HOW TO LAND A PIKE. 



other) by gaging his mouth open, and then with a disgorger 

 about nine or ten inches long, which you may have made 

 either of ivory, brass, or iron (for the common bone 

 disgorgers are not long enough for the troller's purpose) 

 I get away the hook, and save my fingers from the fish's 

 teeth; but if the Jack or Pike has pouched, the better 

 way then to unhook him is to make an opening in his belly, 

 and carefully cut away the parts to which the hooks 

 hang, and draw the hocks and gimp out of the opening ; 

 if this operation is done neatly, and it is very easy so to 

 do with a sharp pointed knife, the Jack or Pike will be 

 very little disfigured. 



In landing heavy Jack or Pike, it is best to use a landing 

 hook, or to grasp them firmly with both hands just below 

 the gills, for though it is generally recommended to press 

 your thumb and finger in their eyes and so lift them, yet 

 I have known many instances of good fish being lost by 

 this method, for if they struggle much very few can hold 

 them by a thumb and finger which is placed in the socket 

 of the Pike's eye ; this method does very well with small 

 Jack, but even those I have seen dropped and lost by the 

 momentary alarm caused by the Jack (which seemed quite 

 exhausted) suddenly gasping, twisting, and struggling. 



