The Fourth Day 129 



cast, it into the water with the forked stick to hang 

 upon the ground, to be a kind of anchor to keep the 

 forked stick from moving out of your intended place 

 till the Pike come: this I take to be a very good 

 way to use so many ledger-baits as you intend to 

 make trial of. 



Or if you bait your hooks thus with live fish or 

 frogs, and in a, windy day, fasten them thus to a 

 bough or bundle of straw, and by the help of that 

 wind can get them to move across a pond or mere, 

 you are like to stand still on the shore and see 

 sport presently, if there be any store of Pikes. Or 

 these live baits may make sport, being tied about 

 the body or wings of a goose or duck, and she 

 chased over a pond. And the like may be done 

 with turning three or four live baits, thus fastened 

 to bladders, or boughs, or bottles of hay or flags, to 

 swim down a river, whilst you walk quietly alone on 

 the shore, and are still in expectation of sport. The 

 rest must be taught you by practice ; for time will 

 not allow me to say more of this kind of fishing 

 with live baits. 



And for your DEAD-BAIT for a Pike : for that you 

 may be taught by one day's going a-fishing with 

 me, or any other body that fishes for him ; for the 

 baiting your hook with a dead gudgeon or a roach, 

 and moving it up and down the water, is too easy a 

 thing to take up any time to direct you to do it. 

 And yet, because I cut you short in that, I will 

 commute for it by telling you that that was told me 

 for a secret : it is this : Dissolve gum of ivy in oil 

 of spike, and therewith anoint your dead bait for 

 a Pike ; and then cast it into a likely place ; and 

 when it has lain a short time at the bottom, draw 

 it towards the top of the water, and so up the 

 stream ; and it is more than likely that you have a 

 Pike follow with more than common eagerness. 

 I 



