THE PIKE. 19 



fish was in good condition it will be firm, white, and tooth- 

 some. On no account cook a pike from a muddy, stagnant 

 pond, nor yet one from anywhere before the month of Sep- 

 tember, or you are likely to get a wrong impression as to 

 what one of these fish is like. They are in the very worst 

 possible condition during the summer — thin, flabby, and 

 unwholesome. 



Just a word or two now as to the various methods of tak- 

 ing the pike in a legitimate manner. First, by spinning with 

 an arrangement of hooks fixed in a dead bait, in such a 

 manner that when this bait is thrown across the water and 

 drawn back again it looks like a thing of life. Second, by 

 spinning with an artificial, worked exactly the same as just 

 described for a dead bait. Third, by working a dead gorge 

 tackle in places where it is impossible for weeds and obstruc- 

 tions to try either spinning or live-baiting. These three 

 plans are worked with a similar leaded trace for each, and 

 no floats. Fourth, by one or two floats and a live bait fixed 

 on snap tackle, so that the pike can be hooked directly he 

 attacks the bait. Fifth, by float tackle similar to the one 

 just named, except the hook is a live gorge one, which has 

 to be swallowed by the pike before he can be hooked. 

 Sixth, by paternostering with one or more live baits, a lead, 

 and no float. Seventh, by legering with a live bait sunk 

 to the bottom of deep water with the aid of a heavy bored 

 bullet, a live gorge tackle or a semi-snap gorge being used 

 and no float. There are several other methods of taking 

 pike, such as liggering, trimmering, trailing, etc., etc., ; but 

 these are not sportsmanlike methods, and should be care- 

 fully avoided, unless the jack are far too numerous in a 

 private water, and the proprietor wants to thin them down. 

 The seven plans given above, of course varying the process 

 to suit certain localities, are about all I dare mention to be 

 within the bounds of legitimate pike fishing. I will try in 

 the following chapters to fully and carefully explain the 

 whole of them. 



