January 7, 1898] 
THE EISllING CJAZm'I] 
o 
weight being lifted just off the bottom. If three 
hooks are used they should be placed a foot 
apart, the last one being fastened close to the 
le-ad, so that the bait rests upon the ground. 
With the finger of the left hand on the line near 
the winch, the slightest touch can be felt, and 
the strike must be made immediately. This 
mode of angling is very successful, though the 
local people seldom practise it. Visitors, how¬ 
ever, may be seen daily on the pier “ trying their 
luck,” and the person with a rod always seems 
the envy of those using hand-lines. To catch 
pollack from the pier the lead weight must be 
dispensed with, and a fairly large float used, the 
bait being about midway from the bottom. 
Pollack can also be caught from the neighbour¬ 
ing rocks. If the angler walks over Beacon Hill 
to' Daddy Hole Plain, he will be surrounded by 
magnificent scenery. In the front lies the bay, 
on the opposite side of which can be seen a long 
stretch of sand with the growing town of Paignton 
in the backgroTind. Further out, towards the 
English Channel, lies Brisham, a fishing village 
of well known repute. In the earlier part of the 
day the trawlers with their large brown sails 
present a pretty spectacle as they come sailing 
into the bay after a day’s work. Daddy Hole 
Plain is hmidreds of feet above the level of the 
sea, and if the angler descends by any of the 
zig-zag paths which here abound, he will find 
clusters of rocks from which he can fish. At 
high tide the sea often washes over the outer 
ridge, so every care must be taken, or the unwary 
one may be cut off from the shore by the sea 
coming in behind. Having reached the outer 
ridge in safety and found a safe footing, opera¬ 
tions may be commenced by spinning with the 
artificial sand-eel. Pollack are shy fish, and a gut 
length of thirty inches must be used to attach the 
worm to the line. A swivel is already fixed to the 
bait, blit another should be used to join the gut 
to the line, as this allows the worm to spin easily ; 
and the cast should be made as far out to sea as 
possible. The choice of the artificial sand-eel is 
important, preference being given (o those which 
appear made of new india-rubber. They are 
rather red, and when in the water look fresh and 
bright, which cannot be said of the dull, sandy 
colour or white. For fishing from the shore, the 
smaller (4d.) size is He best, as the larger (fid 
are a trifle tco big. The fish often gets the tail 
end of the worm into its mouth, and the hook 
being in the centre of the worm, the fi.sh is conse¬ 
quently missed. If care be taken to follow these 
details, some fine fish of four or five pounds may 
be had, but the average weight is about lib. As 
a safeguard against accidents, some spare baits 
must be carried, as numberless rocks lie under 
the water, and while the bait should Ije allowed 
to sink a good way, care must be taken not to let 
it go too far, or the line will be “ hung up.” A 
long-handled gaff or landing net will also prove 
useful. Pollack fight well, but die rather tame, and 
if the line is loosened at all, the fish may be washed 
off the hook by the action of the waves. Having 
satisfied himself with his sport, the angler may 
retrace his steps to Daddy Hole Plain, and, passing 
towards the “New Cur,,” a newly made road, a 
glorious panorama will meet his eye. Below is 
the pebbly beach of Meadfoot, and a short way 
out to sea is tbe Shag Rock and the Thatcher. 
On the left lies the lovely Valley of Ilsham, 
studded with farms and homesteads, the hedges 
decked with wild flowers. Immediately below the 
New Cut are beautiful, garden-like plantations, 
with tiny nooks formed by Nature, and sheltered 
by dense foliage. Rustic seats have been placed 
here and there, where one can sit and watch the 
leviathans of the ocean as they pass up and down 
the Channel. The whole scene, and the mild air, 
give a sense of rest and repose which the liondon 
angler would forever remember, and it will there¬ 
fore be as well that we should leave our piscatorial 
friend in so sweet a spot. 
Boats are obtainable in the harbour, and the 
charge is Is. the first hour and fid. an hour after¬ 
wards, bait and use of tackle included. Of course 
the tackle is not of the finest kind, and consists 
either of trolling or ground lines. If it be 
decided to try for dabs and whiting pout the boat 
should be rowed in tbe direction of Berry Head, 
and the anchor cast when Hesketh Crescent, a 
semicircle of white dwelling-houses, overlooking 
the bay from above Headfoot, is in sight. Here 
1 he handlines should be run out. ■ A person can 
fish with a line each side of the boat, and after the 
lead touches the bottom the line should be tied 
with a slip knot to the rowlocks to prevent too 
much going overboard. This vnll also enable the 
angler to be free to manipulate either line without 
entangling the other, and to prepare his bait, if 
he has not already done so, on the way out. As 
the tide ebbs or flows the slip knot must be altered 
occasionally, so that the weight always rests on 
the bottom, with the line nearly taut. If the fish 
are well on the feed the angler will be kept busy 
drawing up one line after the other, rebaiting,-and 
casting overboard. If no fish are caught in half 
hoirr a move should be made further out to 
sea, for there are many under-currents here which 
the fish get into in search of food. Two boats 
have often been within twenty or thirty yards of 
each other, the men in one hauling up fish after 
fish, while the men in the other have been unable 
to get even so much as a nibble. The boats for 
bire are not the heavy ones, like those used at 
Brighton, and on other parts of the coast, but are 
a trifle beavier than river boats. They travel well, 
and with tw’O fairly strong persons rowing the 
filing ground can soon be reached. Of course, if 
a boatman accompanies the anglers the expense 
is more (2s. fid. per hour), but this is not at all 
necessary. 
If pollack are to be brought to the angler’s creel, 
the boat must be taken out to the Shag Rock, 
which takes about fifteen or twenty minutes to 
reach. The local fishermen are alwmys amused 
at the idea of trolling with a rod and line, but 
this method is far superior from a sporting point 
of view than merely hauling in your fi.sh hand 
over hand. One person must row the boat slowly 
while two can fish, each trolling from either side 
of the boat. After the pier-head has been 
rounded, care should be taken to keep near the 
shore, as the larger fish lie close to the edge of 
the rocks. The angler may fix his rod at once 
and commence trolling with the sand-eel. This 
is one of the simplest modes of fishing, and gives 
the angler no trouble whatever. Only by coming 
in contact with a rock under the water, or by the 
breaking away of a large fish can the bait be lost, 
and for this reason half a dozen baits should be 
taken. The chances of catching many fish on the 
way to tbe Shag are not very great, but as those 
that are caught are generally large, and as it 
makes the journey easy for the oarsman, very 
little is lost by this procedure. The Shag 
Rock is situated off Daddy Hole Plain, and 
rises about 60ft. out of the sea. It can be 
approached quite close, except on the off or 
Channel side. Here some smaller rocks lie (close to 
the Shag), one of them bearing a resemblance to 
the head of a cat. If the sea is rough it is ad¬ 
visable not to approach too close, or a wave 
might carry the boat upon the smaller rocks. As 
the waves rise and recede they make a loud noise 
and seem to suck the boat, as it were, closer to 
the rock itself. The sensation is novel, but those 
w'ho are used to it venture quite close without 
any danger, .as with one stroke of the oar the boat 
can be pulled away. On an antumn afternoon it 
is no unusual tiling to see a dozen boats being 
rowed round and round tbe rock, with perhaps 
two lines out at a time. Should the tide be 
low at the time of operations, it will bo found 
beneficial to row out to the Thatcher, a rock 
more than a hundred times the size of the 
Shag. It will take half-an-hour to row from 
one rock to the other, and the Thatcher must 
be kept at a respectful distance, as under¬ 
lying rocks are innumerable. They are 
with tough w’eeds, and if once the 
caught in them, it means “good-bye” 
gut, and perhaps a deal of line. There 
ever, no danger to 
and a landing can in ^ ^ 
with case. Fishing from the rock, some good 
bass have been taken, but they are not so plenti¬ 
ful as the jiollack. 
In the mackerel season a very jolly day may 
be spent, by accompanying one of the “ old salts ” 
on his fishing expedition. A start is made from 
the old pier about two or three o’clock in the 
morning according as tbe tide sei'ves, and whilst 
sailing towards Berry Head, a fire is lit in the 
“ cudclie” and the “ bobbing poles” are run out 
on each side of the boat from which the lim s arc 
suspended. The weights used are about fllb, 
and a gut length about a yard long fini.shes off 
the line—not forgetting the hook. A slice oil 
the tail of a mackerel is used as bait, the shiny 
little piece being the most successful and attract- 
tive thing that can be used. One “ slip ” lasts 
a long time, it only being necessary to rebait 
when the one in use becomes dull or torn. 
The sea gulls direct the fishermen where the 
fish are, and once the boat is in a shoal, they are 
caught Avith great rapidity. The “ old salt ” will, 
for a trifle, allow the visitors to “ do all the 
work,” and work it is too, pulling up a heavy' 
weight time after time, with a mackerel attached. 
To the angler, however, it is a pleasant sight 
to see the shiny fish “beating a kettledrum” 
upon the bottom of the boat. Four hundred 
fish is a fair morning's catch, so at ten or eleven 
o’clock a turn is made for home. 
If the wind has dropped, and the boat comes 
slowly in, the enthusiast can have a good time 
with the “ stragglers,” by trolling with a rod and 
using fine tackle and a light lead. It must be 
remembered that a catch of four hundred fish is a 
good morning’s work for a large fisherman’s boat, 
bat a small sailing boat can get fifty or sixty fish 
when they are in the bay. They can also be 
caught by trolling from a rowing boat, but not 
in great quantities, two or three dozen fish being 
the average. Mackerel are bold, dashing fish, and 
give splendid sport on the end of a rod. They 
swim very fast, and fight to the bitter end. After 
a morning’s work on board the heavy boats one 
can heartily enjoy a sail home, for the scene pre¬ 
sented before him is one of superb loveliness. 
The town of Torquay lies in a valley between 
two hills, which are dotted with pretty villas and 
terraces of white houses. Each villa stands in its 
own ground, half hidden by shrubbery, and in 
the gardens and on the slopes flowers bloom 
nearly all the year round. The rocks towering 
above Torbay Road are covered with foliage, and 
here and there a rustic bridge has been placed to 
lend enchantment to the scene. Torre Abbey and 
Corbyn's Head lie a little further along the road, 
and the red cliffs, with their cavernous fissures, 
tend to complete a picture of perfect beauty. 
covered 
hook is 
to bait, 
is, how- 
the occupants of the boat, 
many places be effected 
ENGLISH 
FULLY 
TO NE\Y 
LOBSTERS SUCCESS- 
TRANSPORTED ALIVE 
ZEALAND. 
AV. H. 
steam- 
To the Editor of the St. Jj,m?s's Gazette. 
Sir,— On Sept. 3,18!)2, my friend Mr. 
Purvis, chief engineer of the White Star 
ship Ionic, took twelve lobs'ers from^ Plymouth, 
and on arriving at Wellington, New Zealand, on 
the 18th of October following he had nine of 
them alive—namely, four males and five females. 
Although not the first attempt to transport 
lobsters alive such an immense distance and 
across the Equator (for he himself has made the 
attempt previously), this is the first successful 
attempt, and it is difficult to over-estimate it.s 
importance. What is possible with lobsters may 
bo possible with crabs, crayfish, and other 
valuable crustaceans. Mr. Purvis’s success 
proves triumphantly that the great Ipbster- 
ground of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland is open 
to our market; for I have it from IMr. Purvis 
himself, who has for many years _ taken the 
o^reatest practical interest in acclimatisation 
experiments, that “ no ice or cooling of any kind 
was used throughout the voyage,” and that the 
lobsters fed heartily all the time. 
I am glad to say that,_ in acknowledgment of 
his services, klr. Purvis has been elected a 
member of the Acclimatisation Societies of 
Otago and Wellington, New Zealand. 
Mr. Purvis has several times brought me 
splendid specimens of New Zealand trout of from 
81b. to 121b., frozen. They are certainly superior 
in flavour to their English ancestors sent out in 
the egg just thirty years ago by Mr. James A. 
Youh the late Mr. Francis Francis, aud the late 
Air. Frank Buckland. 
These colonial trout are such handsome thick 
fellows, and grow to such a size—201b., and even 
301b. in some instances—that it might be worth 
while to import some of their eggs to cross witli 
our fish.—I am. Sir, your obedient servant, 
R. B. Marstox, Editor Fishing Gazette. 
St. Dunstan’s House, Fetter-lane, London, EX’, 
Jan. 3. 
