THE SPROOL RIG. THE KENTISH RIG. 37 



chopstick. The chopsticks are kept in place by knots above 

 and below as before-mentioned, and about three inches of the 

 line at each chopstick must be served over with waxed thread, 

 or the line will soon chafe and break. These lines are not 

 favourites of mine for boat-fishing, as the shortness of the 

 snoods gives so little liberty of action whilst unhooking the fish, 

 but for throwing out from a pier or rock they are the best 

 which can be used in my opinion. N.B. One evil of this form 

 and of all other gear with short snoods, is the liability to hook 

 your fingers, by the lead falling off the seat of the boat, when 

 placed thereon for the convenience of fresh baiting, or un- 

 hooking. 



The Sprool Rig consists of a dip-lead of from two to five 

 pounds' weight, of the shape of a ship's hand-lead, having a 

 hole an inch or so below the hole in the top. Through the 

 lower hole a bow of three-eighths galvanised iron is thrust, 

 which measures from 20 inches to 2 feet across ; and loops 

 being lashed on to the ends, the snood and hooks are fastened 

 thereto. The bow of iron is considerably arched almost, in 

 fact, half a circle and as it is not a fixture the ends turn up- 

 wards as the gear descends, and drop downwards when the 

 lead reaches the bottom, maintaining the same position in 

 ascending. The lead is prevented sliding beyond the centre of 

 the bow by two leather washers of the size of a sixpence, which 

 are themselves kept in their places on either side of the lead by 

 collars of sail-twine, lashed tightly round the bow outside the 

 lead sufficiently to allow room for it to work. It is much used 

 in Cod, Haddock, and Whiting-fishing in the North Sea. A 

 snood of from 4 to 6 feet is attached to either end of the bow, 

 and the manner of using is to sound and then haul up just 

 clear of the bottom. It should be fitted with swivels of brass. 

 The Cod smacks are hove to, and, as they slowly drift along, 

 six or eight lines are worked from the weather side. For light 

 fishing one and two pound sinkers are sufficiently heavy, and 

 the bow may be used one foot across. 



The Kentish Rig (fig. 3) is a dip-lead slung with a piece of 

 double upper-leather, over which a widely-forked brass wire is 

 passed, the middle of which has been twice turned round a half- 



