24 THE pikp:. 



through them without the possibility of a catch or tangle; 

 and, for instance, if the angler throws the bait with the line 

 coiled at his feet, and there happens to be a snarl in it, when 

 a pike runs with the bait the rings should be such that the 

 line, kink and all, will easily slip through, instead of being 

 brought up with a jerk by jamming tight in the ring. I 

 don't like the " Bell's Life " rings on a trolling rod ; they 

 don't stand the wear and tear of throwing with a stout line 

 and a heavy bait. These rings are splendid for the lighter 

 work of chubbing down a stream ; but in pike fishing, es- 

 pecially spinning, I found them to be a mistake. In the 

 first place this ring is of a tolerable length, and the binding 

 that fastens them to the rod is fixed at each end ; the centre 

 of the ring is not firmly bound to the rod, and the conse- 

 quence is that a sudden jerk or strong drag with the line 

 pulls one end of the ring away from its bindings, especially 

 if those bindings are somewhat old and worn, and would 

 be likely to cause unpleasantness ; and in the second place 

 these rings are made of rather soft metal, which the line 

 soon cuts and grooves. If these rings could be made in 

 hardened steel they would be a decided improvement on the 

 old-fashioned ones. Taking rings for a pike rod all round, 

 I fancy there are none to beat the snake pattern, made of 

 rust-proof bronzed and hardened steel ; and in fixing them 

 on the rod they should be graduated, that is, the largest on 

 the butt and the smallest near the top end ; and this small 

 ring should not be any less than will comfortably allow a 

 medium sized lead pencil, say three-eighths or seven-six- 

 teenths of an inch in diameter, to pass through. The ring on 

 the butt can be about five-eighths of an inch in size, and 

 this in a three-piece rod should be fixed immediately under 

 the ferrule. I have seen rings fixed on the butt within a 

 foot or 14 inches from the reel; but this, if we look at it 

 carefully, will be found another mistake, because in using 

 the fair sized reel that is necessary in pike fishing, when the 

 ring is so near it, the line when threaded through forms too 

 acute an angle, and grinds and cuts it more than is good for 

 the lasting qualities of the very best line that ever was 

 Dlaited. When the ring is higher up the butt, this angle is 

 nothing like so apparent, and the friction on the line a good 



