IN BAR-HARBOURS, 149 



this over the side, and pour into it out of the basket about a 

 dozen and a half Sand-Eels at a time. Here they remain well 

 alive, and a bait can be taken out of it readily without opening 

 the basket, recourse to which is only had when nearly all the Sand- 

 Eels in the bucket have been used. At the stern of the boat we 

 use two drift-lines, and bait them as for Pollack, p. 64, fig. 16. 

 Dropping the bait instantly into the water as soon as 

 securely attached to the hook, we pay out as much length as 

 we can venture, according to the depth of water, here from 20 

 to 25 feet, and the strength of the current will allow. At one 

 hour before low water, a considerable strength of current yet 

 remains, consequently several leads will be required, and as I 

 have previously explained that i2-feet intervals are left between 

 the leads, the exact length veered away can be at once known 

 by counting them. Each lead can be easily marked in Roman 

 numerals, which was generally done by our late old friend 

 Peter Le Noury, to avoid hauling in the line to count the leads, 

 which is undoubtedly an excellent plan. From 20 to 25 feet 

 of water will require about 6 or 7 leads, for they are small, 

 barely an ounce weight each. As there is always some drifting 

 weed, the hooks require examining every minute or two, for if 

 any weed catches on the bait it renders it useless ; it is the best 

 plan too, if two are in the boat, for each to manage a line. As 

 the tide slackens we shorten the lines to avoid fouling the 

 bottom, and the fish beginning to feed we catch three Bass ; 

 when, the tide being entirely done, we cease to feel them. 

 When the tide is running strong a heavy line with a single 

 plummet is sometimes very killing, and I therefore put out a 

 line ordinarily used for Mackerel, having a one-pound plummet. 

 See p. 124. It is now dead slack, and the lines are perpen- 

 dicular, and as the flood current will shortly set into the pool, 

 we haul up our anchor and prepare to whiff ; that is to say, we 

 pull along slowly through the pool and past the point, with six 

 leads out. We have two or three more bites and get another 

 fish. By this time the flood current is well made, and pulling 

 out about a hundred yards past the entrance of the harbour, 

 we anchor in the middle of the channel, putting out four leads 

 to begin with, increasing the number up to eight or ten, as the 



