62 SEA-FISH. 
of the fisher. Having served a useful apprenticeship 
with gimp or treble gut,the angler will enjoy at a later 
stage landing fish of 5 Ibs. or more on single tackle. 
Railing is practised (see Chap. VI) with either the 
natural or the artificial bait, but in either case the 
trace is made to taper somewhat as it approaches 
the hook, which is generally fastened by a short 
snoodofa single gut. In “plummeting” for mackerel, 
the Cornish method, the hook lies about a couple of 
fathoms (12 ft.) beyond the plummet,! and the 3-in. 
snood is of single gut, the line itself being very fine, 
save the upper few feet, where it is held in the 
PLumMmetTinG LEAb, 
hand. This last is thicker, and those whose hands 
are particularly sensitive can still further lessen the 
chance of a cut by the use of a wooden “ toggle.” 
A good deal of ingenuity has from time to time 
been spent on the designing of leads for these rail- 
ing-lines, the great aim being to make them as 
sensitive as possible, that is to say as little as 
possible in the way of the angler’s hand at once 
feeling the slightest nibble at the hook that he is 
towing astern ; and opinions differ much as to the 
best form. Personally, I do most of my railing, let 
me hasten to admit, without lead at all, this plan 
1 To be more precise, the hook on the light stern-line (lead, 
about I lb.) is 34 fathoms from the lead ; on the medium after-lines 
(lead, 2 lbs.) the distance between lead and hook is 24 fathoms ; 
while on the heavy for’ard-lines (lead, 3 Ibs.) it is only 14 fathoms, 
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