142 SEA-FISH. 
to be preferred to those of iron, the more so as 
they attract to themselves in a very short time that 
coating of limpets and seaweeds that prove so 
alluring to fish, as cover both for themselves and 
for the smaller creatures on which they prey. 
One of the most constant annoyances of pier- 
Clearing fishing is the fouling of the hooks and lead 
ting in the piles, sometimes through carelessness 
on the part of the angler, more often through the 
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CLEARING Rina. 
unexpected rush of a pollack, or the wash of a 
passing steamer. In any case the difficulty of 
freeing the hook is aggravated by the presence of 
dense bunches of mussels, from which it cannot 
possibly be recovered, as the gut will not stand the 
