158 LAKES OF MONTGOMERYSHIRE. 



This lake, which lies on an eminence, is about 

 a mile in circumference, and has, some deep 



in maire, or pond, or river, that shall take more pikes than 

 any troller shall with his rod. And thus it is : First, take 

 a forked stick, a line of twelve yards long wound upon it. 

 At the upper end leave a yard, either to tie a bunch of rags or 

 a bladder to buoy up the fish, to carry the bait from the ground, 

 that the fish may swim clear. The bait must be live fish, 

 either dace, gudgeon, or roach, or a small trout. The forked 

 stick must have a slit on one side of the fork, that you may 

 put the line in, that the live fish may swim at that gage you 

 set the fish to swim at, that when the pike taketh the bait, he 

 may have full liberty of line for his feed ; you may turn all 

 these loose, either in pond or river, all day long, the more the 

 better, and do it in a pond with the wind : at night, set a 

 small weight, such as may stay the buoy, as a ship lyeth at 

 anchor, until the fish feedeth ; for the river, you must turn all 

 loose with the stream : two or three be sufficient to show 

 pleasure. Gaged at such a depth, they will go current down 

 the stream : there is no doubt of pleasure if there be pikes : 

 the hooks must be double hooks ; the shanks somewhat 

 shorter than ordinary. My reason is, the shorter the hooks be 

 in the shank, it will hurt the live fish the less, and it must be 

 armed with small wire well seasoned : but I hold a hook 

 armed with twisted silk to be better, for it will also hurt the live 

 fish the less. If you arm your hook with wire, the needle 

 must be made with a hook at the end thereof: if you arm your 

 hook with silk, if it be double, the same needle will serve ; but 

 if you arm the hook single, the needle must be made with an 

 eye^ and then you must take one of the baits alive, which you 

 can get, and with one of your needles enter the fish within a 

 straw breadth of the gill ; so put the needle between the skin 

 and the fish, then put the needle out at the hindmost fin, 

 drawing the arming through the fish until the hook come to 



