THR PIKE. 57 



thus; make a hole with a sharp peii-knitV- in the 

 side of the bait-fish; then put the gimp that is 

 fastened to your hook into it, and draw it out at 

 the mouth, till the spring hook comes to the 

 place where the incision was made ; whic*h when 

 it is, put it into the belly of the fish, then have 

 a piece of lead, about the size of a horse-bean, 

 though of an oval form, with a hole through it 

 from end to end, large enough for the gimp to 

 go through ; draw it down to the fish's mouth, 

 then put it in it and sew it up. Or vou mav 

 make an incjsion in the skin only, and draw the 

 gimp out at the bone behind the gills, then enter 

 it again under the gills, and bring it out at the 

 mouth, which 1 think is the best method, be- 

 cause the hook has onl}^ the skin to hinder its 

 fixing in the pike ; whereas in the first method 

 it must pierce through the flesh and skin before 

 it can touch him ; and if it is not very large, 

 may hook him so slightl}' as to spoil all your 

 sport. There used to be a way also of taking pike 

 called hiixiufr. hut as the use of trimmers \s now 

 so generally known, it would be needless lor me 

 to insist farther upon it. 



I shall now communicate to the reader a me- 

 thod which I have taken more pikes and jacks 

 with than any other way. The hook which you 

 must use, is to be like tlie first hook that I have 

 mentioned, with this exception only, that the lead 

 of a. conical fisiure must be taken awav : then, 

 before you fix the swivel on the bottom of the 

 line, put on a cork float that will swim a gud- 

 geon, then put on your swivel, and fi^ your hook 

 and gimp to it : put a swan shot on yourgimp, to 

 make your float cock a little, and of such a weight," 

 that when the hook is baited with the gudgeon, 

 it may do so properly. Your gudgeons must be 



