140 THE TIME FOR STRIKING PIKE. 



long enough: some excellent anglers allow ten, 

 minutes. That length of time can only be neces- 

 sary occasionally, when fish not voraciously hun- 

 gry are but playing with the bait, and even then 

 I frequently strike in a very short time, lest the 

 fish should not pouch the bait at all, but blow it 

 out of his mouth after having examined it by the 

 sense of touch, and perceived something suspicious 

 about it. For my own part, except in trolling 

 with the dead bait, I seldom allow pouching time 

 at all, but strike as soon as I find my hooks are 

 within the fish's mouth. I very seldom miss, 

 nor do I think any good striker would often fail to 

 hook his fish by a stroke, simultaneous, but slowly 

 so, with the bite of pike, perch, or trout. Pike is 

 the only fish that should be allowed time. Trout 

 and perch should be struck immediately stopped 

 by a smart check as they are darting off with 

 their prey. Their run is quicker than that of 

 pike, which frequently swim off very leisurely 

 with the bait in their mouth, to pouch it in peace 

 in some tranquil haunt. You can, therefore, ge- 

 nerally distinguish what sort of a run you have ; 

 if it be a trout-run, strike quickly if a pike-run, 

 give time. The question of time is important, 

 and still remains doubted and discussed. 



When you have a pike-run, and the fish makes 

 away for a convenient retreat wherein to swallow 

 the bait, you must allow him to move off with 



