THE PIKE. 71 



the bait off you are using and substitute another totally 

 different in shape and colour, and throw again ; the chances 

 are that he will take it with a savage grab the first time. 

 Some people tell us that if a pike stirs to a spinning bait 

 and refuses it, it is best to give him an hour's rest and then 

 try again. My advice is to keep throwing over him, a dozen 

 or even a score of times, until he probably knows every 

 outline of that bait, and then put on something else of a 

 different shape and colour, and very often success will crown 

 this little dodge. I remember once in particular the club 

 I belonged to fishing a pike spinning match one afternoon. 

 One of the competitors, who was fishing a cunning comer 

 of the river, told me that he had stirred a good fish nearly 

 an hour previously, and although he had stuck to it well, not 

 another move did he see. He was spinning with a bright 

 and glittering dace. He told me that as he was off to an- 

 other place I might have a go at that fish if I liked, and I 

 fancied there was a sort of sarcasm in his tone. However, 

 I took off my natural dace that I had been using, and put 

 on an old dull-coloured wobbling spoon, and got him the 

 lirst cast ; and it turned out to be the first prize fish. This 

 is only one instance out of several in my long experience 

 when a change of bait has resulted in success. When a 

 fish is just slightly hooked, and then after a few seconds' 

 play lost, it is not much use in a general wav to keep 

 throwing over him ; give him an hour's rest if you anyhow 

 can before trying again. Some odd times he will come 

 again instantly ; indeed, I have had one or two fish that have 

 been hooked and lost three times in less than ten minutes, 

 and then got him the very next cast. It is not often, how- 

 ever, that they are so very accommodating as this. If, after 

 3osing one, you find he does not come again in two or three 

 •casts, you can safely leave him to settle down for an hour 

 or so. 



And now just a word or two on a very vexed question, 

 and that is, should a pike be sharply struck when hooked 

 on a spinning tackle ? My decided opinion is — no, certainly. 

 I believe that more pike are lost when hooked by striking 

 too heavily, than if you don't strike at all. A pike generally 

 collars the bait when it is revolving through the water. If 



