THE PIKE. 6 1 



'Commend these treble hooks for spinning to be so big. The 

 simpler the flight the more chance has the spinner, especi- 

 ally on those days when the pike are not in a very taking 

 humour. Sometimes they will dash at almost anything, 

 and lay hold with such right good will that it is almost im- 

 possible to miss them; but these chances do not often 

 occur. Nowadays they are getting so very cautious and 

 cunning, especially where constantly fished for, their 

 education has been complete and thorough, so that any 

 sort of a glaring deception will not work satisfactorily for the 

 angler, at any rate. I have used some brilliant spinners, such 

 as the Francis and the Pennell flights, that will spin a bait 

 in a most attractive-looking manner; but, somewhat or 

 other, results do not point them out as being the best that 

 can be used. 



In spinning for pike in a slow-running river like the 

 Bedfordshire Ouse, or the clear water of some of the Nor- 

 folk Broads ; or again in the generally bright water of some 

 inland lake that is fed from hillside springs, it is necessary 

 first to mount the bait so that no more of the hooks are 

 visible than can possible be helped ; second, use no more 

 of those hooks than are really necessary; third, use them 

 as small as you dare; and, fourth, spin slowly if possible, 

 and see that the bait wobbles and comes through the water 

 in all sorts of curious curv^es and twists. I once saw a 

 couple of anglers spinning on the river just named; one 

 fancied himself as an expert of the first water, the other 

 was a novice pure and simple. " Look at that now, my 

 boy," says the expert as he swung his brilliantly-mounted 

 bait right across the river, and spun it back close to the 

 surface with great rapidity and in one straight and even 

 line. His companion did look, but could not imitate that 

 cast if he tried for a week. In all probability if a good jack 

 had seen that bait he would have wondered at the curious 

 apparition, and known very well that fish are not naturally 

 in the habit of going across the river in that headlong man- 

 ner. That angler's companion, the novice, had a very 

 simple flight, on which he mounted a bait in a very rough 

 and ready manner. He was constantly getting into diffi- 

 culties with his reel and line in throwing out, so that the 



