Sea Fishing on the English Coast , livre ebook

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111 pages

English

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"Sea Fishing on the English Coast" is an antiquarian manual of practical instruction on the art of making and using sea-tackle. This comprehensive and timeless handbook also includes a full account of the different tackle-making methods for each month of the year, as well as a detailed guide for sea-fishermen regarding the best watering places on the English coast. Both a handy resource and a splendid antiquarian volume, "Sea Fishing on the English Coast" would make for a great addition to collections of allied literature. The chapters include: “Sea-Fish and Their Haunts – Locality – Weather”, “Read-Made Tackle”, “Baits and Diary”, “Time and Tide”, “May”, “June”, The East Coast”, etcetera. This vintage book is being republished now in an affordable, modern edition – complete with a specially commissioned new introduction on sea fishing.

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Sport

Autour du sport

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Sports de plein air

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Publié par	Read Books Ltd.
Date de parution	14 juin 2011
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781446549247
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	1 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0500€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

SEA-FISHING
ON THE
ENGLISH COAST.
A MANUAL OF PRACTICAL INSTRUCTION
ON THE ART OF
MAKING AND USING SEA-TACKLE,
WITH A FULL ACCOUNT OF THE METHODS IN VOGUE DURING EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,
AND A
DETAILED GUIDE FOR SEA-FISHERMEN
TO ALL THE MOST POPULAR WATERING-PLACES ON THE ENGLISH COAST.
B Y FREDERICK G. AFLALO.

Illustrated.

LONDON: L. UPCOTT GILL, 170, STRAND, W.C.

1891.
LONDON A. BRADLEY, LONDON AND COUNTY PRINTING WORKS, DRURY LANE.
PREFACE.

A KIND FRIEND suggested to me that I should call my book A Preface, for, said he, prefaces are never read ! But the preface is to the writer a most important part of his book, being his only opportunity of explaining himself to his readers, and attempting to avert some of that adverse criticism which rains down upon most first attempts as plentifully as manna, and with about the same soothing and nourishing effect.
Part I . most of all needs apology to existing writers on the subject: that apology must lie in the impossibility of omitting it, although containing but little that has not already been written.
Part II . is, I believe, on an original plan, as most writers deal very sparingly with the subject of Season.
Part III ., though little more than a compilation of personal experiences and letters, is undoubtedly the most useful in the book. I can only regret the sadly deficient results of my work in this direction.
Qui s excuse s accuse is a time-honoured saying, which shall not, however, deter me from giving a word of explanation with regard to the strange resemblance existing between parts of my book and M. M. s Sea-Fishing Notes in the Fishing Gazette . As I wrote to M. M. at the time (Nov., 1890), my book (the production of which has been repeatedly and unavoidably hindered) had already been for many months in the hands of the publisher, any alterations being made since then being only trifling, where there was a necessity to bring the book down to date. The Sea-Fishing Club proposed by M. M. should, if a success, prove a national benefactor. A somewhat careful study of the German fisheries in the Baltic for nearly a year has shown me some of the weak points in our own trawling system. Our own sea-fisheries are in sad need of reform, and if the Sea-Fishing Club could, with the help of Parliament, bring about such reform, it would earn the gratitude of future generations.
With regard to the small sketch-maps, the figures on them denote the depth in fathoms, as taken from Government charts. These are by no means so exactly or fully entered as to serve for a sailing-chart, but their purpose is merely to aid the angler in finding deep water. Some of the marks are dated: it must be remembered that fish periodically shift their position.
In conclusion, I must express my deep obligations to Mr. Marston for his kind permission to use back numbers of the Fishing Gazette , to the columns of Fishing and Shooting and the Field , and to Mr. Wilcocks and the many other fellow-anglers who have so kindly helped me in collecting information from all parts of the coast.
F. G. A.
London , 1891.
CONTENTS.

PART I.
TACKLE AND BAITS.

I NTRODUCTION TO P ART I.
I.
S EA -F ISH AND THEIR H AUNTS ; L OCALITY ; W EATHER
II.
R EADY -M ADE T ACKLE
III.
H OME-MADE T ACKLE
IV.
B AITS AND D IARY
PART II.
SEASON .

I NTRODUCTION TO P ART II.
V.
T IME AND T IDE
VI.
M AY
VII.
J UNE
VIII.
J ULY
IX.
A UGUST
X.
S EPTEMBER
XI.
O CTOBER
XII.
N OVEMBER TO A PRIL
PART III.
LOCALITY .

I NTRODUCTION TO P ART III.
XIII.
T HE E AST C OAST
XIV.
T HE S OUTH-EAST C OAST
XV.
T HE S OUTH C OAST
XVI.
T HE S OUTH-WEST C OAST
XVII.
T HE W EST C OAST
XVIII.
L IST OF W ATERING P LACES NOT P REVIOUSLY D ESCRIBED

I NDEX
SEA-FISHING ON THE ENGLISH COAST.

PART I. TACKLE AND BAITS .

INTRODUCTION TO PART I.
THE First Part of this book, although unavoidably the least original, contains perhaps the essence of the whole. For the remainder of the book I am solely responsible, but the matter referring to Tackle and Baits has of course been handled by every writer on the subject. It is thus to be expected that many hints in this part of the book have been already given in one form or another in one or all of the three books that already exist on Sea-Fishing. I could not on this account leave them out, but have, to the best of my knowledge, fully acknowledged all indebtedness. On the two very interesting questions on the subject of local baits, and artificial and natural baits, I have only touched very briefly, but I hope at some future date to see them more fully discussed in the columns of the fishing papers, to both of which, as also to the Field , I have to acknowledge my great obligations.
CHAPTER I.

SEA-FISH AND THEIR HAUNTS- LOCALITY-WEATHER.
I MUST beg to be excused from furnishing my readers with any oration on the beauties of sea-fishing: let them try and find them out for themselves, and they will acknowledge them all the more readily. I will therefore plunge at once into the sea and the subject.
There are many large and small fish, such as Shark, Ling, Hake, Flying Fish, and Albacore, that come so rarely within reach of the amateur as to require no consideration in an essentially practical book. Still, the sea offers to the amateur no mean variety of fish, all quite near the shore, and to be caught at most times of the year-not that they are all to be caught at any one season, but on this subject I shall advise in Part II .
Sea-Fish and their Haunts. -It will be as well to commence by giving a list of the principal fish we shall have to mention as we go along. These will be:
R OCK F ISH .
S AND F ISH .
*Bream
*Bass
Conger
*Chad
Gurnard
*Cod
*Mackerel
Dabs
Pollack
*Dog Fish
Pouting
Mullet (grey)
Wrasse
Plaice

Smelts

Weevers

*Whiting
Those marked with an asterisk (*) are found in both situations, but more generally where they are placed above.
I do not say that the above list is exhaustive in its division, for I know that Bass play off rocky headlands, and that large Cod are often caught in the rocks. But it is as well to make some distinction, and the above is, after careful consideration, the best I can suggest.
It is most important to use the correct tackle for each coast and season, otherwise your fishing must end in the most ridiculous failure. The Editor of the Fishing Gazette ( Notes, Sept., 1888) is justly surprised at a man having written to him that he had got the tackle recommended for Bass in Angling in Salt Water, * and had spun over miles of water on the Somersetshire coast without getting a single fish. He went on to explain that the bottom was muddy, and the local fishermen used hand-lines and caught flat-fish, c. He thought the method of fishing he tried was not suited to the coast. I should think not! The case very nicely illustrates the popular idea about fish and fishing: given water, there must be fish of all kinds. Now, these same people would not go on their house-tops to shoot snipe because all birds fly in the air; yet because all fish swim in water, chuck the right tackle and bait into the water here, there, and everywhere, and there you are, you know! That s the popular idea.
I have quoted the Gazette somewhat at length, because I wanted to say the same thing, but did not know how to put it as well. The first thing, on deciding to fish, say next August, is to decide on the place that you will visit. Having done this, remember that if it is on the East Coast you will have to expect sand; if on the South-east or South-west, probably rocks. Having settled the rock and sand question, look out for any river or harbour in the neighbourhood. All these points should be carefully studied if you would avoid placing yourself in the ridiculous position of the correspondent above referred to. Some further remarks on locality will be found in the first chapter of Part III .
There are, of course, one or two spots particularly favoured by the different fish. These have generally to be learned locally, but we can fix on two that will apply to all places where they can be found. First, at the back of a small reef of rocks is generally a good place on the rising tide. It is easily found if the water uncovers these rocks during the spring-tides; you can then get on to the rocks and take all your bearings in a note-book. Thus, if you find a suitable spot at A ( Fig. 1 ), you may observe that by looking at the flagstaff at the end of the pier it will be found to coincide with a windmill directly behind it; and that by turning round you will find the church-spire to be just in a line with a chimney-pot or some other conspicuous object. Do not trust to memory: sketch the whole thing, and choose marks that are permanent and prominent. I have a number of these old marks sketched in my diaries, and find them extremely useful on revisiting the places.
For such rocks as are never uncovered by the tide, you will have to purchase the information from a local Neptune: a little beer or tobacco will soon settle the matter. The second place is the mouth of a river, where you are safe (in June, July, and August) to find large Bass near the surface.

F IG . 1. T AKING B EARINGS .
Another fact that should be learned about each place is the direction of all local currents and tides. This knowledge, besides adding indirectly to the creel, will save you from many positions of ridicule, if not danger. Any local signs of weather should also be known: they are doubtless associated with much superstition and ignorance, but they also convey some truth. For example, at Hastings, a sure sign of the approach of a strong south-west wind is when you can see Beachy Head with great distinctness. This I have found to be true on many occasions.
Weather has also much to with your fishing. For bottom-fishing (flat fish, c.) I have always found calm weather give me t