78 STREAMING FOR POLLACK. 



by a good-sized fish, which, after a little humouring, was 

 brought to boat, and weighed about 5 Ibs. Four others, all 

 of fair size, followed on this line, and a couple of Long-Noses 

 also, after robbing us of numerous Sand-Eels. 



The tide is now dead slack, and the lines are perpendicular. 

 ' Ilfaut tracker ' (I must whiff) observes a fisherman in a neigh- 

 bouring boat ; and, having wound up all his lines save one, 

 gets up his anchor, and shipping one of his oars in the sculling 

 hole, prepares to whiff, putting out his single line, and sculling 

 along with steady determination to make the most of the slack 

 tide. We, on our part, wind in all our lines save two, being 

 two of us in the boat, and, getting up the anchor, I take the 

 sculls and pull leisurely along, when we pick up half a dozen 

 more ; but a nice breeze springing up it becomes inconvenient 

 to whiff any longer, and we make up our minds to return. We 

 therefore wind up our drift-lines, the mast is stepped, sail 

 hoisted, and we head for the harbour. Putting out a couple 

 of Mackerel-lines, we pick up one of these fish (three we took 

 previously on our outward trip), and are only about a quarter 

 of an hour returning, for the inset of the flood is made strongly. 

 On landing we carry our panniers up the beach, and emptying 

 them on the turf, survey our catch, which consists of Mackerel, 

 Pollack, Gar-fish, and the Dory, weighing in all about 50 Ibs., 

 the Pollack, as is commonly the case, predominating in 

 number, and varying in size more than either of the other 

 kinds. 



Streaming for Pollack is a kind of drift-line fishing which 

 has been followed in Cornwall time out of mind with much 

 success, and is next in efficiency to drift-line fishing with the 

 living Sand-Eel. Its chief feature is a long snood of five fathoms 

 on a stout Whiting or Conger line, and a stout hook, No. 7 size, 

 p. 210. Three lines can be used from one boat, the first line 

 with no lead, the second with a lead of -Jib., the third with 

 a lead of ij lb., of boat shape, all with a five-fathom snood. 

 Being thus of different weights, the lines will stray out at 

 different angles, and thus keep clear of each other. 



Bait, half the side of a Pilchard, a piece of Mackerel four 

 inches long, or half the side of a Chad or small Bream scaled. 



