THE PIKE. 



51 



larger spoon and heavier leaded trace, with weight distri- 

 buted as before, the whole weighing a little less than one- 

 and-a-quarter ounces, was next tried with the ordinary reel 

 and No. 2 line, and this time by using some considerable 

 force in the cast I managed to get it out about 30 yards. 

 The result of my experiments convinced me that the bait 

 with its necessary swivels, gimp trace, and lead, the whole 

 distributed in a proper manner, and not put altogether at 

 the far end of the gimp, should weigh not less than one and 

 a half ounces to have a comfortable and satisfactory result, 

 that is if distance and accuracy were the objects aimed at. 

 A leger bullet weighing seven-eighths of an ounce, tied 

 firmly at the end of a stout barbel line, was thrown a little 

 over 50 yards from the reel, while a spoon and leaded trace 

 weighing one and a half ounces only reached 40 yards when 

 thrown by the same rod, reel, and line. The bullet, of 

 course, would have far less resistance to contend with in 

 travelling through the air than would the spoon, hence the 

 difference between the distances cast under the same con- 

 ditions. A small dace weighing from one and a half ounces 

 to two and a quarter ounces can be comfortably thrown with- 

 out any danger of straining the rod ; anything much over 

 the latter weight is not desirable. With regard to the dis- 

 tance that can be cast direct from the reel, I should say that 

 60 yards would be the very outside, and then the bait would 

 have to be fairly heavy, and of such a torpedo-like shape 

 that it could cut through the air with the least possible re- 

 sistance, and the conditions of the weather would also have 

 to be very favourable. I have heard some men say that 

 they have cast out the bait from the reel 70, and even 80, 

 yards at a guess ; but I must say that I have never seen it 

 done yet. If they had the distance properly measured I am 

 afraid they would find it considerably shorter than that. 

 Shortly then, we may put it that 50 yards is a very long cast, 

 40 yards is a very good one indeed, while in a day's spinning 

 there would be more casts under 30 yards than over that 

 figure, that is as far as the ordinary run of mankind is con- 

 cerned. I once saw some Thames professional fishermen 

 competing for prizes by casting out an artificial bait from the 

 reel in a style that they were pleased to call the Nottingham 



