THE BOOK OF THE PIKE 



ter on fly-fishing, is a good trolling lure, though it 

 simply travels through the water and makes no com- 

 motion whatever. 



Trolling is peculiarly a lake sport; for, unless the 

 river be so sluggish as to be hardly worthy the name of 

 river, the current will render boat-trolling exceedingly 

 difficult. However, there are rivers sluggish enough to 

 make trolling upstream feasible. Downstream is more 

 difficult, as the spoon must travel very fast indeed to 

 overcome the influence of the current. Often there 

 are wide bends and deep eddies in even a compar- 

 atively rapid river, where trolling can be resorted to 

 with good results. Never pass a grassy slough or 

 bayou opening off from a river. Such spots are almost 

 certain to be the home of large great pike. I have 

 already mentioned the sloughs of Lake Superior as 

 pike-full places. 



There is a method of fishing small streams with 

 trolling spoons that I have found very attractive. 

 Cast out and allow the current to carry the spoon 

 down. Begin to reel v/hen the spoon is opposite your 

 position, so as to bring the spoon back quartering with 

 the current. However, as a rule, it is in the eddies 

 and backwaters that the angler must look for his 

 fish, for great pike are not swift-water lovers. Large 

 great pike will preempt a deep pool and hold it against 

 all intmders until caught. I have hooked the same 

 fish — I am morally certain it was the same great pike 

 — three times before getting the hook to hold. One 

 reason why I thought but one fish inhabited the pool 

 was because, after I succeeded in securing the big great 

 pike, I took no more from that spot for some time — 

 three weeks, if I remember correctly. 



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