326 FISHES AND FISHING 



Gear.* 



General. 



Before dealing in detail with the various kinds of 

 line and net likely to be used by those for whom this 

 work is intended, a few prefatory remarks upon the 

 general subject may prove useful. 



i. All lines and nets, of whatever material, should 

 be oil-dressed or barked, not tarred. 



2. Hooks, swivels, shackles, and other metal articles, 

 if made of iron or steel, should be galvanized. 



3. Many of the lines and nets described take up a 

 lot of room when mounted ready for use ; it is generally 

 better in such cases to carry their component parts, 

 and mount them as and when required. 



4. All gear should be well dried after use before being 

 stowed away. 



5. Nets in particular constantly need mending, and 

 any vessel carrying nets should also carry at least one 

 person who can mend them. 



6. Plenty of spare lines, hooks, snooding, twine, 

 ropes, lead (pipe and wire), corks (or glass floats), and 

 of anything else likely to be required for repairs or 

 renewals, should always be carried. 



7. And lastly, never despise native gear, however un- 

 promising in appearance ; for one thing, it is always 

 possible to find someone locally who can make it fish 

 efficiently ; and, for another, it has probably stood the 

 test of long use in practice. For exploring any waters 

 in which a commercial fishery is carried on, the hiring 

 or subsidising of those who carry it on will probably, 

 in the long-run, prove the best way of securing fish. 



* Excluding trawls (as to which see Chapter IX.) and appara- 

 tus not primarily intended to catch fishes. 



