78 FISHING ON THE 



whole business, that gentlemen seldom care to engage 

 in it, except a few times from curiosity.* 



THE HAND-LINE. 



When a boy, I used to be much delighted with the 

 hand-line, and never failed to practise it as oppor- 

 tunity offered. It is simply a piece of whalebone fas- 

 tened cross-wise to the line, and a hook at each end, tied 

 upon strong gut, with a heavy lead in the centre. This 

 lead sinks the line rapidly to the bottom, which it no 

 sooner touches than you feel it strike. You are thus 

 enabled to keep moving the hooks a yard or two up, and 

 then sink them to the ground again, which entices the 

 fish. All the art of the hand-line is to pull up the instant 

 you feel a bite, and never to slacken till the fish is safe 

 in the boat. Keep changing your ground, and dropping 

 your anchor, unless the fish seem taking. Mussels are 

 the best bait ; and it is a good plan to throw a few into 

 the water, as well as the empty shells. 



* Thunder is generally believed to be destruction to fishing of all 

 kinds and so it often is. I, however, know an instance, when a 

 friend of mine set his long-line just before a tremendous storm, which 

 raged the whole hour it was in the water. As soon as it cleared, he 

 rowed to his line, with no hope of success for that day : to his asto- 

 nishment it was perfectly loaded with heavy fish. Something similar 

 happened to myself, when going to fish the Almond, near Edinburgh. 

 I was overtaken by a thunder-storm when close to the river ; directly 

 upon its subsiding, I commenced fishing, and at the second or third 

 throw hooked a fine trout. After a few hours I returned home, 

 having had excellent sport. 



