Feb 17, 2022
The signal man, on the look-out with his glass, reported the gig coming off with the captain; and in obedience to the orders he had received, the first-lieutenant immediately hove up, and the anchor having been “catted and fished,” the frigate lay-to in the Sound.
— Frederick Marryat, Newton Forster
Catting and fishing an anchor, as illustrated in The Young Sea Officer's Sheet Anchor (Archive.org), refers to the process of raising and securing it to the ship. It is hoisted vertically at the cathead by a cat-tackle (catting), and the flukes are turned with a fish-tackle to secure them over the gunwhale (fishing) and to prevent damage to the ship as the anchor is stowed.
