THE ROD IN SALT WATER 391 



skate and conger have been found in its stomach. It 

 will, however, be seen that only by the merest chance 

 would a baited hook dangle within reach of its jaws. 

 Still, it does occasionally happen that one is caught on 

 a rod or line, and then it is a case of Greek meets Greek. 

 But if any one will show me -the man who would de- 

 liberately go forth to catch an angler-fish, I will show 

 him a man ripe for the asylum. 



(2) The Tackle. I cannot attempt within the limits 

 of this chapter any exhaustive treatise on all the fishing 

 tackle used in salt water, but I think I can lay down the 

 general principles on which it has been adapted from 

 that used in our rivers and lakes. The great feature 

 of recent years has been the popularising of the rod, in 

 preference to the older handline, the method adopted 

 (and rightly so, since it often saves both time and fish) 

 by those who fish not for sport but for silver. And, 

 as a still further advance in the artistic style, lighter 

 rods are gradually superseding the unnecessarily heavy 

 patterns that were in favour ten or fifteen years ago, 

 when sea-angling began to come into its own in the 

 public favour. The golden rule is not to use a heavier 

 rod than necessary. The lighter weapon may take 

 twice as long to do its work, but it may give thrice the 

 pleasure. I am not advocating a cat-and-mouse policy. 

 Each fish should be got into the boat as soon as it is 

 tired out, and to prolong the agony is not only un- 

 necessarily cruel, but also entails the risk of the hook 

 coming away. There is, I believe, a recognised time 



