66 THE FISHING-HOD; 



to land a heavy pike, though it is certainly 

 not near so game a fish as salmon and some 

 others. 



Having landed a well-fed pike, the troller 

 should, as soon as possible, put on a fresh 

 bait, and try again in and about the same 

 spot for the companion fish ; pike are gene- 

 rally in pairs, the male and female being 

 frequently together ; and thus the troller (like 

 the sportsman, who, having shot the duck 

 searches for the mallard) is often rewarded 

 with a brace of fish of very nearly equal 

 weight. 



Beware how you handle a pike : they have 

 shark-like mouths, and it is said, the bite is 

 venomous to human flesh. Always use a dis- 

 gorger when removing the hook from the 

 gullet of a pike or jack. 



When trolling for pike, keep as far back 

 from the water as possible. Make your first 

 throw near the bank, the next a little farther, 

 and so on, gradually casting it from you, 

 until at last you throw as far out in the stream 

 as you can. 



In trolling for jack and pike let the bait 

 occasionally sink nearly to the bottom, then 



