Highlands of Asturias 299 



fish average about one pound in weight, but in favourable spots, 

 such as mill-tails, run up to 10 lbs. and upwards. 



The Spanish barbel has developed one trait in advance of its 

 English cousins, for it will rise to a fly, or at least to a grass- 

 hopper. Owing to the abundance of these insects and of crickets 

 along the river-banks in summer, the barbel have acquired a taste 

 for such delicacies, and a hot June afternoon in Andalucia may be 

 worse spent than in " dapping" beneath the trees that fringe the 

 banks of Guadalete and similar rivers. 



The Boga, a little fish of the roach or dace family, seldom 

 exceeding a quarter pound, will afford amusement in all the 

 smaller trout-streams of Spain and Portugal when trout are 

 recusant. The hoga is lured with a worm-tail (on finest gut and 

 smallest hook) from each little run or cascade, whence five or six 

 dozens may be extracted in an afternoon. 



The Grey Mullet (Spanish, Lisa) is a good sporting fish ranging 

 from half a pound up to four pounds weight, and caught readily 

 in tidal rivers as it comes up from sea on the flood. Native 

 anglers are often very successful, using long roach-poles and gear 

 similar to that of the roach-fisher at home. The bait is either lug- 

 worm or paste, and on favouring days as many as two dozen 

 mullet are landed during the run of the flood-tide. 



The Shad (Spanish, Sahalo), though not only the handsomest 

 but also the best-eating of all tidal-river fish, is of no concern to 

 the angler, since it refuses to look at lure of any kind. 



The Tunny (Spanish, Atun) frequents the south-Spanish coasts 

 and comes in millions to the mouths of the big rivers (especially 

 the Guadalquivir) to spawn. The usual method of capture is by 

 a huore fixed net called the altnadrava, extendinor three miles out 

 to sea, and placed at such an angle to the coast-line that the fish, 

 on striking it, follow along to the inshore end, where they enter 

 a corral or enclosed space about an acre in extent. Here the 

 fishing-boats lie waiting, and when as many as 500 huge tunnies 

 (they average 300 lbs. apiece) are enclosed at once, a scene of wild 

 excitement and bloodshed ensues, the great fish darting and 

 splashing around their prison, sending spray flying mast-high, 

 while the fishermen yell and gaff" and harpoon by turns. 



The most successful almaclrava is situate at Rota, some seven 

 miles south of the mouth of Guadalquivir, the average catch for 

 the season (May 1 till August l) being about 20,000 tunnies. A 



