CHAPTER III. 
HAND-LINING. 
IT has been said above that there are conditions 
under which, even in our seas, the fisherman of 
quite the most advanced views will do well to leave 
his rod at home and put his faith in the older 
hand-line. In the majority of cases, it is true, the 
rod not only answers every purpose, but, admitting 
as it does the use of lighter gear, beats the hand- 
line fishing alongside. I cannot, however, agree 
with the plea that the rod saves time in hauling ; 
for, unless in combination with a cumbersome reel 
of, say, a foot in diameter, its performance in this 
respect must obviously compare badly with that of 
the hand-liner hauling, hand over hand, a fathom 
at a time. Its advantage tells, however, in the 
fact that the elasticity of the top joint enables the 
rod-fisher to score on clear bright days with a 
three-yard trace of szugle gut for pollack and 
mackerel; whereas with the hand-line he would, 
unless very skilled in its manipulation, be com- 
pelled to top his line with a shorter trace of 
twisted gut, a decided dissoyanttage with the water 
low and clear, 
