INTRODUCTORY. 5 
sea. The very colour of the sea becomes revealed 
to the angler to an extent not vouchsafed to other 
landsmen. Instead of talking of the “blue” sea, he 
knows that, save when very deep or far agiour 
from land, it is more often pea-green or of the 
sandy-brown. He knows that its waters ‘%° 
are at times deeply suffused with the spores of red 
or olive weeds, and that then is his best chance 
of a good haul of mackerel. He knows too the far 
* less welcome “ broodiness,” so common at certain 
seasons on the coast of south Devon, when the 
sea is of a dirty yellow and the fish refuse all 
manner of bait. He is not unmindful of the 
significance of the phosphorescent “briming” of 
warm summer nights when the sea is “on fire.” 
And he may perchance have fished off Pentewan, 
or other Cornish clay works, where the water is, 
especially after rain, of the colour known to thirsty 
schoolboys as “sky-blue.” So far from injuring 
the fish, this has the effect of darkening the bed of 
the sea in that part; the small fry gather in the 
half darkness for protection; thither they are 
followed by the large mackerel, and these are in 
their turn pursued by the fishermen. Not only, 
then, docs the amateur who properly studies his 
subject find the actual colour of the water directly 
affecting the weight of his catch, but its thickness 
is taken into consideration when deciding on the 
particular bait for the day’s fishing. Thus, at 
Deal, it is usual to try the sprat bait for cod when 
the water is clear, the lugworm when it is thick. 
The distinction is merely that between those baits 
that are found by sight and those others that are 
traced by scent. 
The tides are a most important factor in the 
sport of sea-fishing, and the angler should always, 
