage 

 of your tackle through the water, and the shortness of your 

 snooding, which cannot be more than 10 or 12 inches long, the 

 length of the wire being hardly two feet, is a great objection, 

 particularly if the fish are shy ; if the united length of your two 

 snoods exceeds the length of the wire they will be continually 

 fouling, which is both unpleasant and unprofitable. I mention 

 this form of ground-tackle because it has been much used at 

 Southampton, and at other localities, where fishing for ground- 

 fish is followed in comparatively shallow water. I consider it 



D 2 



