THE PIKE. 8l 



culties and contradictions, it is a hopeless task, in fact I 

 liave liad far too long a practical experience in pike fishing 

 on various waters to attempt to recommend any one particu- 

 lar a'tificial as the very best that can be employed. As I 

 said a little while ago, if I have a preference for any one, 

 that one is an ordinary spoon ; but when a pike spinner has 

 killed over two hundred jack during his career on spoon 

 baits in well-fished public waters, he is apt to speak feel- 

 ingly. Here are three typical baits now before me that re- 

 present extremes in artificials. First there is an old wobbl- 

 ing spoon, that twists, cun-es, dives, and spins with a curious 

 erratic movement, especially in still, or nearly still, water; 

 second, there is the Clipper, a most brilliant silvery fish 

 shaped bait with a scarlet tassel that spins extremely rapid 

 and in one straight line ; third, there is the Wagtail, a most 

 curious bait made out of a thin and narrow, or rather two 

 narrow strips of soft indiarubber, of a dull colour, which, 

 when drawn through the water, seems to throb and heave 

 like something alive and breathing. These are totally 

 ■opposed to one another as far as shape, colour, and spin- 

 ning powers are concerned, and yet I should say under cer- 

 tain conditions they all would meet with occasional sport. 

 There are also dozens more artificials that come up in some 

 particular way or other to those just named, which might 

 be equally successful. It is no use pinning your faith on 

 any one of them. Sometimes after an unsuccessful day 

 with an artificial you might say, " Now, if I had had such 

 and such a bait I might have got hold of one or two," when 

 in all probability, no matter what you used, the result might 

 have been the same. It depends more upon two things 

 than the shape and colour of the artificial. First, the con- 

 dition of the water, and, second, whether the pike are on the 

 feed or not. Putting it broadly then, I should say that if 

 your tackle case contained three different types of artificials 

 that are opposed to each other in shape, colour, and spin- 

 ning powers, I care not under what name they are known, 

 nor yet who is the manufacturer of them, the chances are 

 that one or the other of them would some time during the 

 •day attract the attention, and so arouse the curiosity of a 

 pike that he would throw prudence to the winds and seize 



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