THE BOOK OF THE PIKE 



hours." Perhaps I should add that those hours of 

 humidity upon the day in question were followed by 

 one of the most terrific hail and wind storms it has 

 ever been my misfortune to be exposed to. I stayed 

 upon the water so long — as any true angler would have 

 done under the circumstances — that I was just barely 

 able to get on shore and under my inverted boat 

 before the storm broke. 



While midsummer is not the most successful time 

 of the year by any means for muskel lunge fishing, still 

 the wise caster of lures can secure a few good fish if 

 he knows how to handle tackle and is familiar with 

 the habits of his game. Should he be so fortunate as 

 to have the weather gods present him with a "weather- 

 breeder," when the atmosphere is hot, close, and hu- 

 mid, with a misty haze veiling the sun, let him fare 

 forth with rejoicing; for he should have a wonderful 

 experience, and, if he be a taker of fish, make a record 

 catch. 



In this chapter I have said little of the modus oper- 

 andi of lure handling and have listed no "best lures." 

 The former is unnecessary, for I take it for granted 

 that the reader is familiar with the author's "Casting 

 Tackle and Methods," while the latter is out of my 

 province. Any bait caster should know how to handle 

 his lures before he goes in search of muskellunge. I 

 have tried to get the reader to realize two things: 

 first, that he must know his water; and secondly, that 

 he must know the habits of the muskellunge, its likes, 

 and lurking places. As was pointed out in the opening 

 paragraphs of this chapter, the particular type of lure 

 is not so important so long as it is well made and strong. 

 The color of the lure will depend largely upon the par- 



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