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spiiiuing', nearly all being over half a pound — as white 

 and silvery as herrings. The biggest were put into a pail 

 for live baiting, and the smaller fish received their quietus 

 for spinning. We tossed for choice, and the fickle jade 

 favouring me, I took the upper lake, knowing it to hold the 

 biggest fish. The lower end, where the water averages from 

 fifteen to twenty feet, was spun over carefully from the 

 bank — there was no boat — without any response, and 

 " Garge " then put a live snap bait of one pound weight on 

 my spare rod, and left it tied to a tree on the bank. A shout 

 from the next lake announced first blood, and dii^ectly we 

 got to shallower water a pretty little five-pounder paid the 

 penalty of responding to my invitation. But it Avas cruel 

 fishing over a belt of tangled briars that straggled out from 

 the water's edge for yards, forming a tangled mass. Long 

 casting's were necessarv in order to reach the best water, and 

 my attendant finally hit upon the dodge of spreading his 

 macintosh for me to coil the line on. We landed two small 

 fish that were returned, and killed a very game ten-pounder 

 after a splendid fight. The weeds in the shallows proved an 

 awful nuisance, and the bigger fish appeared to lie in the 

 deep open water, on the outer edge of the weed-bed, thirty 

 or forty yards fi'om the bank. Those devotees of the fly- 

 rod who deny that any skill is needed in pike fishing would 

 find themselves mistaken in such a place as this, especially 

 with a stiffish head wind against them. Having put in an 

 hour or more of this long casting, we had a rest, and smoked 

 the pipe of peace, while '* Garge " told of legendary pike 

 of enormous size that were said to inhabit this old moat. 

 Whilst thus engaged a big pike made a flying leap out in 

 the deep water at the lower end of the moat, and away we 

 rushed to our spare rdd, and the noise of the salmon reel 

 attached to it announced that a fish was on. We only got 

 there just in the nick of time, for nearly all the line was 

 out, 150 yards, and the fish was fighting in mid-lake like a 

 runaway pony with the bit beween his teeth. Come back 

 he would not for a long time, and he bored to the bottom, 

 shaking his head savagely, and my little cane spinning-rod, 

 when strained to the utmost, made no more impression on 



