FISH-NOTES FROM GREAT YARMOUTH. 9 



(Thornbaek Bay) fetched £2 a trunk; small " Eoker " made 30.s. 

 The weight per trunk would be roughly about eight or nine 

 stone. A previous " record " was in August, 1909, when I saw 

 a picked trunk of this fish sell at 30s. This happened after a 

 long spell of calm weather, when the sailing-boats could not fish. 

 A trunk of Soles on that occasion went as high as £13 : on the 

 present " Slips" (small Soles) made £12 a trunk ; and I should 

 think that the sum of 15s. for 14 lb. of Plaice had never before 

 been exceeded. 



Angling on the Broads this summer was not up to the 

 average, although occasionally fish came on to feed and afforded 

 some sport. At Hickling Bream ( A bramis brama) bit well in the 

 middle of August ; one angler taking 6J stone in a few hours. 

 A gentleman fishing in that neighbourhood for a week had a 

 good time with the Perch, catching fish weighing respectively 

 2f lb., 2 lb. 1 oz., 1 lb. 10 oz., 1 lb. 8 oz., and 1 lb. 4 oz. It is 

 a great pity that local prejudice condemns all the hundredweights 

 taken yearly to the refuse-heap. 



Several Scads, or Horse Mackerel (Caranx trachurus), were 

 captured by sea-anglers both at Yarmouth and Lowestoft during 

 the month of August. Plenty are netted among the Herring 

 and Mackerel, but they seldom come to feed in shallow waters, 

 and as a rule are rarely hooked. 



A rather unusual show of Sapphirine Gurnards (Trigla 

 hirundo) at the latter part of August. They had been taken in 

 waters comparatively close by, as fishing trawlers have been 

 frequenting restricted areas, owing to the unholy sowing of mines 

 in the North Sea by the Germans. The Sapphirine Gurnard is 

 mostly on sale in May, when fine examples are seen on the 

 fish-slabs. 



Whitings. — Sea- anglers commenced fishing for Whitings 

 early in September, when these fish, which proved exceedingly 

 abundant, ran to 10 inches and 12 inches in length. The piers 

 were well crowded with eager fisher-folk, and many fished from 

 the beach, where at night the seashore was lined with lanterns, 

 which marked each piscator's location. I collected a few 

 current figures from the " number board " attached to one — 

 the Britannia Pier — covering the best part of three separate 

 weeks : the numbers are as follow : — 



