BAITS. SAND-EELS. 63 



length. To this I add six yards or three fathoms of snood- 

 ing, three yards of it consisting of dressed plaited line, two 

 yards of fine cotton, and one yard of double gut twisted. I 

 sometimes use two lengths of the strongest single gut at the 

 end, especially for Bass-fishing. The line itself is of the size 

 No. 3, plaited line No. 4, and the cotton No. 5. (See fig. n, 

 p. 48.) I use these lines also in whiffing for Pollack over 

 shallow rocky ground, and they are equally useful for Bass 

 when whiffing under sail with dead bait. 



At some localities, or at certain times, there is so little tide 

 that the line will not stray away from the boat. A float of 

 large Jack size is useful on these occasions, and a lead of two 

 ounces 12 feet above the hook. The float should have neither 

 ring nor cap, merely a stick through it, over which the line may 

 be attached by a clove-hitch top and bottom. The lead should 

 be fitted with wire or a stiffened hemp ganging, projecting 

 from each end, the distance of half its length, on which the 

 snood can be clove-hitched as on the float. Both float and 

 lead can thus be removed at once, when unnecessary through 

 increase of current. 



Baits. No baits for drift-line fishing can equal living 

 Sand-Eels ; next rank Rag or Mud-Worms, then living 

 Shrimps ; as for dead baits it is exceptionally only that a catch 

 is made with them, when fish may be extraordinarily abundant. 

 The best dead baits I know of are Freshwater Eels, 5 or 6 

 inches long, small Lampreys, or a strip of Long-Nose the same 

 length and f inch wide, but it is better to use them whiffing. 

 Sand-Eels to be used as living bait should be taken in a seine 

 made for the purpose (fig. 70, p. 229), and afterwards placed in 

 a floating cage or basket, termed a * courge,' towed astern of 

 the boat (figs. 19 and 20, p. 66). 



How to Bait with living Sand-Eels. When about to use 

 these baits, first dip up 4 or 5 inches depth of water in your 

 boat's bailer, remove the cork from the aperture of the courge, 

 and holding the canvas bucket, pail, or bailer (see p. 148) at 

 the level of the water, pour a dozen or so into it, replace the 

 cork and drop the basket again into the water instantly, for 

 you must be very careful not to keep the courge out of the 



