THE PIKE. 67 



across and down stream, if there is any stream, and draw 

 it back against the current searching all the possible water 

 well over. I have found after searching the water by that 

 plan to have had a slice of luck by throwing the bait up 

 stream and drawing it down the same direction as the cur- 

 rent is running. Many a good fish have I picked up by 

 this plan, after having searched all the water by the ortho- 

 dox down-stream cast. I have sometimes fancied that it 

 was because the bait looked more natural going down 

 stream. 



Another flight that was a particular favourite with one or 

 two of my friends was constructed on the same lines as the 

 flight I described a little while ago, except the tail-end hook, 

 which instead of being a treble was a large single hook some 

 three-quarters of an inch wide in the bend with a shank 

 fully an inch long. Immediately at the end of this shank 

 a small treble, about a No. 6, was firmly whipped to the 

 same gimp, and the loose looped treble completed the 

 tackle. This flight is baited the same as the other, with 

 the gimp run through the body from the vent to the mouth, 

 the single hook at the end being stuck firmly into the solid 

 flesh near the tail in such a manner that the tail itself bent 

 slightly towards the right hand, and a full quarter inch or 

 more of the point and barb of the hook protruding free. 

 One old spinner of long and wide experience would have it 

 that this tackle was a slight improvement on my favourite, 

 one reason being that the large hook at the end buried, or 

 nearly so, in the tail of the bait gave it a more brilliant 

 spin ; and another reason was the treble hooks being a 

 shade smaller, and also the tail-end hook being nearly hid 

 gave the tackle a neater appearance, and nothing much 

 except the bait visible to the keen eyes of the jack. I had 

 to admit on looking at the two flights when baited that this 

 was so ; but it had one drawback, it was not such a safe- 

 hooking tackle as mine. I very seldom lost one when 

 hooked ; he had several mishaps in this direction. I simply 

 laid the difference to be his use of too small trebles. There 

 are several more flights and tackles in use for spinning a 

 dead bait ; but I don't propose to look at the merits or 

 demerits of any of them here. I have given a full descrip- 



I 



