400 THE KEEPER'S BOOK 



gut, need much humouring. The right time to lift the 

 mackerel into the net or over the side of the boat is at 

 the moment when its head points towards you. Any 

 attempt to coerce it when it has its shoulder to the line 

 will, more probably than not, end in disaster. Conger 

 must be bullied into submission. On them the arts of 

 give and take are thrown away, and the new diplomacy 

 answers best. Should a John Dory be hooked on a 

 smaller fish, as previously described, it should be coaxed 

 very carefully over the landing-net or gaff, as it has pro- 

 bably not taken very firm holdand sometimes relinquishes 

 its grip just when victory seems certain. Grey mullet are 

 tender in the mouth, and, unless played very cautiously, 

 are apt to get away with a torn lip. As in fresh water, 

 some fish are more apt to hook themselves, without the 

 angler troubling to strike, than others. Skate, flatfish, 

 and gurnards do so, but, on the other hand, whiting, 

 pout, and bream need prompt striking the moment a bite 

 is felt. For the gillie's information it may be mentioned 

 that gaffing a lively bass or conger from a small boat 

 in a dancing sea is not quite the same thing as gaffing 

 a salmon from the banks of the Tweed, and I wager 

 that even my friend Bob Muckle, of Tweedside fame, 

 might make a mistake in a yacht's dinghy. I f the angler 

 knows what he wants, the gillie may just do as he is 

 told. Then, if a good fish is lost, he is not to blame. 

 (He will probably be blamed all the same, but that 

 need not upset him.) 



To revert for a moment to playing the fish, much 



