44 



THE PIKE. 



over where it would be impossible, owing to stones, bushes^ 

 trees, reeds^ and rank undergrowth, to cast with line coiled 

 at the feet. Some pike 'fishermen say that a bait, wound 

 home on the reel in this style, is not sO' attractive as one 

 worked home by the fingers with line coiled; the long 

 sweeping drags of the bait when travelling through the 

 water, which is the chief characteristic of the latter plan, 

 is absent when the line is simply wound up on the reel to 

 spin the bait home. There is, they say, too much of the 

 jog trot, monotonous sameness about the bait when cast out 

 and wound back again direct from the reel. But I would 

 point out that by simply raising and lowering alternately the 

 tip end of the rod, and varying the pace of the winding in 

 process, sometimes even, if the character of the water per- 

 mitted it pausing for a second or so, the sink and draw 

 motion and the long sweeping drags of the bait could be 

 imitated as faithfully with the reel, as by the hand. Then 

 again, when spinning from a boat the line when coiled at 

 the feet is apt to be a confounded nuisance, and will insist 

 on catching round everything within reach, now and again 



Fig. 8. Snake Rings, The Four Largest Sizes right 

 FOR A Casting Rod. 



hinkmg round the neck of a bottle, or upsetting a tackle 

 box, perhaps throwing overboard a cherished pocket knife 

 or a favourite bit of tackle. I have heard several pike fisher- 

 men say under these circumstances, that they wished they 

 could spin from the reel, as it would prevent much bad 



