British Game Fishes.—­On a much smaller scale are the fishes most esteemed in British waters.  The bass (Labrax lupus) heads the list as a plucky and rather difficult opponent.  A fish of 10 lb is a large one, but fifteen-pounders have been taken.  Small or “school” bass up to 3 lb or 4 lb may sometimes be caught with the fly (generally a roughly constructed thing with big wings), and when they are really taking the sport is magnificent.  In some few localities it is possible to cast for them from rocks with a salmon rod, but usually a boat is required.  In other places bass may be caught from the shore with fish bait used on the bottom in quite shallow water.  They may again sometimes be caught in mid-water, and in fact there are few methods and few lures employed in sea angling which will not account for them at times.  The pollack (Gadus pollachius) and coal-fish (Gadus virens) come next in esteem.  Both in some places reach a weight of 20 lb or more, and both when young will take a fly.  Usually, however, the best sport is obtained by trailing some spinning-bait, such as an artificial or natural sand-eel, behind a boat.  Sometimes, and especially for pollack, the bait must be kept near the bottom and heavy weights on the line are necessary; the coal-fish are more prone to come to the surface for feeding.  The larger grey mullet (Mugil capito) is a great favourite with many anglers, as it is extremely difficult to hook, and when hooked fights strongly.  Fishing for mullet is more akin to fresh-water fishing than any branch of sea-angling, and indeed can be carried on in almost fresh water, for the fish frequent harbours, estuaries and tidal pools.  They can be caught close to the surface, at mid-water and at the bottom, and as a rule vegetable baits, such as boiled macaroni, or ragworms are found to answer best.  Usually ground-baiting is necessary, and the finer the tackle used the greater is the chance of sport.  Not a few anglers fish with a float as if for river fish.  The fish runs up to about 8 lb in weight.  The cod (Gadus morhua) grows larger and fights less gamely than any of the fish already mentioned.  It is generally caught with bait used on the bottom from a boat, but in places codling, or young cod, give some sport to anglers fishing from the shore.  The mackerel (Scomber scomber) gives the best sport to a bait, usually a strip of fish skin, trailed behind a boat fairly close to the surface, but it will sometimes feed on the bottom.  Mackerel on light tackle are game fighters, though they do not usually much exceed 2 lb.  Whiting and whiting-pout (Gadus merlangus and Gadus luscus) both feed on or near the bottom, do not grow to any great size, and are best sought with fine tackle, usually an arrangement of three or four hooks at intervals above a lead which is called a “paternoster.”  If one or more of the hooks are on the bottom the tackle will do for different kinds of flat fish as well,