6 THE PIKE 



'Out at the gill covers, a spiral twist at the end like a cork- 

 screw enabling it to be fastened to the gimp between the 

 two sets of hooks. This spiral wire was made to supersede 

 the small hook of the end treble, the wire holds the bait 

 firmly in its position without sticking the small hook into 

 the shoulder fin, or, indeed, having the small hook there at 

 all. It was claimed for this so-called improvement of the 

 Jardine tackle that a bait could be held much more secure 

 than with an ordinary one, and that it could be hurled long 

 distances in wide lakes or rivers without throwing off. But 

 unfortunately on a careful trial by practical men this long 

 casting was a source of danger and injury to the bait. If 

 the casting was made ever so careful, sometimes the gill 

 cover of the bait would be torn completely away, and even 

 if the bait was only used at close quarters and no damage 

 done to it by long casting, the wire props open the mouth 

 and gill covers, with the result that the bait soon dies and 

 won't work as it should do from the very first ; it seems to 

 be cramped and choked, and does not work about as I like 

 Tto see a live bait work. 



Fig. 14. The Wired Jardine Snap. 



Another tackle that used to be a great favourite with us 

 some years ago was a good deal like a Jardine, except the 

 hook that went under the back fin. This was a fair sized 

 moveable single hook, instead of the moveable treble, the 

 •end hook being exactly the same in both cases, and the 

 method of baitnig identical. The improved Bickerdyke 

 tackle, shown in the accompanying illustration is, according 

 to all repcrtfi of my pike fishing customers who have used 



