28 



The Gentle Art of Angling. 



or no play. Genuine pike anglers 

 leave them alone until August. 

 From November to February 

 they are in the pink of condition, 

 and give the best sport. 



And now, having described his 

 lordship the pike, let us go to the 

 river-side and consider the various 

 modes of capturing him. The rod 

 is an important part of the equip- 

 ment. In length and weight it 

 varies according to the taste of 

 the angler. The material, what- 

 ever its nature, should be of the 

 best quality. It is subject to a 

 heavy strain in casting and hand- 

 ling a fish, and one cannot be too 

 particular in making sure that it 

 is equal to it. In length it varies 

 from 10 feet to 12 feet. For live 

 baiting the former is quite long 

 enough, whatever may be the 

 material. I have a strong preju- 

 dice against heavy rods for any 

 kind of fishing. I do not see the 

 need for unwieldy weapons ; they 

 are a burden to the flesh, turning 

 what ought to be pleasure into 

 toil. The material is a determin- 

 ing factor in weight. Greenheart 

 is the most common timber used 

 in the butt joint. It is one of the 

 hard woods, and of extreme specific 

 gravity. Supplied by a good maker 

 it is generally carefully selected 

 and reliable. The butt has to 

 bear a heavy strain, and must in 

 consequence be large in circum- 

 ference. A slight butt is very 

 likely to split, and a large one is 

 objectionable from the weight 

 point of view. Ash is much 

 lighter, and the straight grain 

 makes it less liable to split. It is 

 very pliable, however, and as stiff- 

 ness in the butt is important for 

 live baiting it is less suitable. 

 This is particularly the case 

 when a heavier wood, such as 

 greenheart, is used in the middle 

 and top joints. Bamboo makes 

 a light butt, and its stiffness, 

 especially for spinning, throws too 



much work on the top of the rod, 

 when one gets hold of a heavy 

 pike. Messrs. Hardy Brothers, 

 Alnwick, supply an excellent split 

 cane pattern, the " Salmo-Esox," 

 which combines lightness with 

 strength, and is a model of what, 

 in my judgment, a pike rod should 

 be. It is 10 feet, and weighs 

 only 1 8 oz. It is stiff enough to 

 throw a live bait a long distance, 

 and works so well down to the 

 butt as to prove all that could be 

 wished for spinning purposes. I 

 have put in several long days 

 spinning with this rod without 

 getting tired. The bottom joint 

 is brought well into play, which 

 makes all the difference in com- 

 manding the movements of a fish. 

 The rod must be fitted with up- 

 right rings, and large enough to 

 allow the line to shoot through 

 with the minimum amount of 

 friction. The agate-cased rings 

 on the " Salmo-Esox" admirably 

 fulfil this condition. 



Next to the rod the reel needs 

 consideration ; it should be large 

 enough to carry 100 yards of line. 

 The Nottingham pattern, with a 

 check that can be put on or off 

 at pleasure, is largely used by 

 anglers. There are two methods 

 of casting, one by drawing off the 

 requisite length of line, and coil- 

 ing it loosely in rings at the feet. 

 As long as the cast does not 

 exceed the length of line, this is 

 a convenient method. If it falls 

 short, the reel is brought into 

 play, and revolves faster than the 

 line is paid out ; the result is over- 

 running, which causes a sudden 

 check, and shoots the bait off. 

 Casting from the bank, twigs, 

 stumps, bumpy ground may check 

 the free passage of the line, and 

 cause a similar mishap. The 

 other method is casting from the 

 reel. The check is taken off, 

 and over-running is prevented by 

 gently using the fingers as a brake, 



