The Mackerel Family 277 



casting. The enamelled silk line is, of course, 

 better, but it does not last long in salt water. 

 Any bright or gaudy fly will answer, on hooks 

 Nos. I to 3, though yellowish or grayish flies are 

 perhaps more attractive. A single fly only 

 should be used, with a three or four foot leader. 

 Black-bass rods and tackle are just right for bait- 

 fishing for the Spanish mackerel, except that a 

 braided linen line, and not a silk line, should be 

 used for reasons just given. The best bait is a 

 small, bright fish, three or four inches long, either 

 mullet or anchovy, hooked through the lips. A 

 small pearl squid, or a very small troUing-spoon 

 or spinner, may be used instead, but the minnow 

 is far and away the most attractive lure. 



The bait is cast as far as possible toward the 

 school as it is running past the point of an inlet 

 or the end of a pier, and reeled in slowly, but 

 rapidly enough to keep the bait on or near the 

 surface, no sinker being employed. If the fishing 

 is done from a pier, a very long-handled landing- 

 net must be provided. The best plan is to fish 

 from a small boat moored to the pier, as the 

 angler is not so likely to be seen by the fish, and 

 they are more easily landed. The same method 

 is pursued in fly-fishing in the general features, 



