128 The Complete Angler 



so for at least six months without eating, but is 

 sustained, none but He whose name is Wonderful 

 knows how : I say, put your hook, I mean the arm- 

 ing-wire, through his mouth, and out at his gills ; 

 and then with a fine needle and silk sew the upper 

 part of his leg, with only one stitch, to the arming- 1 

 wire of your hook ; or tie the frog's leg, above the 

 upper joint, to "the armed-wire ; and, in so .doing, 

 | use him as though you loved him, that is, harm him 

 las little as you may possibly, that he may live the 

 'longer. 



And now, having given you this direction for the 

 baiting your ledger-hook with a live fish or frog, 

 my next must be to tell you, how your hook thus 

 baited must or may be used ; and it is thus : having 

 fastened your hook to a line, which if it be not 

 fourteen yards long should not be less than twelve, 

 you are to fasten that line to any bough near to a 

 hole where a Pike is, or is likely to lie, or to have a 

 haunt; and then wind your line on any forked 

 stick, all your line, except half a yard of it or rather 

 more ; and split that forked stick, with such a nick 

 or notch at one end of it as may keep the line from 

 any more of it ravelling from about the stick than 

 so much of it as you intend. And choose your 

 forked stick to be of that bigness as may keep the 

 fish or frog from pulling the forked stick under the 

 water till the Pike bites ; and then the Pike having 

 pulled the line forth of the cleft or nick of that 

 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 

 fixt place undisturbed 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 



