THE BOOK OF THE PIKE 



When I first took up the matter of bait fishing for 

 muskellunge, I promised to say something upon still 

 fishing before I finished the chapter. Probably few 

 anglers turn to still-fishing these days, for casting is 

 more American; consequently when live minnows are 

 resorted to they are employed exactly as are lures. 

 I wish to say that there is a place for still-fishing with 

 live bait in the muskellunge angler's scheme of things. 

 Still-fishing is a sort of contemplative man's recrea- 

 tion. I think that if Izaak Walton lived to-day and 

 fished for 'lunge, he would often resort to live bait as 

 an adjunct to the still fisher's outfit. 



I would not vary the tackle one iota unless it were 

 to employ a slightly longer rod, like the six-foot six- 

 inch "Henshall pattern," for instance; a longer rod 

 than the 6>^-foot will prove too long for the work 

 required of it. The ordinary caster can be used felic- 

 itously, however. As I think I pointed out when 

 writing upon live bait, a larger minnow can be used 

 for still-fishing, even a ten-inch sucker upon occasion. 

 There are ways and ways of attaching the minnow to 

 the hook. The only thing the fisherman should re- 

 member is that the minnow must be kept alive as 

 long as possible, and the hook fixed in such a manner 

 as to reach the striking fish. Some anglers employ a 

 large hook and thrust it through the body midway 

 between the head and tail and just below the back- 

 bone. There are two reasons why I do not advise the 

 method: The hook is in the very worst position for 

 a rear-striking fish like the pike, and the minnow soon 

 dies. To hook the minnow through the head, inserting 

 the hook in the mouth and thrusting up through the 

 top of the head, soon causes the death of the minnow, 



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