150 THE COMPLETE ANGLER 



stick in which it was gently fastened, he will have line 

 enough to go to his hold and pouch the bait ; and if you 

 would have this ledger-bait to keep at a fixed place, undis- 

 turbed by wind or other accidents, which may drive 

 it to the shore-side, (for you are to note, that it is likeliest 

 to catch a pike in the midst of the water,) then hang a 

 small plummet of lead, a stone, or piece of tile, or a turf 

 in a string, and cast it into the water with the forked 

 stick, to hang upon the ground, to be a kind of anchor to 

 keep the forked stick from moving out of your intended 

 place till the pike come. This I take to be a very good 

 way, to use so many ledger-baits as you intend to make 

 trial of. 



Or if you bait your hooks thus with live fish or frogs, 

 and in a windy day, fasten them thus to a bough or bundle 

 of straw, and by the help of that wind can get them to 

 move across a pond or mere, you are like to stand still on 

 the shore and see sport presently if there be any store of 

 pikes ; or these live baits may make sport, being tied 

 about the body or wings of a goose or duck, and she chased 

 over a pond : and the like may be done with turning three 

 or four live baits thus fastened to bladders, or boughs, or 

 bottles of hay or flags, to swim down a river, whilst you 

 walk quietly alone on the shore, and are still in expecta- 

 tion of sport. The rest must be taught you by practice, 

 for time will not allow me to say more of this kind of 

 fishing with live baits. 



And for your dead bait for a pike, for that you may 

 be taught by one day's going a fishing with me, or any 

 other body that fishes for him, for the baiting your hook 

 with a dead gudgeon or a roach, and moving it up and 

 down the water, is too easy a thing to take up any time 

 to direct you to do it : and yet, because I cut you short 

 in that, I will commute for it by telling you that that was 

 told me for a secret : it is this : 



Dissolve gum of ivy in oil of spike, and therewith anoint 



