With and *A gainst tbe Grains 23 



More than once I have seen a grains thrown 

 recklessly at a fish a dozen yards from the bank of 

 the swollen, ice-cold river, and as it floated with the 

 current its owner would have no choice but to 

 plunge in and secure it with as little tarrying and as 

 few strokes as the law allowed. Whether he lost 

 his grains by funking a frigid swim, or regained it 

 by a fearless dash, we guyed him just the same, and 

 his best policy was to grapple somebody whose rai- 

 ment was dry and strive to get warmed up in the 

 struggle the dry one was certain to make to get 

 away from the damp embrace. 



Among the devotees of pike spearing two meth- 

 ods were popular : One was to lie in wait where the 

 clear current of an outflow joined the turbid main 

 stream, or upon a fallen tree or bridge, and spear 

 the fish with long-handled grains as they passed, 

 bound upstream. This method was popular with 

 the veterans. It was restful and not necessarily a 

 dirty or wet procedure, and the watcher had chances 

 at all fish that sought that stream while he was on 

 deck. It had disadvantages, inasmuch as the run of 

 fish was always uncertain, and a man might watch for 

 hours in vain. All fish already past that point were 

 lost as far as that grains was concerned ; and while 

 there was nothing doing at the outlet, there might 

 be rare fun farther above and at the headwaters. 

 At such ambushes the spearing could also be done 

 at night if a fire could be built so as to cast a 

 strong light on the water, or if the grainer had a 

 lantern equipped with a good reflector. 



The second method offered the most variety, and 

 appealed to the restless ones. This was to follow 



