FISHING FROM PIERS AND HARBOURS. 125 
hemming him in until free movement is out of 
the question. It is of no use being disagreeable on 
such occasions ; for the British tourist is, al home 
as abroad, endowed with a skin that the elephant 
might envy when his country is invaded by the 
tsetse. 
The only thing is to keep cool, concentrate 
your attention on the fish, and gradually yo. o¢ 
coax it within reach of the long-handled Janding- 
landing-net which some one will always be ™** 
ready to hold for you. Then follows a short and 
fervent prayer that your henchman for the time 
being may not indulge any of his originality in the 
direction of scooping up the fish, but may be content 
to follow instructions and hold the net, the handle 
of which should be not less than five feet in length, 
perfectly steady at the surface of the water, one 
edge slightly immersed, and leave you to guide the 
fish into its meshes. Although the shoals break up 
at the end of July on that part of the coast, and are 
for the matter of that not to be found at any time 
close to the pier, the mackerel is rarely, if ever, a 
solitary fish, but several feed in company. It is 
advisable therefore to waste no precious time in 
admiring your first catch, but rather to bait up 
again as quickly as possible, as the conditions may 
not remain favourable for more than a few minutes, 
at most half an hour, and there will be plenty of 
time to weigh and measure your fish after the rest 
have gone off the feed. The secret of success with 
these pier mackerel lies in the discovery of the 
exact depth at which they are feeding for 
the time being. For although they rove far 
in pursuit of sand-eels and the like, they are 
generally found feeding at some particular depth, 
Depth 
