TROLLING FOR GREAT PIKE 



fish to the hand-liner's one, and keep it up all day, both 

 being equally well acquainted with the water. 



I realize full well that the foregoing lays me open to 

 the charge, the odious charge, of porcine proclivities, 

 but I must trust that those who are familiar with my 

 writings, as well as those who have fished with me, will 

 not be "backward in coming forward" in my defense. 

 I am not, and never have been, a mere fisher for fish. 

 That is why the unjust strictures of men who take 

 five fish to my one always hurt. However, I long ago 

 came to believe with Elbert Hubbard that it is foolish 

 to attempt to explain. Our friends do not need ex- 

 planations, our enemies would not believe us anyway. 



As I have already intimated, for trolling I always 

 employ the short rod, the regular bait-casting rod; 

 not the very light tool, but the so-called "southern 

 bass" type. It is needless to add that the steel is a 

 splendid article for the sport, but by all means pur- 

 chase as good a one as possible. There are grades in 

 steel, as in every rod material. The reel should be — 

 indeed, must be, for best results — rather large. I like 

 at least j'j yards of line; am better satisfied if I know 

 my reel contains loo. The line should be size F, test- 

 ing 25 pounds, though if one is trolling where unusually 

 large fish are sometimes connected up with, the fisher- 

 man will feel more safe if he be provided with a line 

 testing up to 28 or 30 pounds. However, a new line 

 even smaller than the F will hold a great pike. Never 

 venture the sport with an old line or one that has been 

 much used in casting. It is a very good plan to de- 

 vote the troll ing-line to that sport exclusively, drying 

 carefully and thoroughly after each excursion, and not 

 using it overly long, either. 



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