BOAT-FISHING. 163 
and Ihave employed it to catch not only the orthodox 
bass, mackerel and pollack, but also large flat fish 
and cod. Unless indeed the tide or current is so 
strong as to render it impossible, or, as less often 
happens, there is not even the little tide or current 
necessary to take the line out, I prefer this method 
to bottom-fishing under almost any conceivable 
conditions. In addition to the extent of ground 
searched, it has always seemed to me the most 
natural way of presenting the bait to the fish. The 
ease with which they are often deluded by three 
large baits depending motionless from a paternoster 
or float does not say much for their sagacity, but 
no blame attaches to their being taken in by a 
morsel of bait floating naturally on the current. 
As they invariably feed head to the tide, the bait 
approaches them with the line behind, and there- 
fore not suspected until the hook is where it should 
be. There is, moreover, no lead worth speaking of 
on the line ; and altogether, considering how incon- 
spicuous is the tackle and how natural the present- 
ment of the bait, it is not surprising that three 
good fish should be taken by this method, when 
practised scientifically, to one taken by any other. 
In the first place, all the tackle should be as fine 
as is safe, a single gut trace being enough 
above the hook where the fish do not run 
heavier than 5 lbs. I am addressing the beginner ; 
when he has graduated, he may find little difficulty 
in bringing to net on a single trace fish of twice 
that weight. When something stronger than single 
gut is fancied, plaited gut will be found less con- 
spicuous in the water than the commoner twisted, 
and better still is a wire trace, though its career, as 
that of gimp, in salt water is likely to be brief. I 
M 2 
Gut 
